7 Games Like Archero that are Worth Playing in 2023

Still finding decent games to play on your Android phone? These are 7 games like Archero that are worth playing in 2023.

I will be the first to admit that Archero (published by Habby) has amazing core gameplay. However, let’s just say that I’m not the biggest fan of its monetization strategy. Sadly, but in this case thankfully, mobile games are full of ‘clones’. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think ‘clones’ are automatically bad just because of their core gameplay copying other games. From my experience trying tens of thousands of games on Android for 9 years, It’s definitely possible for a ‘clone’ to surpass the original.

Oh, don’t worry, unlike many other listicles on the internet out there which are done with minimal or even zero research, I’ve been playing these games for a while (spent my money on most of them) to give you an informed opinion about each one. Also, since there are so many ‘dead’ games in Google Play Store, every game in this list is still being updated regularly and has its latest update in January or February 2023.

So, let’s get started.

Heroics Epic Legend of Archero

There is a reason why I put this game in the first place in this article. I would say that Heroics is the best game compared to the others on this list. First, even though it has the same core gameplay as Archero, in this game, you have four weapons (main weapon, melee weapon, thrown weapon, and magic weapon) equipped at the same time and each of them has its own cooldown. So, you will rotate between each weapon periodically. I love this adaptation. You will not get bored seeing the same attack thousands of times in a single run.

Second, I also love the variety of equipment in this game. There are more than 30 weapons in this game with different mechanics. For example, a whip (melee weapon) has the farthest reach but it has the longest cooldown. While a sword has a shorter reach but also a shorter cooldown. Those are just the types. IIRC, there are 3 whips and every whip has different effects. There is a whip that can poison your enemies. There is also another whip that can blind the monsters.

The game-changing mechanics are found in most of the equipment. There are also armor sets that have different game-changing effects too.

However, with so many types of equipment with different game-changing effects, it will be a pain for us to collect and upgrade the ones that we want since there is no dedicated drop. Thus, it can be very expensive very fast.

OrderZero

Next, this is an anime-style of Archero with a distinct feel and style. I place this game second because I love the feeling when you shoot the enemy. Also, one thing that I love in most of the Archero clones is the ability to step-cancel – when you move to cancel the whole attack animation to attack faster. In OrderZero, you are incentivized to do the step-cancel because your attack will have bigger damage if you cancel it at the right time.

Another thing that I love about this game is it’s pretty cheap. I hate seeing ads in the game. So I would purchase the option to remove ads. The option to remove ads in this game works permanently. Hence, you don’t need to purchase it every month like most games mentioned in this list.

Also, like Heroics above, the duration to complete a stage/level is very short. I like shorter duration for every run because we will be doing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them to grind for many things.

Sadly, the graphic styles between each map and even the monsters are too similar to each other. You may get bored seeing the same style again and again. Remember, every game in this list is a grinding game. So, it could help to see some varieties every now and then.

Dash.io – Roguelike Survivor

https://youtu.be/F5IC0aRMo_k

Although it’s weird to see that it has different names on the launch screen and in the Google Play Store, I still have fun playing this game.

Similar to OrderZero above, the game is also pretty cheap since the option to remove ads also works permanently. The feeling of throwing fireballs at the enemies is also satisfying in this game. You can also equip two weapons at the same time, a magic weapon and a melee weapon.

However, I think the concept is not implemented in the best way. Since there is no real reason for us to use the melee weapon, some enemies are completely immune to the magic weapon – forcing us to go melee for certain enemies. Some stages are filled with those enemies making it very annoying to do.

It’s also a bit longer to finish one run in this game compared to the first two games on this list.

Check out my other article: Bethesda Announces a Rogue-lite Top-Down Mobile Shooter Called Mighty Doom

Battle Faith: Heroes

There are two things I love the most about this game. First, unlike all other games in this list, there is a shop that will sell you every piece of equipment. So, technically, you could collect the highest-grade equipment you want so much faster because you don’t have to deal with painful random chances on thousands of drops. You don’t need to collect thousands of common (white) items to be upgraded to the highest color grade.

