Exploring the world is interesting and fun, but it’s also a fault – the open world nature of Spore Hero can leave you at a loss for what to do – most of the tasks at hand don’t tie directly into any core storyline – it may be well and good to defeat the Combat Master 15 times, or save a tribe from a infestation of red fragments – but none of these things specifically move the story forward – sure, you have to collect the red rocks to stop the evil, but doing so gives you no lead on where you need to go next – it’s easy to run out of things to do and feel lost, looking for that next mission. Part of this is the lack of any universal mission list – although one can pull up a list of active tasks for the local area, there is no global mission list, map, or otherwise tool that can easily help you discern what you need to do next.
The visuals a great, and really seem to make the most out of what the Wii is best at – they look polished, clean, crisp – but aren’t without their faults. Up close, character animation is smooth, fluid and beautiful, but creatures in the distance seem to animate at a much lower frame rate – it’s a little distracting, but excusable considering the how lush and detailed the environment and other creatures are close up. The presentation occasionally suffers other consequences – sometimes the game will freeze for a second or two when entering a new area – and in once instance froze for a period in excess of ten seconds. These larger graphical hiccups are infrequent, but extremely noticeable when they do occur.
Ultimately, Spore Hero is an enjoyable experience that feels like it falls just short of being something really special. The creature creator gives the game a fun, interesting personality, and the resulting animals are well animated and unique – the visuals look great on the Wii, and exploring the large, colorful world is a pleasure – but the other elements just fall short. While fun, the game’s combat could stand to be deeper, more complicated, and a little more unique – similarly, the exploration/adventure aspect of the game is fairly stock, and lacks a lot of personality on it’s own. Even the story remains small, rarely popping up to remind you that there’s a REASON you are exploring this planet. All in all, Spore Hero is a fun, if simple experience. Rent it, or pick it up once it drops below $30.
Review based on retail copy of the game provided by publisher.
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