I sat down last night and started up a new file in the import version of 3D Dot Game Heroes. I was instantly transported to 1988; the game isn’t so much an homage to the original Legend of Zelda as it is a high-tech ROM hack. I was gratified to discover that it captures not only the look and general mechanics of Zelda, but also my favorite part of the game: The free, open nature of the world. It’s a little more linear than the original Zelda, mind you; there are lots of progress-choking key points that require specific weapons, in the style of A Link to the Past (and every subsequent Zelda). Still, it’s pretty close.
So I didn’t play much of it last night. I saved it for today, so I could wake up early and spend my Saturday morning playing, armed with my pajamas and a bowl of junk cereal (there was a sale on Golden Grahams, you see). The experience was almost exactly like being 13 years old and baffled by the mysteries of Hyrule, except with HDR lighting. Eventually, I showered and dressed, but the spirit of 1988 lives on: I’m wearing a vintage electric blue Coca-Cola rugby shirt.
3D Dot Game Heroes is awesome(ly self-indulgent).
How much Japanese is there in this game? Is everyone chatty? Are there long messages to decipher in the dungeons? The price is dropping rapidly here in Japan but I’m tempted to wait for the English version if it would be less of a hassle to interact with.
Hm, this game looks interesting. These kinda throwbacks usually seem to come out for PSP or DS, so a PS3 release is also a pleasant surprise (I don’t think I’ve played a good Japanese-developed PS3 game since MGS4); sadly, that’s not going to help US sales.
A day one purchase? At $40, most likely, especially since this is exactly the type of Atlus-published (on PS3, no less) game whose price will skyrocket once it generates some post-release buzz (damn, I better go pick up Demon’s Souls while I can).
So, have the Nintendo of America legal hounds been sent to bark? I’d hate to see a last minute, “Oh, just wait a second…” from the big N, especially since this gnae will be a rare day-one purchase for me.
There’s a fair amount of Japanese involved, from what I can tell. You might be able to stumble your way through to the end without it, but there are a ton of sidequests that you won’t have any chance of doing without a guide if you can’t read what people are saying.
Thanks for the report. This sounds almost too good to be true.
If this were the forums rather than the front-page comments, this is where the frothing demand bird image would be inserted.
This is the game that I will need to have a PS3 for. It’s exactly the kind of game I’ve been wanting to see Zelda revist from Nintendo for a while now after seeing BS Zelda footage on youtube.
Want so much. Actually, I even want a larger version of the splash image just to use as a background on my computer.
@Thaeus: there’s a pretty nice BG image up on the Japanese PSN store which you could snag and then transfer. I guess there’s a good chance someone’s put it online somewhere by now as well.
Thy still make Coke in the green glass bottles. The call it Coke de Mexico. Sell your soul and check Wal Mart.