Second, I love that you can assign stats and talent points to whatever you choose in this game. Usually, talent is randomized in similar games. Here, you could choose what talents you want to upgrade first. Also, you can allocate stats to build your character differently.

There are also different characters with distinct playstyles in this game. Sadly, I can’t bring myself to enjoy playing other characters than the Archer. Also, even if I tried so many times, it’s not satisfying and optimized to step-cancel in this game. It’s better for you to stand still without step-cancelling to attack faster in this game.
Another thing that I hate is some level designs in this game. Some are just too painful to navigate and make the game unnecessarily harder.

Path of Immortals: Survivor

I really want to like this game more than I currently feel. Many upgrades you find in this game are proc-based skills. I love those kinds of upgrades. I find it satisfying too to use every hero in the game.

One unique thing about this game is that there is no ‘stamina’ here. So, you could run stages every time you want. However, there is no real reason to do that, in terms of collecting resources – once you gain all of the possible loot in a stage. Although, there are many modes in this game for you to grind resources. There is also a ‘survivor’ mode, similar to the Survivor.io in this game.

However, I think the game is too convoluted in its current state. There are too many currencies, coins, and whatnot. There are also many features with no clear explanation. For example, in one of the monthly subscriptions, there is an option to “awaken normal maps” for free. I don’t even know what that is, even though I’ve tried so many things.
I know this game has been running for years so it’s a bit late for me to play it right now. However, I’m pretty sure many new players will feel the same way about this game if they try the game for the first time in its current condition.

Maybe, the game developer could pace the game better so the new players don’t get overwhelmed with so many things at once. Maybe, a wiki or an in-game encyclopedia could be made to explain many things in this game.

Combat Quest – Archer Hero RPG

Honestly, this game has one of the best satisfying attacks compared to the others. It has great and smooth graphics too. Every weapon feels different to play. Although, other types of equipment are just different stats increase.

However, I would say that the game is not that friendly to free users, at least in the current condition. I have to grind my way to reach level 6 and upgrade my equipment before I can finish the first stage. Yes, you have to grind even in the early stages.

The game also has a poor drop rate for equipment. In fact, there is no equipment drop from the regular or even boss monsters. You could get equipment as a reward for completing certain stages but it’s not even guaranteed. Moreover, you still need to collect thousands of equipment if you want to upgrade it to higher rarities – white to green to blue to purple and so on – just like so many other games like Archero. Granted, I just reached stage 3 at the time of this writing so equipment may get easier to get later on. Still, it’s the game design that makes my progress very slow.

However, I think those things could easily be fixed if the developer wants to do it. So, if you have disposable income and you don’t mind spending on free-to-play games, I think this game is still worth it to play. Otherwise, you may have to wait or choose a different game.

Archer Hunter – Adventure Game

I feel conflicted about this game. That’s why I put it last on this list. It has characters with different unique playstyles. However, most of them don’t feel satisfying to use. For two characters (Argos and Hazard), I could step-cancel the animation really well and they could attack really fast and satisfyingly. However, for other characters, it feels slow and clunky to step-cancel.

There are Artifacts, an in-game equipment type, that give game-changing play styles but most of the other pieces of equipment are just ‘meh’. Every character can only use one type of weapon too.

Also, I’m not sure about this but it feels like the game can only run at 30 fps or even lower. I see the game stutters and doesn’t deliver smooth animation. Some people might think it’s a deal breaker but some people might be fine with it. I just want to mention it here. Also, the screen could get very cluttered with every bullet, coin, and drop which makes the game harder since you still need to dodge enemy attacks.

However, I still think it’s worth it to try and play the game – maybe as a tertiary game, not your main game. Who knows the developer could fix those annoyances I mentioned earlier, in the future.

Conclusion

Those are the 7 games like Archero that are worth playing in 2023. I know there are a lot more games that I don’t mention here. Some games are actually better but they are already ‘dead’. Some games are also good but I intentionally don’t mention them here because I don’t like the monetization. Some of them also don’t have options to remove ads – which is a deal breaker for me.