Big Helmet Heroes – PS5 Review

I should probably stop calling this a revival. Beat ’em ups have been back for a while and it’s just become a genre developers are happy to return to. Big Helmet Heroes is the second effort from French outfit Exalted Studios. Expanding on from their similarly titled mobile game, this time the focus is on brawling through dozens of levels. It’s more substantial and does offer variety but seems specifically aimed at a younger audience.

Big Helmet Heroes barely has a story. The premise is to save a princess and your caged comrades. It’s presented in an animated way with no dialogue. It does clash a little with the actual gameplay but it does display some charm. Most of these scenes are played for laughs but I wouldn’t say it fully strays into comedy. At best, it’s inoffensive and tries to give some context to the whole journey.

It’s a journey that takes place over 20 distinct levels. These range from castle interiors to an actual Water Park. The variety of locales is outstanding, although it does lead to a disjointed experience. There’s not a flow between one level to the next. Some levels seem to end with a hard break, rather than continuing where you left off. There’s a lot of ground covered in the campaign but it doesn’t connect in a meaningful way.

Whilst playing these levels, you’ll hack and slash your way through hordes of enemies. In typical belt-scroller fashion, there are moments where you’ll be held until all foes are felled. You have a combo system to tinker with and, whilst there are some options, I never felt it ventured far into complexity. Variety in combat is not a concern, as long as you can keep the numbers up. Big combos can build up your super meter which can then be used to unleash the heroes’ special abilities. The levels are also littered with weapons to equip. That does allow for some ranged options but the standard light and heavy strikes are just too effective to ignore.

Before each level starts, you have the option to pick two heroes. The initial selection is small but you can encounter and free the others as you progress through the story. Each hero has a unique special attack and some tweaks to their attacks. They all have a lovely, cartoon style to them and, despite a lot of them feeling similar, they have plenty of distinguishing features.

Combos can be mashed out and I do find the timing of it to be quite lenient. I’ve had combos stretch into triple figures and there are moments where the game will transport you to where the action is. This can have a detrimental effect and I’ve warped straight into trouble a few times. Even if the combos aren’t fully flowing, the special meter seems to fill regularly, allowing for crowd control to be easily achieved.

I do find the defensive options to be lacking. There is a dodge available but it’s not something I’ve relied on in troubling situations. I was hoping for a block to be available, at least for some characters. As it is, I could rely on relentless windmilling to give me the best chances. Yes, I can take hits but swapping between your two fighters allows the one out of action to rest. Apples can be found in crates and fall from enemies. These can be consumed to heal both parties, making the game fairly comfortable on normal difficulty.

Bosses do provide more of a threat. There’s maybe a handful of them throughout the game. They look imposing but mostly deal in regimented patterns. To the game’s credit, they rarely delve into bigger versions of regular enemies to provide a boss encounter. They feel unique and offer something more thought-provoking than marauding your way to the right.

This does a game aimed at a younger audience. There’s cheeky tips on the loading screens and the mostly visual storytelling makes me think this is more suitable for children that just want to have fun mashing out combos. It’s successful at that and the presentation does lend plenty of colour. There are interludes where the perspective will shift or a level will open with a eye-opening vista.

It’s vibrant and the camera does a decent enough job of following the action. It’s not perfect with level geometry obscuring the action at regular intervals. It’s more a genre convention that means enemies can stay stationed near the edge of the playing area, leading you to batter them with a limited viewing angle.

I have managed to miss a lot of the extra characters during my playthrough. I assumed the level design was mostly linear but I did see the occasional branching path. There are a couple of maze-like areas that look like they hide secrets so any missing captives are a solid way to encourage repeat playthroughs. Once levels are complete, they can be replayed at any difficulty so it’s an easy way to up the ante without starting a fresh save.

When it settles down, Big Helmet Heroes is a capable, forgiving brawler that will kill time. It doesn’t feel like something that will linger in my memory. The depth just isn’t quite there for me to return to it. There’s a variety in stages but the combat won’t challenge experienced players. For younger hands, this would keep them occupied and the extra characters are just different enough to warrant a little experimentation.