Hero Trainer: Origins 4+

I was drawn to this app several months ago by the prospect of “leveling up” through my real-world fitness achievements, and having a digital avatar that progressed along with me. Soon my goal became earning a gift card, and I worked hard to earn the 1225 Aura required for the $20 GameStop card. Naturally, I was very disappointed when the Aura cost more than doubled, just as I reached my goal and was about to redeem my reward.

I now rarely do daily check-ins because it doesn’t seem as worthwhile as before. I understand the challenges the developers have to deal with, though, and I don’t blame them. If had to make a suggestion, I would advise them to lean more heavily into the character growth aspect that originally drew me in. Currently, there are several character choices, but only four levels to upgrade each one, with one static appearance per level. Instead, if there were customizable outfit pieces, or perhaps a skill tree to level up various aspects of your character (e.g. Stamina for high-step-count days, or Willpower for lots of check-ins), then the experience itself would be more of a reward, and the gift cards would seem more like a long-term bonus than the main event. Currently, it just feels unattainable to earn anything substantial. Still, I will stick with the app because I appreciate its originality and purpose.

I’ve been using this app since it was in beta and I’ve seen a lot of changes. Despite the challenges, the developer remains devoted to bringing his vision to life. If you are looking to get fit while earning rewards along the way, than look no further. Hero Trainer will keep you motivated as you level up your avatar and improve your own health along the way.

Although the app is limited in nature as to what can be done at the moment (plenty of additions on the horizon), it still brings a tremendous amount of value. The obvious one being earning gift cards to use in gaming platforms. I’ve easily earned $50+ since I’ve been stepping my way to victory with my guild members. That’s one of the other benefits that you may not think about right off the bat. You can join a guild and work together to increase your step count and chance for bigger bonuses. However, it’s not necessarily the bonuses that are as beneficial as the encouragement that you get from your guild along the way. Most guilds will connect both in the app and on Discord to stay connected and provide useful tips to get the most for your health and out of the app. Treat this app as a way to connect with like minded individuals that want to improve their fitness and enjoy gaming. The bonus of earning enough for a gift card once in a while is just that, a bonus. Stay healthy and keep stepping!

I’m still new to the app, but so far everything about it is really enjoyable, and if you keep up with developer updates you’ll see a lot of amazing updates are in the works. Steps are limited to your level, but if you show commitment and persevere your step limit will increase and you can earn more aura to buy gift cards! There’s some different characters you can pick from and you can update their appearance through runes that you also earn as you max out your daily steps. Guilds have a handy chat feature in-app and if your guild is getting a lot of collective steps they go up in rank and you can earn bonus aura at the end of a season. Gift cards include Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation, among others. To give an idea of amounts, as of now 1600 aura gets you a $10 gift card. If you walk 5k steps and watch the 5 ads (which give 1 aura each), that should put you at 10 aura a day (or more if you unlock and do more steps or refer friends and such). For a free app, I think it’s super reasonable, and heck, getting something for your steps is better than nothing! There’s also some quests you can work towards in the app, and they all have great dorky names (my favorite being “Hey, You’re Finally Awake!”). Would absolutely recommend to anyone who walks a lot/needs motivation to move, and super excited for what’s to come!