Class of Heroes

Last updated
Class of Heroes
Classofheroes.jpg
Front cover of the US version
Developer(s) Zero Div
Publisher(s)
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable
Release
  • JP: August 26, 2008
  • NA: June 9, 2009 [1]
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Class of Heroes [lower-alpha 1] is a role-playing video game dungeon crawler for the PlayStation Portable developed by Zero Div and published by Acquire in Japan and Atlus in North America. In Japan, the game was released on August 26, 2008; in North America, the game was released on June 9, 2009 by Atlus. In the game, players progress by navigating dungeons as hordes of enemies appear and attack in turn-based combat. Class of Heroes received mixed reviews from critics, with some appreciating the creative take on dungeon-crawling and others disliking the game's graphics and grind-based leveling system.

Contents

An enhanced remake called Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Anniversary Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on April 26, 2018.

Gameplay

A female elf in the back row uses a ranged slingshot to attack an enemy monster. Class of Heroes Screenshot.jpg
A female elf in the back row uses a ranged slingshot to attack an enemy monster.

Players begin the game by selecting characters for their party, choosing each individual's race, gender, stats, alignment, and major. [2] Both race and gender are permanent, but a character's alignment and major can be changed when visiting a school. [3] There are ten playable races in the game: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Erdgeist, Halfling, Sprite, Felpier, Drake, Diablon, and Celestian. [4] Each race has different attitudes towards the others requiring a balance of compatibility to be struck. [3] Each race is imbued with different strengths; e.g. Halflings are clever thieves and Drakes are able warriors. [2] The party starts at Particus Academy which serves as a home base where players can regenerate Magic points, purchase equipment, start quests in the labyrinths, and practice alchemy on items obtained in mazes. [3] [5] Once a dungeon quest is started, enemies may be encountered randomly as players navigate the maze of corridors. [3] The turn-based combat system during battles uses a row-based character line-up, where characters in the back rows with short-range weapons are unable to attack distant enemies. [3] As players progress through the dungeon, a tension gauge accumulates after each battle allowing the party to use gambits during future engagements. [3]

Within each dungeon is a magic lock which when opened allows future trips to the dungeon to be bypassed. Players are able to save their game at any time outside of combat and are also able to easily escape a dungeon when needed. Traps exist within the mazes, and an entire party can be taken out if accidentally sprung. When a party falls while journeying in a dungeon, players are revived back at their school. When a student falls the revival process can fail, and after two consecutive failures the student is deleted from the party. [3]

Development

Atlus announced Class of Heroes in a press release on January 20, 2009, with a prospective release date of April 7. [6] On March 30, Atlus wrote in a press release that a critical bug was discovered in the game a few days before manufacturing began, and that the game would be delayed until June 9 to allow time to resolve the bug. [1]

Reception

Class of Heroes received mixed reviews from critics, ranging from 30 to 83 on Metacritic with an overall rating of 61. [7] IGN reviewer Ryan Clements panned the game for its choice of retro style mechanics, forcing players to grind for levels by dungeon crawling. Clements concedes that level-grinding can be satisfying, but only when coupled with good graphics, animations, battle mechanics, and storytelling, none of which, Clements writes, this game has. [5] On the other hand, RPGamer's Glenn Wilson wrote that while typical first-person dungeon crawlers would only appeal to the most hardcore gamers, Class of Heroes "may well be the first playable, enjoyable, approachable, and universally fun game ever to grace this oft-maligned subgenre." Wilson praised the game's originality, balance, monster artwork, and creative dungeon design: "Class of Heroes succeeds at being a solid, well-balanced first person dungeon crawler." [3]

