Hero's Road (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is "Hero's Road," a free game created with SRPG Studio.
Compared to other games, this one has more events and progression within the map, making it an enjoyable experience that never gets boring.
Although it's an SRPG (Strategic Role-Playing Game), it gave me a fresh feeling of playing a traditional RPG.
The main story took about 11 hours to complete.

Game Overview and Impressions (No Spoilers)

The game screen and other elements are the same as those of a typical SRPG.
The objective is to move units around the map and achieve the victory conditions.
There is no option to choose the difficulty level, but it seems to be on the easier side.
If you're trying to get all the bonuses, it might be a little on the difficult side.

One notable feature is the very user-friendly and thorough "information gathering" command before deployment.
They provide detailed advice on strategy, including when reinforcements will arrive and the best course of action for your army.
Therefore, since most of the information needed to play this game can be obtained through information gathering, it can be said that this game is easy to play even for inexperienced players.

Another notable feature is that the situation changes moment by moment while you're exploring the map, so you never get bored.
It's fun to keep going, wondering what kind of events await you.
I feel that the direction in this area is very carefully crafted.
I was so curious about what would happen next in the story that I played through it all in one go.

On a smaller note, I appreciate that you can check the lineup of shops on the map from the sortie preparation screen.
Also, I have plenty of money, so I rarely feel like I don't have enough.

Furthermore, the unit's parameters and other numerical values are generally kept to a minimum, giving it a compact impression.
On the other hand, it's easier to calculate during battles, so I found it surprisingly easy to play.

Furthermore, I found it convenient and easy to manage that the save data is divided into chapter saves and map saves.
Overall, I get the impression that meticulous attention has been paid to even the smallest details.

Map-by-map walkthrough (Spoiler alert)

You can obtain sufficient strategy information from the "Information Gathering" section on the sortie preparation screen.
Therefore, please consider the following content as something akin to a play diary.

Chapter 1: The Young Prince's Departure for Battle

With friendly battles unfolding simultaneously in the north, this map presents a rather interesting situation.
As for us, as long as we focus on advancing quickly to prevent our village from being destroyed, there shouldn't be any problems.
It would be more efficient if the Vagan, who don't grow stronger, focused solely on visiting.

Once you defeat the veteran who is heading to destroy the village, guards A and B will also take action, so you need to be a little careful.

Chapter 2: Crossing the Pass

This map offers a variety of events and victory conditions to choose from.
In my case, I first used Ban and Lucy to hold off the reinforcements coming from the bottom left.
In that case, if you equip Ban with the Ilmatch S Axe, which you can obtain in the previous village, he can fight reasonably well even against opponents wielding daggers.
After that, Vagan and Nash went to defeat the mercenary in the upper left, captured the fort, and cleared the mission.
If I were being greedy, I could have defeated the mercenary in the upper left and then the mercenary group in the upper right to get some items, but I didn't go that far.

Fragment Chapter 3: The Beginning of Destruction

The standard strategy is to fight in the forest, but the mountaintop offers an even greater advantage, so let's move there.
To prevent your HP from dropping to zero during your opponent's turn, be careful about when you attack and heal accordingly.

Chapter 3: A Crossroads of Fate

There are many enemies, but if you pay attention to weapon matchups and take them on one at a time, you should be able to defeat them without any problems.

If you investigate the ruins to the lower right of the enemy fort, you will obtain the Ilmatch S Spear.
It would be best to have Claudia go and get it and then have her hold it.
Since Lambert will be forced to participate in the next chapter, it's a good idea to give him plenty of Cure Light staves.

Chapter Interlude Encounter

This map is similar to a chess puzzle.
It's not that difficult as long as you're mindful of preventing the village from being destroyed.
Prioritize preventing the village from being invaded, and when you do launch an attack, make sure you're fighting on advantageous terrain.

Chapter 4: Encounters and Farewells

As advised in the information gathering section, you won't be able to shop in chapters 5 and 6, so be sure to buy plenty of spare weapons and Cure Light staves.

As for the enemy, they're slowly approaching us, so it shouldn't be too difficult.
You can either use weapons that are compatible with the enemy, or weaken them with Lucy or Malicia, who have special attacks against flying enemies, and then finish them off with melee attackers.
If you block the bridge with Vagan, you can safely defeat them with indirect attacks.

Chapter 5: Divided Paths

This map is similar to an event map, but you might get caught off guard if you're not careful.
Since Vagans use potions when they're in a pinch, I don't think they'll be defeated anytime soon.
The mind control technique reminds me of the PS game "Vandal Hearts II".

