http://sfx-360.com/index.php?idReview=468
There is a saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I personally think that there is a point that we have to stop and question the motives of a person/thing that wants to be exactly like another. Individuality sets us apart from one another and establishes greatness as more than a superficial visage of people who have preceded; it becomes a mirror of one’s self. This is my main gripe with 3D Dot Game Heroes.
3D Dot Heroes is probably the single most unoriginal game I have ever played, by no means am I saying that it’s bad, but at the same time this game is clearly impersonating Zelda: A Link to the Past. From the story told before gameplay, to the premise, to enemies, and even the overworld; everything chimes with the feeling of the Legend of Zelda. It cannot be disputed that A Link to the Past is probably one of the greatest games ever made, but to completely mock its existence by making a clone by another name, is in a way not showing the game the respect it deserves. Over the course of the game it becomes evident that 3D Dot Game Heroes may actually be some sort of parody of the Legend of Zelda action style but again, its blatant rip of the franchise is a little extreme.
Either way, 3D Dot Game Heroes was created by developers Silicon Studios and published by the videogame company Atlus is America. The game takes place in the Kingdom of Dotnia where an evil sage has stolen the orb of the Dark King Onyx with the intention of awakening him to gain his power. In this time of peril a hero must rise up and conquer the obstacles of the land and reclaim the orbs of the sages in order to defeat evil and return the land to peace. This basically introduces your character to the action as the “hero of legend” that must save the kingdom from peril. You have a choice of what type of character you would like to be, whether that be a knight, a ninja, a warrior, or even a tank. The blocks that make up everything throughout the game are very malleable and can be used to sculpt many different creative objects. You even have the choice to construct your own hero.
One major element that really drags the game down is that even though it’s stealing from one of the greatest stories around it doesn’t really have one itself. It attempts to establish a story reminiscent of Legend of Zelda but it lacks almost all of the substance that made the series memorable. After the beginning cinematic that introduces the “tale of the land”, reminiscent (by which I mean exactly the same) of the ancient story that is passed down through Hylian legend, there is practically no forward at all. At the very beginning of the game, as if by divine will, the character steps forward before the king who proclaims you to be the chosen one (honestly you could have been delivering his pizza). At that point he tells you that you should go get the sword of legend. Once you get the sword he tells you to go to the Forest temple, then go to the Earth, then go to the Desert temple. There is no filler in between your travels and it really makes the game feel hollow. Temples can be completely raided in a matter of 20 minutes or less and there is no incentive to return (unless you want to fight bosses that you’ve already beaten once before).
Even the weapons of 3D Dot Game Heroes are completely ripped TLOZ. You have the boomerang, the sword, the bow, bombs, and a hookshot/rope for climbing across gaps. The one noticeable difference with the sword in this game is that it’s huge! Given that your character is at full health, swinging your sword generates an enormous blade that stretches out in front of you and catches everything in its path. However, even though it seems a little excessive, after battling enough enemies you soon realize just how useful the upgrade is, especially when you’re battle with a normal sized sword.
The enemies in the game are much more aggressive than in other games of the same genre. Many will attack you merely because you’re breathing the same air and this tends to make survival a matter of speed and reflexes. Another thing that also ramps up the challenge is directly reflected in the fact that game is “3D”. Because you are no longer playing on a flat plain, enemies are able to fly, jump, perform many annoying actions that will safely remove them from danger. This also adds another element to the game, most notably to the bow. Now that you are in 3D you have to be completely wary of trajectory as the bow no longer flies straight but instead has an arch that the arrow will follow before landing to the ground. Really in the long run, the 3D environment tries its hand at adding a unique perspective to gameplay but it does little more than adding a façade that is easily overshadowed by the actual frustration that it brings.
As you may have figured at this point the game attempts everything that was attempted in the TLOZ. However, some things have become dated and don’t really reflect well in a modern game like this. Notably the box dialogue. Though Zelda still continues to force you to read, its presentation has definitely improved and though we still don’t have voice work we are still pining to get other characters talking even if link won’t say a word. I personally believe 3D Dot Game Heroes should have foregone this attempt at humor in order to take the initiative to add dialogue to its characters.
On a graphical level the game looks unique with its 3D block structure. Everything from the ground to the enemies is completely composed of these tiny square blocks and for the most part the style really stands out. However, this style does make it very difficult to create more minor details such as a person’s facial expression or features. In addition to that you would think that this style would serve to make rather unique characters and enemies but there are so many repeated characters that it feels like the artistic style has really gone to waste.
Besides that the game has an entertaining, if outdated, soundtrack. Music plays characteristically for each area that the hero ventures into. There is desert music, forest music, castle music, dungeon music, and even evil boss music. They really reflect on the musical styles of TLOZ games and they sound really familiar. They are polyphonic but still bear a great resemblance to the midi soundtracks of other series.
As I stated before the game attempts to some degree to be a parody of the genre, however, it’s very subtle about it. Many elements are almost identical but at the save it mocks many of the established conventions of the series. If you are really a die-hard Zelda fan then you’ll probably notice a lot of the references and even laugh a little. Some things blatantly take you out of the realm of the game to deliver you some random innuendo or some interesting fact that games like Zelda would never tread on. One instant in particular involves your character walking into a room. When you walk into the center of the room a text block pops up to reveal that “the hero has just stepped in some sticky white stuff” which then results in the player performs that weird achievement spin as if you had just claimed a new item in the game. Then when you talk to a woman standing next to the same spot she remark, “eww there is something sticky in my hair”. I know I have been known to over analyze but am I really imagining this? There is even one scene where a woman offers the hero “poof poof”. If you accept, the lights go off and the woman makes lewd sounds (all demonstrated by texts bubbles) and asks if you are enjoying her “poof poof”. When the lights are turned back on it is revealed that a man is giving you “poof poof” which is subsequently revealed to be a back rub. I know a few of these scenes are rather subjective but at the same time they are blatant mockeries of other games of the same genre.
Probably this is where the game is strongest, when the player realizes the comical element in the gameplay. All those irregularities that we were left with in games like TLOZ are question and joked on in 3D Dot Game Heroes. It really puts into perspective just how submissive we were to the doctrines established in these previous games. All of the internal jokes really make the game interesting and despite the fact that it’s a rip-off of a well established game it does at least rip it off well and with enough “originality” to make an interesting adventure. So if you are on the wall about buying this game then you can settle in the fact that it’s a good game, but you should probably wait for a price drop. That would definitely make it a little more valuable as a clone.