Legacy

Class of Heroes 2

Class of Heroes 2 [lower-alpha 2] is the sequel to Class of Heroes released in Japan on June 24, 2009 and includes more jobs and majors for the characters. [8] A Kickstarter project was initiated by MonkeyPaw Games and Gaijinworks to fund the localization and the production of the sequel's limited edition. Although the project did not fund, MonkeyPaw and Gaijinworks promised to continue the translation and release the game digitally with the game set to be released on PSN in mid 2013, and have started a signup to gauge interest on a possible limited physical release, which would also include a code to obtain the game digitally. [9] The campaign proved successful, with 2700 signing up and even more people pre-ordering the game when the pre-sale started. [10] About 200 physical copies were made available through the Canadian online shop Video Games Plus, the rest of the production run being exclusive to those who had pre-ordered via the Gaijinworks website until May 12, 2013. The copies sold at VGP are limited to one copy per customer and also do not come with download codes for digital copies. Also, fans could vote for the cover artwork used for the physical release, with people who had backed the unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign getting a special cover different from that of the copies pre-ordered on the website. [11] The physical release had to be delayed when players of the digital version that was released on June 4, 2013 reported several bugs. The bugs were later fixed in an update to the digital version on October 15, 2013 and the UMD release started shipping in the same month. [12] A remaster of the game is currently under development. [13]

Class of Heroes 2G

A port of Class of Heroes 2 entitled Class of Heroes 2G [lower-alpha 3] was released on July 15, 2010 in Japan for the PlayStation 3. The port includes more dungeons, skills, party members, and also full voice acting for the characters. [14] A North American PSN release is in the works as well as an extremely limited physical release which came out in December 2014. [15] As with the previous game, a few hundred physical copies were made available through the Canadian online shop Video Games Plus, with the rest of the production run being exclusive to those who had pre-ordered via the Gaijinworks website. The digital release came to the US PlayStation Network (PSN) on June 2, 2015.

Class of Heroes 3

The third entry, Class of Heroes 3, [lower-alpha 4] was released in Japan on October 7, 2010 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, with an English release (originally for PSP, but cancelled in 2017) originally slated for Spring 2018 on PlayStation 3, but never released. [16] [17]

Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. 3D

Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. 3D [lower-alpha 5] was released in Japan on July 7, 2011 for Nintendo 3DS. The game was re-released as Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. Final: Shinnyusei wa Ohimesama! [lower-alpha 6] on October 13, 2011 for PlayStation Portable.

Shin Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. Toki no Gakuen

Shin Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. Toki no Gakuen [lower-alpha 7] was released in Japan on July 19, 2012 for PlayStation Portable.

Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent

Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent, [lower-alpha 8] was released in Japan on September 8, 2022 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in Japanese and was released on December 9, 2022 in English. [13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。, Hepburn: Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono. Lit: "Swords, magic, and school girls".
  2. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。2, Hepburn: Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Tsū
  3. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。2G, Hepburn: Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Tsū Jī
  4. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。3, Hepburn: Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Suri
  5. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。3D
  6. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園モノ。Final 〜新入生はお姫様!〜
  7. ↑ Japanese: 新・剣と魔法と学園モノ。刻の学園
  8. ↑ Japanese: 剣と魔法と学園クエスト。, Hepburn: Ken to Mahō to Gakuen Quest

Related Research Articles

<i>Negima! Magister Negi Magi</i> Japanese manga series and its franchise

Negima! Magister Negi Magi, known in Japan as Magical Teacher Negima!, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from February 2003 to March 2012, with its chapters collected into 38 tankōbon volumes.

<i>Revelations: Persona</i> 1996 role-playing game

Revelations: Persona is a 1996 role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. It is the first entry in the Persona series, itself a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise, and the first role-playing entry in the series to be released in the west. Originally released for the PlayStation in 1996 in Japan and North America, the title was ported to Microsoft Windows in 1999. A port to the PlayStation Portable retitled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona was released in North America and Japan in 2009, and the following year in Europe. This port featured new cutscenes and a reworked English localization that was more faithful to the original Japanese release, as the original 1996 North American localization was heavily criticized for its unfaithfulness to the original Japanese version. The PlayStation version was also released for the PlayStation Classic on December 3, 2018 worldwide, marking the PlayStation version being released in Europe for the first time.