Chapter 6: To Save a Friend

They're actually quite kind, placing highly durable allies in the back of the prison, where rescuing them takes a long time.
However, once you rescue Malicia, you must immediately eliminate Guard E with Wind through the wall, otherwise Claudia will be in danger.
Even if you defeat them quickly, reinforcements will appear near the starting point later, so once you've done what you need to do, quickly retreat to the north.

There is an SPD drink on the bone in the lower left of the map.

Chapter 7: The Beginning of a Hero

The strategy information obtained through information gathering is usually sufficient.
The thieves will run away after retrieving the treasure, so send pursuers after them if necessary.
Since there are no allies who can move faster than the bandit, you won't be able to catch up unless you chase after him skillfully.

You can safely defeat enemy units by using narrow, one-square-wide passages as a general guide.
Even the mounted units appearing from both sides aren't scary if you take them on one at a time.

Interlude Bazaar

Take your time shopping while earning experience points and money through betting battles.
Since there is a 6-turn limit, it is best to try every turn to avoid wasting any turns.
If the unit you want to train is weak, you can strengthen it at the restaurant before challenging the enemy.
Let's try to fight with the most advantageous equipment possible.

Chapter 8: Those Who Pray and Those Who Do Not Pray

Following our information gathering strategy, let's have Arvel keep the mercenary forces to the north in check, while the other members head towards the village.
You just need to reach the village by the enemy phase of turn 6.
After that, we'll head north and gradually lure out the four remaining enemy forces near the fort and engage them in battle.

Then, on turn 11, two remnants will emerge from the fort in the upper left and begin to summon monsters.
If you're nearby beforehand, you'll be able to deal with it quickly.

Chapter 9: Wings of Prayer

As per the walkthrough, have Claudia focus solely on healing.
Malleus and Lucy will proceed together, and let Lucy handle collecting the treasure chest on the left and talking to the NPC.
I think Malleus should take the right route and aim to collect the treasure chest.

After waiting 19 turns, Zanis will appear and transform.
This opponent is nowhere near our level, so let's just quietly clear the stage.
If you wait until Zanis appears before clearing the game, a conversation between Zanis and the Black Rose will be added after you complete it.
This is a conversation from five years ago about "having a blessing."

Chapter 10: The Ruined City Where Demons Dwell

You can either aim to capture the fort or to annihilate the enemy.
You get a 50 experience point bonus for clearing the stage in the first few turns, so it's recommended to capture the fort as quickly as possible.

The archers with Alvarests along the way can be easily defeated one by one by having Malicia eat Misti Pasta.
However, you need to hurry or you won't make it to the target turn, so I think you should just let tough characters advance without worrying about their HP.

Chapter 11: The Burning Royal City

There are various events, but I think you'll pass if you can accomplish the following.
- Collect the items in the bottom left (prayer) and the treasure chest in the top right (3000G).
- Clear within 8 turns (gain experience points)
- Rescue Ferris
・Two residents rescued
- Purchase Buster-type weapons at the shop

There's almost no combat, so the game will likely focus on how to efficiently divide tasks among the three characters.
The treasure chest in the upper right should be retrieved by having the unit responsible for escaping hold the key to the chest.
If you're also aiming to defeat Zanis, I felt that clearing the stage within 8 turns might be difficult.
To achieve the best results, it seems like a strategy similar to solving a chess problem will be necessary, making this a map that's worth thinking about.

Chapter 12: The Princess and the Apostle of Darkness

The initial setup is a bit complicated, but the game gives you detailed instructions at the start of each turn, so you'll be fine if you follow them.
Let's leave the operation of the mechanism to Claudia, as advised.
If Malleus has Armor Breaker and Lucy (after class change to Ranger) has Mana Bow, you can adequately counter Golems.
If you can just get through the initial stages, you can clear the rest by following the flow of the game.
If Lucy has changed classes at level 10, her ranged attacks will be powerful, making it easier to clear the stage.

Chapter 13: The Land of Betrayal

Basically, you just need to head north from your starting position.
There are many enemies along the way, and you often won't have time to heal, so make sure each member carries potions and healing items.
Duke Ario is strong, so he should be able to withstand the fight until he engages Blast and Sierra (around turn 17).
If the homunculus and Duke Ario come into contact after that, it's game over without question. However, you should normally be able to defeat the homunculus before that happens, so just take your time and you'll be fine.

Chapter Interlude: Things that are passed down

Just like with the last bazaar, make sure to buy items and earn money in the arena.
After clearing the game, Nash will change his class to Hero.

QA1 Akuma no Yume

There are many events and reinforcements, so it might be difficult to achieve the best result on your first playthrough.
If you focus on dividing the tasks and working together, clearing the game itself isn't difficult.

