Mariachi Hero Review

Mariachi Hero is an awesome name. It's the kind of name that entices you into giving it a whirl, hoping for a Mexican themed Guitar Hero. This isn't really the case though. Instead you get a game that's all about gaining the best high score. The music is incidental.

The aim is to keep in time with the music by squashing cockroaches as they wander over the red dots surrounding the Mexican bandit. Keeping in time with the music isn't really essential though, it's more to do with tapping the cockroaches as and when they appear. Bombs and bottles emerge too, each of which invoking extra points if you shoot them. There's no huge progression here, just a matter of seeing how long you can last without failing. Much like Guitar Hero, you're given a few chances to screw up as it's all down to a meter at the top of the screen which you need to keep happy.

There's no multi touch support to be seen which would have really helped. In fact Mariachi Hero doesn't feel as responsive to touch as I would have liked, instead feeling a little patchy at times. It's a shame as Mariachi Hero is kind of fun even with all its limitations (it only offers one difficulty level and one level). There are mini games to play too but these are pretty simplistic - they just consist of swiping bugs away from the screen or shooting them.

Game Center support offers leaderboards but no achievements which feels like an oversight.

That's the problem with Mariachi Hero. It's fine but that's all it is. It's fun to play in short doses but even at only a dollar in price, there are so many better games you could be playing for that short play session. It's a great idea but it needs developing. More levels would be cool, more music and an array of difficulty levels too. As it stands though, unless you're crazy about rhythm based games, you're best off giving this a miss for a while.