<i>Disgaea 2</i> 2006 video game

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software for the PlayStation 2 video game console. Disgaea 2 is the sequel to 2003's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and was released for the PlayStation 2. It is also the predecessor to Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PlayStation 3.

<i>Lunar: Sanposuru Gakuen</i> 1996 video game

Lunar: Sanposuru Gakuen is a role-playing video game in the Lunar series released for the Sega Game Gear in Japan in 1996. Since then, no international versions or translations have officially been released, though an unofficial English translation was released in 2009. It was developed by Ehrgeiz and written by Studio Alex.

<i>Princess Crown</i> 1997 action role-playing game

Princess Crown is an action role-playing game developed and published by Atlus in collaboration with Sega that was released only in Japan. Originally released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005. Using a two-dimensional side-scrolling perspective, gameplay focuses on a beat 'em up-style fighting system, incorporating role-playing elements. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Valendia, the player controls queen Gradriel De Valendia, as her wish to aid the people in person leads into a quest to prevent the resurrection of the demon lord Lalva. Additional character scenarios are unlocked by completing Gradriel's quest, with completion of all story routes leading to the true ending.

<i>Persona 3</i> 2006 video game

Persona 3, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus that is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and in North America in 2007. It has received several enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version featuring a new playable epilogue and other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide in 2008. An abridged PlayStation Portable version, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011, and ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, was released on February 2, 2024.

<i>Summon Night</i> Video game series

Summon Night is a series of role-playing video games, mixed with elements of a visual novel based dating sim. The series is primarily developed by Flight-Plan, published by Banpresto, and owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The character designs are by Izuka Takeshi. The series has had six main line entries, and seven spin-off entries, spanning the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS video game consoles.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner</i> 1995 role-playing video game

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. Forming part of the Megami Tensei franchise, it is the first title in the Devil Summoner series. It was first released for the Sega Saturn in December 1995, and received a port to the PlayStation Portable in December 2005. Despite reports of it being planned for localization, neither version has been released outside Japan.

<i>Persona 2: Innocent Sin</i> 1999 role-playing game

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a 1999 role-playing video game by Atlus for the PlayStation. It is the second entry in the Persona series, itself a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise, and acts as a sequel to the original Persona. The game was re-released in 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. The original version was not localized for western territories; however, the PSP version was released in North America and Europe under the title Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 – Innocent Sin.

<i>Persona 2: Eternal Punishment</i> 2000 video game

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a 2000 role-playing video game by Atlus for the PlayStation. It is chronologically the third installment in the Persona series, a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise. The game was later remade by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable. This version, released in Japan in 2012, did not receive an overseas release. In response to this, the PlayStation version was released on PlayStation Network in 2013.

<i>Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis</i> 2007 video game

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis is a role-playing video game developed by Gust Co. Ltd. in 2007 for the PlayStation 2. The game is the ninth entry to Gust's Atelier series, and incorporates elements of standard turn-based combat and alchemy. A PlayStation Portable version was released which included additional features.

<i>What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?</i> 2007 video game

What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? is a real-time strategy game for the PlayStation Portable. The game centers on creating mazes and monsters to help defend a demon lord from heroes seeking to capture him.

Persona, previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed and published by Atlus, and owned by Sega. Centered around a series of role-playing video games, Persona is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Revelations: Persona, was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2024's Persona 3 Reload.

<i>3D Dot Game Heroes</i> 2009 video game

3D Dot Game Heroes is an action role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the PlayStation 3. The game is presented using voxel-based graphics in a 3D environment to emulate the 2D graphics of earlier video games. The game was published in Japan by FromSoftware in November 2009, and in North America and Europe by Atlus USA and SouthPeak Games in May 2010, respectively.

