Ah, yes, Legend of Zelda, the first game in the long running Nintendo franchise to appear on the NES and still considered a classic. It had an open-ended world, great music, fun gameplay. Then, Link to the Past came out, and it was awesome and was the number 1 game for the SNES 5 years running. It’s hard to beat that. Then we also have games like Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Ages, Four Sword Adventure, Phantom Hour Glass, Spirit Tracks, and the Minish Cap that kept the top-down perspective and are really good games. However, today we are not talking about Zelda. You might be asking, “ Then why did I take up minutes of your time and nostalgia talking about Zelda when I am not reviewing a Zelda game?” Well, before I answer that, let me just say you won’t get those minutes back, though I will say that we will be talking about a game that took the Zelda formula and slapped it on a different console. No, I am not talking about Legendary Axe or Final Fantasy Adventure. No, this is much more recent. The Zelda formula this time was put on a PS3, and called 3D Dot Game Heroes! While you can say it isn’t an original game, I think it has a pretty original concept being a parody of the old NES and SNES adventure games of the time. It definitely stands out as a game that deserves to be in the top 20 PS3 games. Well, maybe in the top 10 for me personally. So let’s dive into a 2D world that’s gone 3D, and review 3D Dot Game Heroes.
The main story in 3D Dot Game Heroes takes place in a fictional 8-bit world called Dotnia. It tells of an evil being that was sealed away by a brave hero in the past. Fast forward years later, and the king has finally had it with being 8-bit, and decides to go 3D 8-bit! It’s hard to explain. When all of Dotnia was turned into 3D, the evil being was released. Seems like they forgot to lock the jail door or something as he now plagues the land of Dotnia. It is up to a lone hero to get all 6 sages and fight the evil being and lock him away once and for all! It’s a basic story that doesn’t take itself seriously, so just like Deathspank, you shouldn’t take it seriously either.
The gameplay in this game takes the form of action adventure games like Zelda, Final Fantasy Adventure, Legendary Axe, but mostly Zelda. You go around finding swords, solving simple puzzles from the 8-bit days of action adventure games, fight giant bosses, and find unique items to help get through the huge overworld. Of course, with games like A Link to the Past, there are side quests to be completed so you can get more health or weapons. Another thing to note is when you have perfect health, your sword is huge, and depending on which ones you get, can pierce through walls and do a spin attack faster. You can also go to the blacksmith in certain towns, and upgrade your sword’s size and length. Another main form of attack is the magic you get after meeting each sage, but it is kind of overshadowed by the main hero’s huge sword. I’ll let you come up with a sex joke for yourself with that last message. The final thing I need to mention is that you can create your own hero or choose from a selection of already made characters.
The graphics are really unique. Everything is made with little squares or called bits. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING is made of tiny blocks. Even the water is made of little blocks and it definitely looks like an NES game with a 3D face-lift. The creature design is clever and some even look like they were taken right from an 8-bit Zelda game. I also like the heavy amount of game references that you see in the game. It gives the game a comedic edge. I bet you that old gamers can find a lot of references and find them really funny. Like I said, you shouldn’t take this game’s story seriously, kind of like Deathspank. The music is also well done with some pretty catchy tunes mixed with bleeps and bloops to give it a very unique feel, but it does get repetitious so be prepared. I also like how everyone’s movements are like two frames of animation, which reminds me of games like Zelda. The game is right in the middle of difficulty, but I’ll talk more about it in the paragraph below.
It’s time now to talk about the bad parts of this game. While I said the difficulty is in the middle, sometimes the game can be downright tedious. I know the main point of adventure games is to talk to EVERYONE, but it’s hard since the text is too small unless you have an HD television, or else you won’t know what they need you to do. I also find the attack movements of the main hero limited. I know it’s supposed to be a tribute to old games and such, but it makes the game a tiny bit more difficult than it should be. I also find it annoying that even though you can save anytime, I recommend you save inside a village inn or else you will start right back in the middle of the overworld. My final complaint comes from a common one I have with a lot of games that everything is way too expensive, and you don’t get that much money unless you slay a boss. I don’t like it where the first game in the series has items that are way too expensive to get.
Overall though, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a wonderful PS3 game that I would recommend to ANYONE who has a PS3 or the love for old-fashioned action adventure games. I say, if you want to buy it, wait for it to go down in price then pick it up, but in the meantime, rent it and play it for yourself. It’s really fun to play, and I enjoyed my time with the game. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.
This game gets an 8 out of 10
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