Steam Challenge: Hoard
Game: Hoard
Time Played: 36 min (Actually 46 mins, but the game didn’t register some of the time I played with Steam offline)
Hoard was a game that I picked up in a bundle, but as a dragon lover, I felt it would have potential to hook me. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the game, so I went into this knowing nothing but it was something about dragons and hoards.
That’s exactly what it turned out to be: you are a dragon who is gathering gold for your hoard. You earn this gold various ways such as pillaging crops, burning towns, waylaying gold carts, capturing princesses and defeating enemies (archers, knights, thieves). Though I only played the tutorials so far, most games pits you against an AI dragon (or a multi-player friend), whom you must beat to be the winner.
Games are short – timed at 10 mins each – and play with a retro arcade-ish style. This would be right at home on old skool machines like the Super Nintendo – that’s a compliment, btw. While you can use keyboard and mouse to play, I had more luck with my gamepad (which the game actually recommends).
The tutorials are straightforward and teach you everything you need to get started in the game. Controls are simple. Objectives are pretty clear. There’s nothing tricky about this game, though the AI dragon was pretty aggressive in ninjaing the carts I was in the middle of capturing.
As you amass more gold, your dragon gains levels. Each level provides points you can place in your dragon’s different attributes: flight speed, flame strength, carrying capacity and defense. You can concentrate on building up a specific strength in your dragon, or you can spread these points around for a more balanced build. The choice is yours, and it’s a neat way to customize gameplay a bit.
Overall, I found the game to be good fun in short 10-min bites. Though I only played the tutorial levels, I do want to pick it up for a while more and play some of the actual scenarios. While I feel the game is fun single player, I see that it probably shines much more if you bring a friend.
The only thing I was sad about was that the game played to all the typical dragon cliches and tropes, and dragons were once again portrayed as fire breathing bad guys that used fear to rule. But I guess the point of the game wasn’t to innovate on draconic legends, so I forgive the developers. 🙂
Do I recommend it? If you enjoy the gaming elements as I described above, keep your eyes peeled for Hoard when it’s on sale or in a bundle. You can pick it up at a pretty cheap price, even at Steam. It’s worth giving it a shot if you’re a dragon or arcade game fan. Or a bit of both. 🙂
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