Chapter 14: The Island of the Flame Priestess

The flying units nearby have high attack power and are dangerous, so take them on two at a time and defeat them one by one.
After defeating the air force and heading north, you'll encounter a door that closes along the way.
You can go and press the switch with Claudia, but it will open on its own if you wait, so just wait while healing or doing other things.

We then lure the Imperial soldiers in little by little and engage them in battle.
After that, I think the magician unit will be moving south, so let's intercept them while staying out of the range of their long-range magic attacks.

When you get close to Venus, Freums B will teleport to the enclosure six spaces below, so take him down with a ranged attack.
The Cure Anis next to Venus will cause annoying paralysis if left alone, so you'll want to defeat her as quickly as possible.
Any unit that can withstand Venus's attack once will do, so get close and defeat her.
Once only one Venus remains, the rest of the fight won't be too difficult.
It's safest to attack with Nash equipped with Windare gear while healing with Claudia's Earth Goddess Healing.
If you strengthen your defenses beforehand by eating Barrier Yogurt, the battle will be much easier.

The lineup of items at the secret shop in the ruins is as follows:

Chapter 15 Infiltration

We will divide the troops into three groups.
It would be difficult to assign a healer to each unit, but it should be fine if Claudia handles the healing for two units, or if we rely on the stock of healing items.

If you examine the tomb immediately to the left of the starting point of the central unit, you will obtain the proof of an advanced class.
If you examine the stairs behind Jude, you will obtain a "Spirit Knight Talisman (Used)".
If you have Momo, who has the skill to slip through obstacles, you can obtain it.

Chapter 16: The Dragon, the Priestess, and Two People

If you have Momo as Lupin, you can collect treasure chests from the information gathering screen, which saves you time and effort during gameplay.

Now, this is a map where you will advance in two separate groups.
It's dangerous to push too far ahead, but the map is generally easy to navigate, so you should be fine if you proceed cautiously.
If even one of your allies is defeated, it's game over, so if you take too long, you might get wiped out.
If you have acquired multiple special attack weapons, you should be able to defeat the final boss, Zanis, without much difficulty.

Chapter 17: Eternal Prayer

If Momo is Lupin, you can retrieve the contents of the treasure chest from "Information Gathering," which further reduces the effort required.

Basically, you just need to proceed step by step, defeating enemies one by one.
Let's have Claudia and Nash stay out of the way and talk to the enemies that can talk to us, so we don't defeat them.
In the second half, when flying units charge, retreat temporarily and take them down first.
Meanwhile, Claudia moves along the bottom edge of the map to help believer C.

Finally, when you get close to an enemy with Near Death, Metria will switch to the Allied forces.
You need to talk to them quickly to avoid being targeted by the enemy and getting killed.

Chapter 18: The Day of Destruction

This is a map designed for head-on confrontations.
If you equip each member with armor-piercing weapons and advance without getting defeated, you should be able to clear the stage with almost no problems.
The boss group doesn't move even when you get close, so you can deal with them however you like.
However, if we proceed too slowly, there's a possibility that our allies won't be able to defend themselves, so it's probably best to move at a slightly faster pace.

Chapter 19: On My Pride

This is the decisive battle against the cavalry unit led by Blast.
You'll be defeating 2-3 enemies each turn.
By positioning as many units capable of counterattacking as possible within the opponent's attack range and dealing damage, you can more easily eliminate them during your turn.
Blast is a tough opponent, but if you chip away at its health with units that can't take two hits, you should be able to defeat it in one turn.

QA2 The Red Light of Destruction

This is a stage where you fight using only guest units.
Trying to get all the bonuses turns it into a challenging puzzle-like chess game.
If it's too difficult, it's easier to just give up on some of them.

In the early stages, Roddy and Lyra each obtain items in their own homes.
If Lavs talks to Luvana, Luvana will later help him as an NPC.
Once everyone has finished their tasks, let's go and provide support to the guards who are protecting us.
Lyra will speak to a traveling merchant who will appear from below later, so it's fine to head down first, but it's better to prioritize dealing with the enemies first.
Roddy is strong once he obtains Roddy's sword, so put him on the front lines and defeat the enemies.
However, since its HP isn't very high, try to minimize damage by using forests and pillars as much as possible.

Once the traveling merchant appears, retreat to the area where the guards were originally located and involve the two mercenaries in the fight.
If you don't talk to the traveling merchant as soon as he appears to increase your movement speed, the monsters will catch up to you and defeat you.
Luvana will likely join us around the time we're about to engage in combat with the monsters, so we'll make good use of that.
Imagine you're chasing after a traveling merchant; your three allies will retreat as well.

Since the black rose will also chase after it, aim for the area shown in the image and have Roddy take the indirect attack.
This will allow you to meet the bonus requirements.
If you've used up all your healing items by this point, it might be difficult to survive.