The Breath of Firemobile phone game series is a group of mobile phone video games developed and distributed by Capcom based on their Breath of Fire role-playing franchise. Each game was created by the company's mobile game division for use on NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, and au brand phone devices compatible with EZWEB, BREW, and i-mode services, and are distributed using paid downloads. Capcom released the first title, Breath of Daifugō, in August 2003, which was followed by additional games from a variety of genres up through November 2008. No entry in the Breath of Fire mobile games series has been released outside Japan.

<i>Dragons Crown</i> 2013 video game

Dragon's Crown is a 2013 action role-playing game developed by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The game was published in Japan and North America by Atlus and in PAL regions by NIS America. A high-definition port for PlayStation 4, Dragon's Crown Pro, was released by Atlus in 2018. Players navigate environments from a side-scrolling perspective, choosing from six character classes to fight in the style of a beat 'em up and acquiring loot through repeated dungeon exploration. The storyline follows adventurers as they journey across Hydeland and become involved in the search for the magical Dragon's Crown.

<i>Summon Night 5</i> 2013 video game

Summon Night 5 is a tactical role-playing game in the long-running Summon Night series of video games. It is the first and only original entry to be developed by Felistella and published by Bandai Namco Games, following original developer, Flight-Plan's, closure in 2010, and original publisher Banpresto being acquired by Bandai Namco. The game was released in Japan on May 16, 2013 for the PlayStation Portable. Almost two years after its initial Japan release, in April 2015, Gaijinworks announced that they would publish the game in English in North America and Europe sometime in 2015. It was released digitally in North America on December 15, 2015, and received a limited-edition physical release on April 7, 2016. The game was considered a success in English regions, with its sales being enough to warrant Gaijinworks to translate its sequel, Summon Night 6, which was released in 2017.

<i>Etrian Odyssey</i> Video game series

Etrian Odyssey is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game series. It is primarily developed and published by Atlus and currently owned by Sega. By 2016, the series had sold a combined total of 1.5 million copies worldwide.

<i>Dungeon Travelers 2</i> 2013 video game

Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed by Sting Entertainment. It is the sequel to To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers within the To Heart 2 franchise. Dungeon Travelers 2 was released on March 28, 2013, on the PlayStation Portable in Japan; an enhanced remake for the PlayStation Vita was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and later in North America and Europe in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Clements, Ryan (2009-03-30). "Class of Heroes Delayed". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  2. 1 2 3 Oxford, Nadia (2009-06-09). "Class of Heroes Review". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wilson, Glenn. "Class of Heroes Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  4. ↑ "Class of Heroes Race Descriptions". Atlus. Archived from the original on 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  5. 1 2 3 Clements, Ryan (2009-06-15). "Class of Heroes Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  6. ↑ Fahey, Mike (2009-01-20). "Class Of Heroes In Session This April". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  7. 1 2 "Class of Heroes for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  8. ↑ MagicFox, Maxine (May 24, 2009). "JPN News: CoH2 + MW, MW PSP". Atlus Blog. Atlus. Archived from the original on December 9, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  9. ↑ "PSN Pricing, Physical Edition signup!". Gaijinworks official website. Gaijinworks. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Gaijinworks: 05.13.2012 Class of Heroes Presales Goal Met!". Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  11. ↑ "Gaijinworks: 04.01.2013 Class of Heroes Package Cover Winners". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  12. ↑ "Class of Heroes 2 ships to UMD buyers, Gaijinworks hints at future PSP releases | Joystiq". Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  13. 1 2 Pineda, Rafael (June 6, 2022). "Acquire Unveils New Adventure Academia Game, Class of Heroes 2 Remaster". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  14. ↑ Bailey, Kat (April 14, 2010). "Class of Heroes Being Updated for PlayStation 3". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  15. ↑ "class-heroes-2g-coming-north-america". 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  16. ↑ "Two New RPGs Headed to PSP (Yes, PSP) in North America and Europe". Gamespot. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Class of Heroes 3 Aiming for Spring 2018; Switches to PS3 Version - Siliconera". Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.