Game Review: 3D Dot Game Heroes

It’s like a Zelda game on the PS3. Oh, and it’s totally freaking awesome.

3D Dot Game Heroes is one of Japan’s gems recently brought over by none other than the lovable Atlus. The game pays homage to many classic favorites, but mostly to the classic 2D Zelda games — in fact, the gameplay is almost identical. You control a hero with a sword on a quest to vanquish an evil sorcerer who wants to reign supreme over the world. You traverse through a rectangular-shaped world broken into separate “screens.” You’re on a quest to explore various dungeons full of monsters, puzzles, mazes, and traps. You can access a menu screen and select from various items to use. You have a hookshot. A boomerang. A candle. Bombs. A bow & arrows — see the resemblance yet?

This game doesn’t even try to hide the fact that it’s copying Zelda. When I say “copying” I mean that in the most positive way possible, because a game that feels like a Zelda game is a damn good thing if you ask me. Having grown up on classics like the original The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Link’s Awakening, playing 3D Dot Game Heroes brought back the fond memories I have of playing those games.

Despite this game’s near-identical gameplay style to that of classic Zelda games, there are various differences that are enough to make the game feel like its own kind. As you collect money in the world of Dotnia, (where the game takes place) you can purchase upgrades for your sword. You can make it longer, wider, or stronger, among various other abilities. These upgrades only go into effect when you have full health. After getting hit once, your sword reverts to its normal, non-upgraded form, thus causing the game to become considerably more difficult. Keeping full health and an ample supply of potions in the game is important because of this, since one slip-up can greatly amplify the game’s difficulty.

A convenient map screen is kept automatically updated for you as you traverse the world and its various dungeons. As you explore the dungeons, you’ll run into various obstacles including dark rooms which require you to use a candle to aid your sight, locked doors that require a key, holes in the floor that drop down to other levels, and many other things. Figuring out these puzzles is not too challenging, and if you’re a veteran Zelda fan, you shouldn’t have too many problems figuring them out.

For the areas outside of the dungeons, I would strongly recommend using a walkthrough. 3D Dot Game Heroes contains a large amount of sidequests, many of which are time-sensitive. Using a walkthrough is the only way to know about these events before it’s too late, and the rewards you’ll reap from doing so are great. However, when you’re inside dungeons, it’s best to put your brain power to the test and try to figure out the puzzles yourself.

3D Dot Game Heroes also pays homage in a visual sense by copying the pixelated graphics style seen in classic games of the NES era. Except this time, the pixels are in 3D. It’s a fairly original and eye-pleasing graphics style that really looks great on the TV screen. Although these graphics are far from pushing the limits of the PS3, they still look great.

If you’ve been playing games since the NES era like I have and are a big fan of the Zelda series, then 3D Dot Game Heroes is an absolute must. If you’re not one of those people, then I suggest you get out from under that rock you’ve been living under and first play some Zelda games, and then check out this game. Overall, 3D Dot Game Heroes makes for an exciting experience that fans of classic games will greatly enjoy. By paying homage to many hits from the ’80s era of gaming, this game will bring back the feelings of enjoyment that such gamers experienced long ago.

GAMEPLAY
Classic Zelda-style gameplay that fans of the series will grasp instantly

AESTHETICS
A refreshing throwback to the pixelated graphics of way back when

OVERALL
Perfect for adventure/action-RPG fans with a craving for enemy-whacking and puzzle-solving