So the Twilight Heroes wiki that was my source of knowledge on the game has ceased to be. I guess the wiki lost it’s server/host and the redirect page it goes to when you try to go there doesn’t actually redirect you to anywhere, bummer I know. But all hope is not lost! Some industrious folks in Twilight Heroes‘ first (and only) guild have taken it upon themselves to remedy this. The new wiki will one day be bigger and more comprehensive than the old one but these things take time. Take a look at it and feel free to contribute to it here:

Twilight Heroes Wiki

In other news, the holiday weekend is over and the countdown to Christmas/Chanukah/whatever has begun. But before we get to that I thought I’d mention some of the things that went down in my two new favorite games: Twilight Heroes and Kingdom of Loathing. Sweet.

So Twilight Heroes rolled out it’s first new content in awhile in the form of a limited time quest to find and defeat an escaped convict called Buzzkill. Although some low-level players found him challenging, those at level ten and above felt a bit ripped off, myself among them. The whole event took around fifteen turns to complete and the moderate XP and chip reward was a bit of a let down.

I would like to see designers give a bit more thought to rewards for these type of events. A nice rare item or chip reward on a scale with your level and a bit more fight in the boss would be a welcome adjustment. Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing new content in the game as much as anybody, this event seemed rushed to me.

Note to the guys at Quirkz: quality over quantity every time guys. You have a great game on your hands here, the players are loyal, we’ll be much happier with GOOD content that takes a bit longer to release than a quickly thrown together bit of fluff like Buzzkill. Take your time.

Kingdom of Loathing had it’s own event over the Holiday weekend. Coinciding with Thanksgiving, The Feast of Boris was a seal clubber’s holiday dream come true.

Exclusive Thanksgiving-themed monsters randomly appeared in all of the combat areas and dropped exclusive food items that when consumed replenished more adventures than normal food. Not only that, players’ maximum fullness (how much you can eat each day) doubled for the day allowing for even more adventures.

KoL has been around for years now and the quality of this event shows how much time and effort the guys at Asymmetric have put into the game. Kudos fellas.

Not a bad few days of gaming if you ask me. That’s all for now troopers. Keep your eyes peeled for reviews of other web games Urban Dead and Dragon Fable.

Until Next time, may the Schwartz be with you.

The Gamer Hero

The Kingdom of Loathing is a browser-based RPG from Asymmetric Publications.

This type of game has no system or graphics requirements and has no subscription fees. The characters, enemies and locations are all hand-drawn stick figures and the storytelling’s humor borders on the ridiculous. All those elements combine to make a very fun and addictive gaming experience.

Players choose from six character classes each centering around one of three main stats, and each has a different set of skills to use. In the Kingdom of Loathing, or KoL, as it has come to be known by its player base, Muscle, Mysticality and Moxie replace the more traditional Strength, Intelligence and Agility seen in nearly all RPGs. Right there you get an idea of this game’s sense of humor.

After creating a character players are given a brief tutorial on game mechanics and combat. This takes the form of a quest taking place on Mount Noob where you meet the Toot-Oriole…yes the Toot-Oriole. This also explains the turns system which are called adventures. Nearly every action you take uses one adventure and when your adventures run out, you’re done for the day (adventures are replenished each night at 10:30pm EST). Eating food or drinking cocktails can restore a few adventures per day as well.

There are two basic types of adventure: combat and non-combat. Fighting the Kingdom’s myriad foes earns both Meat (KoL money) and treasure. The enemies are cleverly silly and range from the Sabre-toothed Lime to Ninja Snowmen.

There are a multitude of things to collect in the game from weapons and armor and familiar creatures that aid you in combat to ultra rare items that increase stats or in-game rankings. Other inventory options include combining items, smithing new weapons, cooking new more powerful foods and mixing more potent cocktails.

The multiple areas to adventure in are as wry as the rest of the game as the tongue-in-cheek humor permeates the entire game. There are the Nearby Plains which includes areas like Degrassi Knoll and the Misspelled Cemetary; The Distant Woods with it’s White Citadel (a White Castle rip) and Crackpot Mystic’s Shed, and many others to explore as well as a large town where players can buy and sell items, find new quests, and generally cause trouble.

One of the best aspects of the game is the community of players to interact with. Upon reaching level 3 players can join a clan that offers many bonuses to their game: more turns, free Meat from the Meat tree, etc. The game also has a built-in chat pane for talking to other players and clan members.

In summary, the depth of the character classes, simple interface, open-ended gameplay and crazy popular culture references make this is an excellent game that anyone with a twisted sense-of-humor will enjoy.

I definitely recommend this one to all gamers.

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You!

Gamer Hero Score: 9/10

Hile, Kol Ka-Tet!

Twilight Heroes is a free browser-based game currently in open beta from Quirkz Media. Players get the chance to create a Superhero and patrol the dark, dangerous streets of the city of Twilight.

Whether it’s an elemental spell-caster, a mentally powered Scion, animal-adept Naturalist or cleverly equipped Gadgeteer there is much quirky fun and adventure to be had in this nifty RPG.

After a brief bit of back-story, players are thrust into a darkly humorous world Twilight, a world populated by anything from Cat burglars (kittens with guns) to Orca with rocket launchers (really).

New heroes are treated to a few low-level quests in a beginners area to familiarize them with game mechanics and inventory systems before the whole city can be accessed. As players progress they gain new transportation which allows travel to new areas and enemies.

Players are given a set number of turns per day before their “bedtime”. Turns are taken by most actions, combat and resting, but a few may be replenished by coffee each day. Combat is turn-based, making it fun and easy to pick up and get out there and start busting some criminal heads.

Weapons, Armor and other accessories can be purchased from NPC merchants or other players via the in-game auction house, as well as obtained after combat. Some items can even be combined at the player’s hideout to create even more powerful equipment.

Each class of heroes has it’s own skill tree to master. Skills range from standard combat and restorative abilities to buffs that improve statistics or grant a higher percentage of item and chip (money) drops after combat.

Talismans are mystical items that grant each hero his or her power and are proprietary to each class. Each Talisman grants various passive abilities (boosts to stats, to-hit % etc.) and are one of the games more collectible items.

Players who regret their choice of class even have the option to transmogrify their Talisman and switch to a different type of hero, for a price: there’s a very good chance that they could lose most or even all of their powers and end up starting over from scratch.

There is no guild or clan system implemented in the game yet but it is planned. Players seeking a community of other heroes to get support from need only open the chat pane and ask around. So far the folks playing are courteous and helpful so the community feeling is there.

All in all this is a fun, free game that with no subscription costs or hefty system requirements is open to all comers. Given time Twilight Heroes could grow in size and scope enough to rival it’s closest competitor Kingdom of Loathing. It’s still in early beta and there is still lots of content for the designers to add but even for all that the game performs well and has lots of potential.

I definitely recommend it.

Gamer Hero Score: 8/10

Go LoZ!