After Roddy and Black Rose have a battle and you clear it, you will obtain "Roddy's Sword".
The traveling merchant was defeated, so the bonus for him is unknown.

QA3 Goodbye

This map requires you to survive until turn 11.
If you just want to endure, you can retreat closer to Luna and fight in a narrow passageway, which will make it relatively easy to hold out.
Defeating more than 31 enemies seemed too difficult, so I gave up on that idea.
Metria, wielding dual swords, tends to defeat enemies too quickly, so be careful not to get overwhelmed and lose due to being hit by new enemy attacks.

Chapter 20: Lost Eden

There are various tricks and mechanisms, but basically, all you need to do is quickly defeat the enemies and step on the switches.
After attacking the boss once with Yumalite, normal attacks will also be effective.
However, considering the damage taken in counterattacks, the number of units that can actually attack is limited.
Let's defeat them in one go using Luvana's dual-wielding critical swords.

Chapter 21: Heroes Who Surpass Heroes

It's almost like an event battle.
If you give healing items to Nash and Malleus, clearing the stage itself is easy.

Final Chapter: Hope is Here...!

This is the final map of the main story.
Let's simply go and destroy the magic circles on the left and right in order.
Dividing your forces into left and right halves might leave you with barely enough manpower, so unless you're aiming for the fastest possible clear time, concentrate your forces and proceed.

Once you've destroyed both magic circles, you'll finally face the final boss.
If you place Nash, equipped with Windare gear, next to you and have him attack, you shouldn't have too much trouble.

After clearing the game (Spoiler alert)

I wasn't specifically aiming for the fastest possible completion time; I just focused on playing naturally, and it took 279 turns.

After clearing the main story, you can proceed to explore the bonus dungeons from the base screen.
This map is several times more challenging than the main story, so it's a good way to test your skills after clearing the main game.
From the base screen, you can choose from various shops and additional shops, and also replenish your items.

Unit usage impressions (spoiler alert)

In this game, the number of units is relatively small, and you'll end up using every single one of them.
Therefore, the question of who to raise is not really an issue.
This is just my personal experience using it, but I'll share it anyway.

Prince Nash

As the main character, he's tough, highly skilled in combat, and a reliable attacker.
Since there are many mandatory battles in the story, they naturally level up.

Lucy

Initially, it's a bit weak, but in the early stages, the magic-dependent attacks from the mana bow were effective against armored enemies, which was helpful.
After changing her class to Ranger, her movement speed increased, making her much easier to use.
In terms of weapons, McTiff was very powerful and performed quite well.
Like with Alvarest, it's great that you can repair and use a wide variety of valuable weapons.

・Ban

While his defensive abilities are somewhat low, his high HP and strength make him an attacker who will put his body on the line from the beginning of the match.
Thanks to the abundance of axe-wielding equipment, I was able to play a significant role until the very end.
While it lacks some speed, its destructive power is quite impressive when utilizing its special attacks and critical hits.

Lambert

They are a valuable healer.
Even after changing their class, I rarely used magic attacks on them.
I think there won't be any problems if we focus on recovery.

Claudia

The Earth Mother's healing ability, which can heal distant units, was useful, making her a handy mobile healer from the early stages of the game.
However, its abilities are insufficient for an offensive role, so I think it's best to use it primarily as a healer.
I think it's fine to only occasionally participate in attacks using a mana spear that utilizes high magical power.

・Malicia

He plays an active role as a magician from the very beginning.
Since Longwind can be obtained early on, a range of 3 is a welcome feature.
While there are surprisingly many special attack weapons in the second half, their destructive power feels somewhat lacking.

Arvel

This is a valuable mounted attacker with great mobility.
This unit can use both spears and axes after class change, but it's the kind of unit that makes you wish it had more item slots.
While it has decent HP, strength, defense, and movement speed, its drawback is that the weapon it uses is heavy, making it difficult to perform follow-up attacks.
However, it's a unit with sufficient performance, so it should be useful in a variety of situations.

Luvana

This swordsman unit possesses tremendous attack power thanks to its dual-wielding command.
If you equip them with a special attack weapon, you can usually defeat most enemies in one hit.
Its durability isn't weak either, so it's a reliable unit even against bosses.

・Yuma

This unit was introduced late in the game and is difficult to raise, but it can use both magic attacks and staves.
You might need to cultivate the Yumalite a bit beforehand to have a chance to showcase it in a show.
Since its HP isn't very high, it's difficult to deploy it on the front lines.

Malleus

At the beginning, he gives a similar impression to Nash, but gradually Nash seems to become stronger.
In this game, swords are lightweight and there are many special attack weapons, making them reliable assets in battle.