Heart is broken, in the dystopian world of Heart&Slash. No, not hearts. Just Heart. With a capital H. Because it’s a robot, and… well, robots break from time to time. In this case, it’s so bad that, if not for Heart running into Slash (at which point the title actually makes sense!), all hope would likely be lost for this poor mechanical being. Heck, it still might, should he/she/it fail to get the attention of Slash. Poor Heart.
That said, this is actually a brawler with roguelike elements, rather than a sappy visual novel love story, believe it or not (although I suspect you already knew that, having glanced at the above screenshot). A brawler in which players get to kick some serious you-know-what, each challenge presenting another opportunity to impress the almighty Slash. Weapons – and robot parts – used to determine the outcome of this potential just-might-stand-the-test-of-time relationship, leading to one of several different endings.
Will you choose your independence, or will you renounce to it in exchange for being loved? Or maybe you’ll find a balance between the two that will allow the relationship to thrive?
With thousands of different combinations to try, randomized levels/loot and a rather lovely art style, dying in Heart&Slash isn’t the end of the world – just the end of your current run. Who’s to say the next won’t be more favourable with weapons acquired as you go along, though? Of course, the opposite is also entirely possible, but eh, positive thinking! Oh, and you’ll get to take it on the road later this month, as the game is scheduled for a Switch release before 2018. So groovy.
Heart&Slash is available on Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a Switch release… coming soon.