Random Video Game Series Review - 12 Labours of Hercules

Over the years, there have been hundreds of adaptations of the divine hero in Greek mythology Hercules. We've had a series on a so called God of War in which the divine hero was a brother to and had mostly bloody action and a lot of angry people in it. Then there was Disney's take which saw the hero as a Superman like character with a similar origin and then rising to fame in a Hollywood like environment. But today we're looking at what I consider one of the more lesser known games based around the divine hero but also the most simplest one too. So let's get to it:

12 Labours of Hercules

The majority of the series are time management games in which you are tasked with clearing paths to get to the next stage. You do this by sending workers out to do various tasks such as building and upgrading things, collecting cheese and building resources while the heroes handle things like clearing boulders and taking on minotaurs among many other tasks. As you progress through the game, you get more workers and heroes as well as bonuses granted to you from the Gods. The story meanwhile is a simple one of Hercules going out to save his wife from the evil Hades and basically does just that by being lazy and letting his servants do the hard work while he and the heroes he meets do the more difficult stuff. Its basically a glorified mobile game but on PC and without the freemium nonsense and for what can be best described as a time filler upper, its actually pretty good. Its not difficult even on the hard difficulty nor does it try to make our eyes bleed. Its just a good fun game which would be perfect to fill up the time between new releases. 8/10

II: The Cretan Bull

The second game has almost identical gameplay to the first, but has some improvements too. For starters, there are more buildings to make and some smoother gameplay despite the repetition the game has. The story meanwhile is based around Hera and how she managed to frighten the titular Cretan Bull which is running amok as a result leaving Hercules to help tame the beast. Not much to say other than it gives us pretty much the first game but with some minor improvements, new things to do and a new story that keeps within the story of the 12 labours that Hercules had to endure. Graphics look a bit better than before too. 7/10


III: Girl Power

It goes without saying that the story is a bit of a predictable one. So Hercules is battling the great beast Scylla who somehow manages to take him and his friend Cerberus hostage. Feeling its time to take action, his wife Megara goes about trying to save him with the intention to accompany him on his further adventures into the Amazon forest and eventually Mount Olympus. Although most would consider it to be a risky move on the developers part, having the titular hero appear later on actually makes sense given the nature of the story. Though that being said, its more or less the same as before, but with a few more minor tweaks and the chance to finally see what Megara is capable of. Its probably not as great as the first two, but it has its moments I must admit. 7/10

IV: Mother Nature

So seeing as a lot of people really liked the idea of having a couple taking centre stage, they did the same in this game. The stakes are high this time as Mother Nature is at risk of being non existent due to the arrival of a powerful beast sent by the Gods as revenge for something Herc and Meg did. So its a race against time to bring the world back to its former beauty or suffer the wrath of the beast. So this time around, all the levels have some optional objectives which allow anyone who is a completionist to have something they can go back to if they want. Also given how the game plays out, we are no longer cutting trees down but instead bringing the beauty of the world back. It is overall a vastly improved game that shows the developers do care about their work and are not being lazy on the design and such. Its possibly the best game of the series so far, but we shall see. 8/10

V: Kids of Hellas

So the last game had fire hydrants which although is historically inaccurate, it did give the game some personality in a way. So it would become apparent that in the next game, the developers would take that one step further by having Ares use enchanted toys to possess the children of the world into becoming his personal army. Fearing that their own children may go the same way, Herc and Meg go about stopping Ares at all costs with him having access to 21st century technology somehow. Its pretty much the same stuff as before but with improvements as always. But this time, there is seemingly a more empathises on fun which is what the games are and its good. Plus plenty of bonus stuff to sink your teeth into as well. 7/10

VI: Race for Olympus

This time around, Herc and Meg get involved in a detective story where Zeus has gone missing and they must dress for the season as they go about trying to find him. Much of the series proper is here as the developers make a game tailored more to the fans and those wanting a pure time management challenge over clones and other gimmicks that were used in previous games. Its no longer a casual game as it puts gamers to the limit in challenges that will both frustrate and please said gamers. Its possibly one of the better games of the series though many may be put off by the shere challenge that awaits them. 8/10

VII: Fleecing the Fleece 

This time around, the game has you find and steal the golden fleece in what feels like a game where the main hero is really a sidekick this time. But that's OK as the game manages to balance things to give newcomers a challenge and veterans another simplistic adventure. It however does strip away much of the stuff that later games have had to make it more like the first game which is debatable as to whether it was the right move or not. Still its a decent entry in the series, but possibly not one of the best mind you. 7/10

Chances are that we will be getting more of these games in the future. But for what they are, there's nothing really to criticise about them other than the repetitive gameplay and the almost too easy difficulty the series has. But as I said, its a good time waster as well as a way to get you and others into greek mythology and don't mind the historical inaccuracies and want a more simple experience instead of a complicated one. 7/10