Heart of Battle

(Note: I beta tested this game, which essentially means I got an earlier version of it for free.) Tl;dr an engaging gladiatorial romance that balances intense, high-stakes drama with light-hearted moments. Focuses on character interaction and development. Has its flaws, but they weren't deal-breakers for me. WRITING AND CONTENT Heart of Battle was a riveting and well-paced read, one that explores themes of...

7 found this helpful, 2022-08-27

The Game tells a solid story and doesnt shys away to discribe the more ugly consequenses of its scenario, with very well written romances, but it has two major problems: 1. It doesnt tell you much about the setting beyond basics, despite the potential for a story in a pseudo-roman society. 2. The stat-managmend is rather confusing, sometimes stats incrase for no aparent reason, and the relationship with the...

5 found this helpful, 2022-11-28

I was waiting for this one to hook me at some point but I found myself thinking I could surely find a better way to spend my Thursday night after work than playing this. It's not inherently bad, but it creates this really blurry vision of a world that is very shallow in how you fit in. This game is marred by its lack of detail, which in turn allows you less breathing room to play a complex character (not every...

12 found this helpful, 2022-08-19

This is the first video game I have played without graphics or audio, and I loved it! The plot was interesting and the options I was given allowed me to feel truly engaged in shaping the story. As someone who identifies as asexual, having the ability to play as such for the first time was extremely gratifying and made me feel seen. I highly recommend this game to everyone.

4 found this helpful, 2022-08-22

I really liked "Heart of Battle", but I did have quite a bit of trouble figuring out what stats your actions would use early on. I often found the choices’ descriptions and the affected stats to be illogical, resulting in outcomes I hadn’t hoped for. However, that drawback was easily overshadowed by the lovely romances and exciting polyamorous possibilities. As for the story, throughout the game, I found myself...

2 found this helpful, 2023-03-11

Let me specific as I see that is something lacking in some of the reviews of this game (particularly from its critics). For some one who was looking for an enjoyable gladiator themed rpg, this game was enjoyable. Too many gladiator tales are just gorefests and sad tales. This was not. This game had sufficent choices for the player to express themselves and see the results of that expression which is a must have for...

2 found this helpful, 2022-11-26

This is hands down my favorite Heart's Choice IF! It perfectly combines the 'romance should be the priority' vibe with a story that is actually engaging enough to keep you invested. The writing is so immersive, I really felt like I was a gladiator standing in that arena. The only struggle? The various ROs were all so good, it was almost impossible to choose who to romance!

1 found this helpful, 2025-12-04