There exists a place at which too much control is removed from the hands of the player and while the specific point may vary for each individual, turning an Action-RPG in to what feels like an automated Sim seems to cross the line. Hero's Way by Lakoo is, at the very least, a novel idea and one that may appeal to those sick of mashing buttons, but having RPG characters that do everything for you feels immensely lazy.

Aside from the selection of equipment; the distribution of character statistics; and occasionally moving the characters to avoid severe attacks, the game literally plays itself. After selecting the members of your three-man party from a mix of either a warrior, a rogue or a mage, you'll jump in to a side-scrolling level with a handful of monsters. Your minions will duke it out, initiating special attacks as soon as they're available and collecting items including cash, potions and random loot including treasure chests that require payments to open.

Should one of your party members die their resurrection is only 100 gold away - a nominal fee, but one you'll be seeing far too often if you push on to the next area too soon, depleting your coffers and leaving you unable to proceed. Cash quickly becomes a problem as items quickly reach prices that require repetitive grinding to obtain or, as the publisher would prefer you to do, a simple In App Purchase away.

The cute visual style is certainly appealing at first, but this also loses its charm after witnessing the same repeated attack animation several dozen times in a row.

What little control you have over your minions comes in the form of forcing them to stop or dragging them around the screen. This can come in handy as it allows you to dodge missile attacks if you're fast enough or otherwise fling your way out of the path of a rampaging monster. It's the one shining feature in an otherwise generic RPG experience.

Considering the free price point of Hero's Way it's hard to begrudge its focus on grinding to make up for the lack of payments, but all your money will buy is more grinding, so it's hardly a fair trade. Pick up the game to see if it clicks with you, but be wary of its long-term playability.