With the rejection of pay-to-win and loot box mechanics in gaming, many gamers have seen a rise in the retro landscape. Platformers in particular have seen a huge boom in recent years. From Mario to Sonic, platformers have solidified themselves in the modern age. However they admittedly ride the success of the indies, such as Super Meat Boy and Shovel Knight into this modern era. Million to One Hero also pleasantly rides this wave as a platformer that plays as sharp as its pixelated graphics.
Familiar Controls Tell a Story…
Million to One Hero is an epic platformer with a simple narrative. Beseeched by the God of Time, the hero Epicus platforms his way to glory. You control Epicus during his trials alongside his Godly friend with a variety of gear that adds depth to the adventure. The game handles well, with solid and responsive controls. You will always have your jump, slash, and air dash button along with a wall cling that grabs flat surfaces. The air dash is 8 ways, adding unprecedented aerial superiority and allowing for split-second dodges and reaction times. These basic controls are taught well and blend together in a way that rewards the player for attempts at recovery of overshot jumps, misread platforms or just a brain fart. These fluid controls reward focus and in-the-moment thinking with polish akin to a Mario game.
All of this is to say nothing of the gear you can find throughout your journey. A bow and arrow, a super speed boost and more await to augment your experience. Each of these has a unique charm in their versatility, whether it be the 8-way aiming alongside the trajectory controls with the bow, or using a shield that allows for floatier jumps, these mechanics offer a nice variety level-to-level. When you are familiar with them, seeing them in a level can either be a dead giveaway or an interesting surprise. They fit nicely into the controls and don’t feel tacked on or unnecessary. All of these elements are also nicely wrapped into a fantastic and accessible level editor.
Super Million to One Maker…
The level editor in Million to One Hero is something you may get lost in. With the platforming freedom the game offers alongside the gear available, one can create a fantastic level. The freedom of the mouse on the PC feels great during creation when compared to Super Mario Maker 2’s touch screen, which is only offered in portable mode on the Switch. A fun spin on the traditional level creator is the Adventure Creator. While nothing special in of itself, it offers a fun and authentic feeling to a level sequence by giving Epicus a Super Mario World style overworld to show his progression between levels. With a good variety of overworld templates, the Adventure Creator is the perfect way to tell a small story or add a theme to your levels.
Conclusion
Million to One Hero is a fun game with a ton of charm. The surprisingly deep level editor only adds to every other positive of the game by offering anyone to play any way they want and share it with the world. Hardcore platform veterans will love the rock-solid, responsive controls and access to tons of user-generated content with an emphasis on time trials. Casual players will no doubt find a ton of fun in the different gameplay mechanics as well as exploring them all in the level editor. The adventure editor, great built-in levels, weekly challenges and good tutorial make Million to One Hero an experience everyone should check out.
Million to One Hero was provided for review on Steam by Evolve PR
