3D Dotty game review
Test: 3D Dot Game Heroes
Even before its release, all those who have seen images and videos of 3D Dot Game Heroes already know that it is a video game UFO. The title is indeed a perfectly assumed homage of the Zelda series, and this to the tips of the nails. If you're ready to jump back in your twenties, welcome to the retro and colorful world of the Kingdom of Dotnia.A long time ago, the peaceful 2D kingdom of Dotnia was attacked by the terrible Dark King, an evil being who only seeks to make evil flourish. Dark King stole the six magic orbs from the kingdom and imprisoned the six wise men who were supposed to protect them. When all hope seemed lost, a valiant young man left alone to save the world by confronting this evil force to free the wise. Thanks to the magic of these, he captured Dark King in a sealed orb. Calm had finally returned to Dotnia and the young man has since become a hero. But over time, this legend fell into oblivion while the kingdom lost its splendor. Indeed, people were no longer interested in 2D! King Tezro then made the decision to finally switch to 3D so as not to be grounded. The implementation of this radical change delighted the people and it was jubilation throughout the Kingdom of Dotnia. Unfortunately, a priest named Fuelle took the opportunity to steal the sealed orb in order to become master of the world! Faced with this tragedy, it is up to the direct descendant of the hero of legend to save the world again, and this descendant is you!
This whole story smells good old-school isn't it? Yes, you already suspected, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a true ode to RPGs and 8-bit adventure games, and especially to Zelda as we will see later in this test. But let's dwell on the graphic aspect so singular of the title. All the characters, the houses or even the enemies are made of huge pixels, so much so that you could count them with the naked eye! Yet the textures are magnificent and the environments shine everywhere. This mixture of retro and contemporary is a real delight on the screen, helped by quite astonishing effects, in particular the effect of blurring in the (very large) depth of field. As a result, 3D Dot Game Heroes has a unique cachet that sets it apart from any current or previous production. How can you not be charmed by this particular style? Especially when it comes to swords. Besides the fact that they are in 2D, which slightly denotes in this world of pixels, they are also quite simply gigantic! Some are the size of an entire room, others can directly touch the enemies of the next screen! It should be noted that this only works when you have 100% of your life. In any case, know that the size of your weapons is only one of the countless parody elements of the game.
Because this is the real goal of 3D Dot Game Heroes. Bring out all the old concepts of the great Japanese RPGs or adventure games of the heyday while exaggerating them to the extreme most of the time. You are in the mood from the intro page, where the first notes will immediately remind you of the famous Prelude from Final Fantasy. But the series to which the title of From Software makes the most bows is undoubtedly that of Zelda. In fact, if we had been told that 3D Dot Game Heroes was an episode of the series, we would have believed it without saying a word! Everything is there. The cracks in the walls that tell us where to place our bombs, the quiver enlargements, the Life Shards to be picked up by four to make a new hit point, the shield, the grapple, the boots to run fast ... No wait, it's worse for the boots, they even put the little trampling he was doing before starting to run! These are not small references here and there that you will find, but a real tribute to the Miyamoto series! And again, we haven't told you about the dungeons yet, but we'll come back to it. It is of course necessary to add to all this some passages which will recall other universes as a message on the ground to indicate a trap as in Demon's Soul, or even this NPC which refers to The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
In fact, this parody universe is found practically in all dialogues, with a great sense of self-mockery. For example, if you answer no when the king asks you to recover the six magic orbs, he will answer you that it is rather annoying because that does not advance the scenario. But back to the gameplay a bit. As said before, the dungeons seem straight out of the first Zelda! Besides their ultra-generic name like the Forest Temple or the Fire Temple, each room, each puzzle and even each concept comes directly from the Nintendo series. The blocks to push on switches on the ground, the chests that appear after killing all the enemies, the dungeon map, the boss key, and even the transporter that saves you from having to rebuild the whole temple in case of death. Again, you are on familiar ground. The most amazing thing is that even if the puzzles are often classic, the fun of the game is still there. However, you will have to go back and forth, and the more you advance in the game, the more you will need the map to get out with the floors, the stairs and the secret passages, and do not plan to leave it before an hour and a half for the latter. Unsurprisingly, a boss will be waiting for you at the end for the greatest pleasure of your sword.
