Big Helmet Heroes: Prepare for an enjoyable adventure with knights.

Hello Gamers, Racula here and welcome to another XPN Gaming review!

Nestled in the sunny South of France, our cosy studio is home to a passionate team of Creators.

At Exalted Studio, we're not just a studio; we're a small crew of about dozen people, in a family that loves to laugh, dream and create together.

Join us on this playful journey to make the world a bit more fun, one game at a time!

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Who here remembers a game, created by developers The Behemoth, known as Castle Crashers?

If you do and enjoyed it, then this game is perfect you, as Exalted Studio have created a game very similar to Castle Crashers, known as Big Helmet Heroes.

It's a little-light hearted adventure with knights, a bit of cartoon violence in 3D, comic mischief and lots of baddies to beat up, with friends or families as it is a co-op game.

What's not to love about it? Let's have a delve on in and have a further look at the game.

So many Knights, so many choices to play as.

Big Helmet Heroes starts the gameplay by jumping straight into the action and you play as The Warrior known as Shepard, skilled with both sword and shield and has a special ability to summon a heard of stampeding sheep. That's right you heard me, sheep.

There are four different combat styles to chose from:

The Warrior - skilled with both sword and shield balances attack and defence masterfully, a true asset on the battlefield. Strategic use of the shield complements the swordsmanship.

The Brute -a formidable presence with a massive two-handed weapon. The slower pace is offset by powerful strikes that can decisively shift the course of the battle.

The Rogue - a master of stealth and speed, he dual wields twin daggers to take down enemies, Rapid, stealthy attacks inflict a deadly force before the foes are even aware of the danger.

The Monk - in tune with nature, combines aerial agility with fluid movements. Wielding a deceivably simple staff to create a dance of destruction is as effective as it is beautiful.

Also there are so many other knights to play as, each Knight has their own unique combat style and special ability when used.

But wait a minute, where are all the other knights and why can't you play them at the start?

Well that's because you have to find them within the game, break each one out of their gold cage, so that they can join your roster and party for the stage.

Co-op's missed opportunity

As mentioned before, Big Helmet Heroes is co-op game, although there are loads of knights to unlock, sadly the game is only a single/2 player co-op only.

Which is a bit of a shame, as this would've done so much better as a 4-6 player co-op, maybe somewhere down the line the developers could expand on this a bit more.

I also noticed that in order for a second player to join on the Xbox, another account has to be used. Which if you have children, you either have to create a separate account for them or use someone else's instead, I would've preferred to have them signed in as guest on the game, rather then have to go through all this just for them to join in.

I invited my six year old son to join in on the co-op play and we had an absolute blast playing it. He got use to the controls really quickly and we had such a good laugh running around, beating up enemies, using the character power ups, unlocking new characters and picking up various weapons along the way. My son loved picking my character up and running away with him, then throwing him at the enemies.

Little Knights, Big Graphics

I will say one thing about Big Helmet Heroes, it has a pleasant and visual style and also some great sound effects along the way. Each knight you choose to play as, is filled with whatever their unique quirkiness is and also has some little huffs and puffs to go with it. Like the standard Rogue, as he dodges and swings his dual wielding daggers, he has a habit of doing little "hut huts" along the way.

Exalted Studio have created 20 levels of imaginative levels for players to explore, but not just that, they also created tons of personality in each of the classes, characters and enemies.

While most levels stay true to what some may expect from a medieval setting, other levels quickly evolve into fantastical locations, with really nice art designs and punctuated by touches of humour here and there.

For example, in the main cutscene, whilst the rogue is fishing peacefully and is oblivious to his other fellow knights, fighting and recusing the others, until an arrow lands on his fishing tackle and then comes running along to join in, whilst one of the knights turns into a giant and squishes an enemy.

The main cutscenes look as if they have been drawn by hand from a children's picture book, which makes the game feel more family friendly, humorous and charming all at once.

Final Thoughts on Big Helmet Heroes

My only small issue is I wish more players were able to join and that I didn't have to use another account on the Xbox for my son to join in. If it could be possible for a guest to sign in on the same account, that would be a bit more easier for those with children that want to play, instead of having to create another account just for them, or use someone else's.

But other then this, I thoroughly enjoyed Big Helmet Heroes, as did my son. We had such a good fun time playing this game and will happily play it over and over again.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes this style and type and loved playing castle crashers and is looking for a game, that they can play with their children.

Big Helmet Heroes is available to play on:

XPN Rating 4.5 out 5