Each location consists of a single screen. Fight hand-to-hand or by using magic.

In Battleheart, you control a group of adventurers as they make their way through monster-infested locations while recruiting additional members, getting more powerful, and finding or buying better equipment. Sounds like a typical role-player, but Battleheart stands out thanks to its friendly cartoonish artwork, and the simple but very well done animation.

The developers decided to create an adventure game that you can pick up and drop at any time and as a result they striped down the genre to its barest essentials, removing the myriad of options you usually find in such games. The focus here is on learning new skills, getting more equipment and killing monsters. Death is even meaningless: if some of your four characters dies on the field of battle, they’ll join your party again once you get back to the town menus. The only downside being that those characters wouldn’t have earned any experience during the last fight.

You can purchase equipment at the Merchant. Selecting an item will show you which one of your characters will benefit.

This is obviously not for hardcore gamers, but if you’re into casual role-playing, you may well appreciate this gentler alternative (as long as you consider killing monsters gentle), and it's a good introduction for newbies.

It’s a shame though that there aren’t any quests or plot to speak of. You just choose a location and fight the monsters there until none are left standing, which can get a little repetitive. However, since you can hire different characters from the Tavern, you can see what special skills each has to offer, giving the game a little more longevity.

If you tire of your current team, you can hire a host of others, each with their own unique skills and special abilities.

The bottom line. The animation is very endearing. There’s enough here to keep you busy for a while and enjoy the variety the game has to offer.