Of course, to be a good adventure game, you also have to have gameplay that holds water. Considering who inspired 3D Dot Game Heroes, we can already say that it has proven itself. However, there are some peculiarities. First of all, handling your sword takes practice. First you have to kick, then print a direction to make arcs of a circle, or even swirling strokes ... well, you get it! It is very important to master this technique because to give a blow of face to an enemy is often dangerous in 3D Dot Game Heroes! They are often numerous, fast and capable of attacks from a distance, but your sword of 30 meters long (without exaggeration) will get rid of most of them. During your walks in the open areas of the game, you will often have to think about finding the right path leading to this chest that you see in the distance, high up or below. Sometimes you will even have to make unimaginable detours to take the right route, but this is the kind of research required in this type of game. Villages are of course synonymous with merchants of all kinds. Note that they have all their prices, and you will have to be careful if you do not want to be pigeon-fired by buying a product five times what you would have paid in the next village! There is also the blacksmith who can improve your weapons in different criteria like its length and width (well let's see), its power or other effects, some of which are inherent in each sword. But be careful not to do anything because each improvement costs you points, and these, which depend on the weapon you improve, are not infinite.
Oh, by the way, you may have noticed that we haven't given much guidance on the main character. Know that it is not a coincidence. Indeed, you can choose from a bunch of characters, some of which are really unique like a shark or a tank! Better yet, you can create it yourself via the editor provided for this purpose or modify the existing ones. Note that it will take incredible talent to do something believable, but since you are doing it pixel by pixel, there is no limit to your imagination. A carrot on wheels? A ninja crayfish? A magician toaster? Everything becomes possible. Surprisingly, you can continue the adventure by changing heroes each time you save the game, which you can do at any time! This is important when you know that the hit points, magic points or attack power are not the same depending on the class and gender of our avatar. So, we can strategically opt for a character with more magic when we need it, for example. Even if it is not an essential element of the gameplay, it can really help in some very specific cases.
In terms of lifespan, everything will depend on how you play. The main quest will only take you around ten hours in easy mode, three-quarters of which will be in the dungeons. You could say that it's short, it's true, but know that most of the game is in side quests. To give you an idea, the main quest only grants you two of the twenty-four swords in the game! In fact, between each temple, there are a multitude of small events available to you. Of course, you will have to talk to the right NPCs, which can be complicated since there are few things that are right for you. Every little sentence can be important. The advantage is that unlike many games of the genre, the 3D Dot Game Heroes NPCs do not drown you in streams of text no longer knowing what to do with it. In general, they tell you the facts in two lines to break everything. We often have the impression of being in an accelerated Zelda, which is rather pleasant for players who are not very patient. In addition to this, there are also three mini-games. First of all there is the nice Dash Circuit where you will use your racing boots in a time trial. The specificity here is that your character accelerates more and more with each turn taken and quickly reaches a completely mind-blowing speed. You will need superhuman reflexes so as not to take over walls in order to beat the best times and win rare items. It's easy as pie but devilishly addictive. Then we have Block Defense, a real tower defense, certainly quite classic, but surprisingly complete! It may take a few hours to unlock everything. Finally there is a kind of fairly short breakout where your character returns the ball with his shield. It's a lot to do, and the Kingdom of Dotnia still has a lot of surprises in store.
If the atmosphere of the title owes a lot to its graphics, its parodic appearance and the humorous tone of practically all dialogues, it also owes a lot to the music! The main theme is already extremely effective. Eye-catching from the first notes, it has nothing to envy to that of Zelda, to stay in the comparison. Trust us when you are told that you will hum it often. The other themes are often of the same ilk, 8-bit sounds of yesteryear, lively and perfectly linked to the environments visited. The same goes for the dungeons, especially the brutal theme of the Fire Temple. There is no doubt that the soundtrack of 3D Dot Game Heroes is a success on all levels which is largely worth the greatest melodies of the time. Of course, in front of all these kindnesses, you expect to see some faults appear ... The main problem undoubtedly comes from the classicism of the puzzles. In fact, you've probably seen them all in a Zelda. Even if it is not necessary to believe that the dungeons are easy so far, we would undoubtedly have liked a little more madness on the part of the developers at this level, especially in a game with a particularly pronounced parody style. On the other hand, not staying stuck on the puzzles for ten years also allows the game to keep its fast pace from start to finish. We can also say that the dungeons are a little too dark compared to the exteriors, but on the other hand, they are not there to be pretty. Finally, last thing, 3D Dot Game Heroes has not been located. Indeed, the game is entirely in English, from menus to dialogues. Even if it is an unfortunate element, know that it is not too handicapping because the sentences are short and the words are far from complicated. School English is more than enough to understand the background and the different quests of the game.
