Programming, guests… Better than last year
Let’s start with the things that are a little annoying about the Hero Festival 2025. No matter what day you went, the convention didn’t bother and offered us, at least on the various stages, almost the same thing in terms of programming (except the cosplay competition which we couldn’t attend on Sunday). Whether it was conferences, questions/answers, or even blind tests and other activities, nothing changed or very little. We had at least the Broadway evening which lasted until 10 p.m. in hall three, with some rather nice entertainment on stage.
Apart from this hiccup (which may be understandable), we found undeniably the same thing as last year with a curiously better layout. The main stage was in hall three this time, and had a better space. For the rest, we found hall one with only the cosplay village, even manga, and quite a few basic stands with goodies, manga, figurines or t-shirts.
What’s more, hall two put us in front of the universe of Krypton, Brocéliande, and Ludopolis which will interest us later in the article. Once again, nothing very transcendent, although hall one fills the space as it should, and with a book village section with various authors, dedications, as well as stands of original creations. Once again, a Viking village was outside between each hall, exotic as always.
The entertainment at the Hero Festival 2025 was therefore varied, and note that THE big guest this year was none other than Christopher Judge. His aura radiated, and it was the opportunity, during a question and answer conference, to do a retrospective of his career as an actor and voice actor, particularly recognized for his stratospheric performance in God of War and God of War: Ragnarok.
Obviously, besides Christopher Judge, we had another slightly underrated actor, with James Marsters. The actor, particularly known for his role as Spike in Buffy against the vampires, also took part in the same question/answer game as the actor playing in Stargate G-1. Among the other notable guests, we had Jacques Chambon, or the dubbing actors with Martin Faliu and Claire Guyot. For the rest, other signings were there with Jérôme Alquié, Jean-Pierre Savelli, and many others. Also note that Hall three shared lovely exhibitions with quite a few pop culture vehicles (James Bond’s car, Lightning Mcqueen, Daryl Dixon’s motorcycle, etc.).
From Cross The Ages: Arise on Ludopolis, our quick review
The big part of this Hero Festival 2025 was none other than the Ludopolis stand. With especially the presence of the little guys from ATYPIQUE Studio with Mixcity Swap passing by a few stands selling a few video games or retrogramming terminals, it was on the other hand the big stand Cross The Ages which caught our attention. The latter, in addition to offering tournaments on its next title which is none other than Cross The Ages: Arisealso offered to try his deck builder, Cross of Ages: Blast, via another smaller stand.
The production of Cross The Ageswhich is also based on a seven-volume novel, was able to shine through PvP tournaments, but also a playable demo of around half an hour. Here, we could take control of the title through a dungeon, and with only fire-type elemental weapons available.
A bit like in a roguelite, we move from room to room, defeating enemies in our path using our basic attack or available skills. Everything responded well, with still a lack of impact on the blows dealt to enemies however. The fact remains that the title is only in pre-alpha, which means that there are still quite a few things that will be corrected.
We finished the dungeon with multiple-choice dialogue phases, a few QTE phases that still lacked a bit of substance, as well as a boss to fight. A mixture as satisfactory as it is mixed in certain aspects, although the situation can be quickly rectified by then. What’s more, by killing a few elite enemies, it was possible to recover the choice of life, speed or have a slightly more powerful attack.
The RPG action mechanics are there, and note that in addition to being able to play with four players, you will be able to travel through a hub. In the latter which seems very ambitious, we could cultivate resources, and improve or manufacture various weapons, or upgrade our elementary skills which will be seven in number (fire, air, earth, darkness, light, life and water).
It’s difficult to see the potential given that everything was restricted in the demo, but the result was as complete as it was complex. We’ll see what it’s all about, and the title seemed honest graphically. Here again, we will only judge the finished product, but for a studio with such ambition, the result remains suitable for Unreal Engine 5, especially since the optimization already seemed fluid.
A good impression left by the software, which will be free-to-play with in-game elements to purchase such as cosmetics. The icing on the cake, the software will also be linked with the deck-builder Cross The Ages: Blast. You will thus be able to transfer elements of this title released in 2023 directly to this new production. Everything is promising, and the title developed for three years is full of promise. Also note that the CEO of the studio even wants to invest in the project with his team of more than 60 people over more than ten years. An ambition that doesn’t seem to scare them, and that’s a good thing.
This is what you generally needed to know about this Hero Festival 2025 Season XI. A pleasant convention to say the least, with a little more content, a better layout of the halls, and above all activities and conferences interesting enough to at least want to stay there for two days.complete bears. Although we find almost the same stands as last year, we were much more satisfied with the video games side. The festival must continue this momentum next year to attract even more people, and why not distinguished guests on the video game side. We still look forward to next year after this generally satisfactory edition.