Class Of Heroes Anniversary Edition – Bringing Classic RPG Nostalgia To the PS5

Everyone loves a good RPG, and although it has its share of flaws, Class of Heroes is precisely that… a good RPG. Not excellent, but not terrible, and something the fans of old-school titles like Dragon Quest (formerly Dragon Warrior) and Final Fantasy are sure to enjoy. Let’s sign up and enroll ourselves in the academic adventure of Class of Heroes, recently ported from the PSP over to the PlayStation 5!

Introduction – Create Your Party and Explore

The entire focus of Class of Heroes (CoH for short) is a large, ever-changing dungeon system based in and around a new school for heroes called Particus Academy. With the freedom to create countless characters and dive right into the action, you can really get creative and have fun slaying all types of creatures and monsters. With different classes, races, and skills unique to the world of CoH your main goal is simply to get stronger and conquer every dungeon in the game. There isn’t too much more to it than that, but it makes for a handful of challenging hours and awesome nostalgic combat.

The Story – Basically Non-Existent, But That’s Okay

While the overall gist of Class of Heroes does indeed have a “story” to it, there’s really not much at all to it. Basically, there’s a brand new school for Heroes, and they want to compete to be one of the best around. For that to happen, you must enroll many different characters into said school and adventure through randomly changing dungeons to (in theory) earn prestige for your academy. There are some main characters, like teachers and a principal, but they play minor roles in overall low-quality conversations and are in charge of giving you your orientation and classes.

Those classes, though, are really non-existent and consist of you completing dungeons. These dungeons contain monsters, magic, and treasure. As you complete these dungeons, you earn gold to buy weapons, armor, and other items and experience to grow your character stats and skills. Using spells and items to heal and find your way through these caverns and buildings is crucial, and the creatures vary from weak. Non-threatening things like living coins and moles, to strong, intimidating beasts and monsters. The dungeons are easy to get lost in, and the monsters come out of nowhere, making the classic RPG feeling really come to life.

The Gameplay – Very Simple and Super Easy To Learn

Probably my favorite part about Class of Heroes is how simple it is. Sure, simple is usually a negative term when it comes to gaming, but when it comes to RPGs, simple can be just fine. With very easy to learn controls and even easier to understand combat, there really isn’t much to complain about with CoH. As a retro RPG fan, this game really hits the nail on the head with its simple, yet addicting gameplay.

Once you get the hang of how the dungeons work and how to battle with the many creatures of the world, the game becomes a fun little grind-fest. As stated before, the dungeons are random as long as you don’t die within one, so it keeps areas interesting enough. Leveling up and learning new moves helps keep the combat fresh as well. Overall the gameplay and mechanics of CoH are its high point. Well, maybe it’s the second-highest point next to the excellent graphics.

The Graphics and the Sounds – One Is Great, The Other… Not So Much

Any anime lover would be a fan of the simple and cute graphics of Class of Heroes. The character designs are unique yet reminiscent of other great RPG titles, like 1995’s Chrono Trigger, for example. The absolute best part of the visuals was the classic Japanese character designs and the overall retro feel of the game’s world-building. The creatures and monsters you fight are also pretty simple but they remind me of some of the monsters found in two of my all-time favorite series (Dragon Quests and Final Fantasy). I definitely have to say the graphics are the best part of CoH.

Now, we focus on one of the lowest points of this title. Having originally been released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP), the sounds found within are certainly dated. The overall music and sound effects of this game are not very good. A lot of the time, the annoying background noises clash with the sounds of combat. Other noises throughout the game, like monster cries and party yells, overlap with the music and cause some unpleasant scratchy and glitchy sounds. Though the graphics are great, the sounds definitely are not, and it hurt the overall delivery of the game.

Relay Value: Worth A Few Playthroughs For The Hardcore Turn-Based RPG Fan

As I have stated multiple times in this review, I’m a big fan of precisely the type of game that Class of Heroes is. I do, however, see fault in its overall design, and another weak point of the game is its replay value. It’s not an overly bad game to go back to and try to conquer with different strategies, but I really feel only the hardcore RPG fans of the world would find much fun in going back to this title more than a few times.

This does not mean the replay value of Class of Heroes is entirely lost. While the game lacks options for what to do, there is still plenty of fun to be had making new characters and hitting the randomized dungeons for fresh experiences. The game is fun overall and leaves some room for another go at it. In my opinion, it just might not be worth it after a second or third playthrough.

Conclusion – Nostalgic and Fun, Just Not The Best Of It’s Kind

Class of Heroes is not a bad game in any way. It could use a little more, but having been originally made for a handheld system gives it some room for error. The downfall of this title is its sound and replay value, but they don’t take too much away from the game. Speaking specifically in the genre of turn-based RPGs, however, it really doesn’t stack up to any of the greats despite being obviously influenced by many of them.

I give Class of Heroes a very solid 6 out of 10. What hurts the game definitely left some bruises but nothing that leaves it below average. I have played worse RPGs, and some are far newer than CoH. Fans of anime graphics and classic RPG vibes will surely have a good time with this classic title. The PlayStation 5 version is coupled with its more stream-lined follow-up, Class of Heroes 2G (stay tuned for my follow-up review). Getting two games in one helps out in the price department.