In the end, you will understand, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a great surprise. Without ever taking itself seriously, the title of From Software succeeds in bringing back to life the first Zeldas by importing its gameplay in an atypical universe. Despite the humor overflowing from all sides, the adventure aspect is far from being forgotten and you will have to get off the trails fairly regularly if you really want to discover everything as the micro-quests are numerous and well hidden. Even if the different parodies and references can only be understood by enthusiasts and that the genre risks especially speaking to the oldest, it remains widely accessible to the greatest number, at least in its lowest difficulty. As for the nostalgic ones, they will be won over from the first seconds, amazed at all the little winks they will find at every corner of the map. We feel that the game has been worked to the tips of the nails, and even the music has been treated to accompany the environments of striking melodies. There are so many little extra things that we will not have talked about in these lines, like the collection of Small Blocks or the unspeakable fairy Lee who follows you during the game by parodying Navi (from Ocarina of Time) to the extreme via some comic scenes, but I think you have already understood that 3D Dot Game Heroes is a must-have that it would be crazy to deprive yourself of, hoping that we will more often be entitled to this type of games in the future.
The notes
Graphics 17/20
As surprising as it may seem, 3D Dot Game Heroes surprises with its technique. The effects of light and blur make it really good even if it takes time to adapt to the latter. Special mention for the effects on the water, or for the impression of blindness when one comes out in daylight when one has stayed too long in a dungeon. The mix of 2D and 3D is arguably the most successful ever. Now, this graphic leg is so surprising that it may displease some, but we must applaud the originality, so rare these days. However, the interior of the dungeons may be a bit bland.
Gameplay 16/20
In absolute terms, it is Zelda. You will therefore largely find a tested and approved gameplay. The handling of your weapon will require a certain time of adaptation but nothing unlivable. Even if we can regret a lack of risk-taking concerning the puzzles, we will salute the rhythm of the frame which does not include the usual lengths of the genre. We can doubt the interest that neophytes will have in this game system, but old-school players will undoubtedly appreciate this amazing tribute to an era now gone.
Lifespan 17/20
If you only stick to the main quest, count between ten and fifteen hours. Yes, it's short. But all the interest of the title is in the side quests, which constitute 80% of the game. The screenplay only gives you two of the twenty-four swords of the game, and it is only a small part of the secrets of 3D Dot Game Heroes. Between mini-games and micro-events, some of which are useless but terribly funny, you will have something to delve into for a long time. Note that there are also two difficulty modes to unlock, including a special hidden in the game.
Soundtrack 18/20
If 3D Dot Game Heroes is not the first recent game to use 8-bit tones, it is the only one to do so with such mastery, while mixing them with contemporary instruments. Each theme seems straight out of the best titles of the time and contributes wonderfully to the retro and so particular atmosphere of the Kingdom of Dotnia. We must congratulate the work of Shoichiro Sakamoto, a composer who is however quite obscure (he has mainly worked on the soundtracks of Touhous and anime).
Scenario 16/20
Although the basic story is deliberately ultra-classic, the universe itself is so wacky and parodic that we get caught up in the plot without even realizing it. Each micro-event gives rise to little stories which do not add anything to the main plot but which have the merit of making people laugh. New special mention for the Water Sage, one of the funniest parts of the game.
We couldn't pay more homage to 8-bit adventure games, and in particular to Zelda, than with this 3D Dot Game Heroes. Despite a damn classic gameplay, the universe of the Kingdom of Dotnia promises you hours of happiness thanks to an excellent soundtrack, inspired and original graphics, and a humorous tone omnipresent from start to finish. If you are a bit nostalgic for the old days, you should not hesitate to get this little pearl.
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