3D Dot Game Heroes

Do you yearn to return to the days of 2D kingdoms where the task of saving the world was in a simply flat world? Well there is a kingdom that once was exactly that, and had a hero who saved the day. People from all over came and visited, but as time went on less and less people showed up until the day that the king of the lands made the decree that everything was to go 3D. Upon that announcement the world shook and everything from cats, dogs, people, and houses rose up and embraced the 3D world. There is a problem, however, the once evil entity that ravaged the 2D world, who is trapped inside an orb, has had his orb stolen, and there is a new great evil threatening the world. You, a decendant of the great hero that once saved the lands must rise up and conquer all that is evil, and bring peace, once again to the kingdom.

Graphically this game looks as if you took the original Zelda game (8 bit and all) and thrusted it into the 3D world. So you still have the pixelated feel, but in a 3D way. The world that you will be traversing isn't an exact match to the one in Zelda, but you will definitely find yourself in the forest, in the desert, in the moutains, and through temples. One of the great things about the game is the fact that you get to customize your character, if you wish, but opening up the character editor and creating what could be anything you want. The enemy base designs look like they came right out of Zelda as well, of course there are some subtle changes, but for the most part you will be fighting waves of nostalgia.

The music in the game is probably the closest thing you can get to Zelda music, but without it screaming copyright infringement. There are no voices in the game, but that's for the best as that would break us out of the dream-state that one finds themselves in, while playing the game.

The controls aren't complicated at all, and that adds to the nostalgia effect. You'll have a way to block attacks, to attack (up, down, right, and left), use a secondary items, and to move.

As you can see this game oozes Zelda. You'll be tasked with finding the sages that possess orbs that will grant you magical powers so that you can be strong enough to defeat the evil that exists in the world. You'll have a heart meter, and a magic meter. You'll get to use a hookshot, bombs, boomerang, sword, shield, candle, lantern, and more. There are some subtle differences between this game and the original Zelda. One of my favorites is when you are at full health you get to use your ever growing sword. Throughout the game you'll be making money, and you can spend some of that to widen your sword and to lengthen it. So when you are at full health you get to see the damage you can cause with it. There's also more swords available than the equivalent of the master sword, each will have some special differences to help you out in the game. There's also some side quests that you'll be tasked with, but those really didn't draw me in as much as the overall game. 

If you are looking for something that will make you giddy with delight over the old days of a Zelda like world, this is the game for you. If you are looking for something complex and challenging to the mind, you might not find as much enjoyment as I found in the game. This game gets a 9.1 out of 10.