Dungeons & Dragons Heroes

"The lengthy review of this awesome game."

Intro:

Yes! Another RPG where it DOESN'T use a seperate battle system! Well, ya gotta believe it. Today it seams that RPGs are being secluded in their own little dark void without any contact with other gaming genres. Much like the Gauntlet games(arcade, NES, and otherwise) and somewhat like Phantasy Star Online, this game proves to take interest in the RPG-Action-Hack 'n' Slash genre. There is alot of action in this and I what I mean by alot is well, hard to describe. But I've gotten it the day before this review, and I can tell you that this is the game for childeren young and small (unless you don't want them to see mutilation and some gore).

Graphics:

I'll say this for the graphics: Just right. You don't seem to notice the graphics at first unless you're trying to dodge 4 spells casted by some enemy or dodging those icky spider nets that trap you. But if you take your time to look at the rest of the environment you'd see that the developers made that the most simple but everything is recognizable (you can actually tell what barrels contain explosives/poison or are safe). All the environments are also gothic style at the beginning which, surprisingly fits in with the rest of the story.

The monsters, characters, and Heros are highly detailed. Each model has many animations. You can tell actually what each enemy is from far back and up close. When you equip weapons with status effects they glow in a colour noting what effect it would have on the enemy. The enemies also show effects to note what status effects are applied to them. Spells, which there are plenty of, are simply the greatest. There are little hints to where monsters are if they become invisible and run, they have little footprints and scoots of dust showing where they are (It gets normal hunting them down when they are invisible).

Sound:

Simple and to the point. No excess sounds. Nothing to confuse you. Period.

Gameplay:

If you like games like the Zelda for the N64 and GCN, hack 'n' slash games like Gauntlet, and games like Phantasy Star Online then you will be right at home here. And since this game is easy to learn, first time gamers will have a great head start.

DDH has 4 Heros to play as, each with a special set of skills he or she can use. The Fighter (with his mighty strength and swords), the Rogue (with here Bow and Daggers), the Cleric (who is all 'round), and the Wizard[ess] (with her magical spirit). Each Hero has a specific ability and strategy to use. Beginners may feel the need to pick up the guy with the big-ass sword, but that may not be the style they would be comfortable with.

The gameplay is all action. You run around a dungeon like world with a pre-defined path for you. But don't be discouraged, the levels are actually usefull in your pursuit of enemies. Doorways become bottlenecks for the massive amounts of enemies that pour into the level, while large, open spaces become deathtraps with Archers and Mages aplenty. There are many traps in the worlds and they are noticable unless you are ignorant and battling.

Items are all over the place. You can use them immediately or go into slow-mo (note that this is not like bullet time like in other games since there are no bullets and air ripples are not displayed) to switch items and abilities.

There are numerous traps out there in the worlds of DDR, from crossbow, poison pods, or even things that come out of the ground to shoot fireballs at you. There are many traps that you should avoid in order to survive in battle. Off the battlefield there are treasure chests that are opened by Skull Keys which, surprisingly, contain treasure... And a number of traps. Others are barrels that explode or release poison if you happen not to see what it looks like.

Earlier I said something about RPG stuff in the game? I certainly did. Well, it is the simple system. You kill a monster, it gives XP. Once you have enough XP you gain a level, and with the level you gain stats. Well, it's simple. But with a level you get points for which you can use to 'buy'/earn abilities for your character. And every 4 levels, you get to add one more point for a stat of your choice. The stats are simple and some give bonuses for certain heros.

This game also has multiplayer!!! Yes, now fans of PSO know that an Action RPG has to have multiplayer. It does. And with multiplayer, there's fun right? Right. So invite some friends to share the battles.

Story:

Four heros who slayed an evil sorcerer. They die when fighting the sorcer also. 150 years later some stupid peoples revive the evil wizard. But the heros are also revived as well and are weak. The story is original. You don't see anyone in any RPG fight a bad guy and die while being resurected years later to find out that the bad guy is back.

Summary:

This game is a must buy. If you aren't player of D&D or don't know how to play D&D (both of which I don't know how to play and don't play it) it's ok. This game was made with the gamer in mind and doesn't leave an ounce of regret. If you get the game, it's worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/04