3D Dot Game Heroes Hands-On Impression

When 3D Dot Game Heroes was first announced in Japan, I was somewhat worried about how the game would turn out. Based on the screenshots and videos released by From Software, it looked pretty childish and very old school. A year has since passed by and Atlus brought out the announcement that it would be bringing 3D Dot Game Heroes to North America. Knowing Atlus acquired the publishing rights for 3D Dot Game Heroes, I knew that the game would be a lot better than I thought it would be.

I’ve seen how Atlus’ Aram Jabbari demoed the game to us and that’s the start of my keen interest in it. Not too long ago, the final build for 3D Dot Game Heroes finally landed at my doorstep and, of course, I immediately put it on the PlayStation 3. First impressions: I was stunned at how beautiful the game is.

3D Dot Game Heroes is a game that will bring back memories to the veteran gamers out there who loved playing classic games like The Legend of Zelda in the NES days. The good thing about 3D Dot Game Heroes is that it manages to keep the classic feel of the game and bring that same level of nostalgic gaming into 3D.

Before I started playing the game, there was an option where I could create my personalized character or install the game’s data for much smoother game play. Exclusively for the North American version, Atlus has included extra, pre-loaded characters to choose from. If you don’t have time to create your own characters in the game, then you can choose from more than twenty pre-made characters, such as a knight, Santa Claus, a Ninja, and more. Getting tired of playing as just one character throughout your play through? You can change it whenever you want!

When it comes to how 3D Dot Game Heroes plays, it’s very similar to The Legend of Zelda. By grounding its game play in the solid style of such a classic game, 3D Dot Game Heroes promises an amazing experience from the get-go. From what I’ve I played so far—the first town and dungeon—one of the things that I find very interesting is that it also has the chicken from the Legend of Zelda games. For those of you unfamiliar with said fowl, you can hit it and, after giving a lot of damage to it, a horde of chickens will attack you. If you’ve been playing video games since the NES and SNES era, you will see a lot of parodies and similarities in this game.

Without spoiling much of the story in my hands-on impression of the game, as the Prince of Dotania, you have a mission to restore the Kingdom to its former glory. You have to go through six dungeons and locate the Orb that can rejuvenate the world. I’m not that far into the game’s story, but from my impressions so far, the game’s layout is similar to the classic Zelda games. There are no voice overs in the game, but what makes veteran gamers excited is that they can hear some remixed classic tunes.
One great thing that piqued my interest in this game is the ability to make your characters using the game’s Editor Tool. For my test character, I made myself a Cactuar and it took me at least 15 minutes. It takes a long time as you have to make one for their front view, one for when they’re walking, and one for attacking. If you love the innovation of making your imagination come true in a game, then this is for you.

So far, 3D Dot Game Heroes is shaping up to be a game that everyone would play. Since we’re a month away before the embargo will be lifted, I don’t want to reveal too much about the game. But let me tell you this: if you are a veteran gamer and loved playing the classic action side-scrolling adventures, you will love this. Check back with us on April 19th for our review of the game.