"Swords, Magic, and a Purple Platypus. What more could you want?"

Hi! I'm Infernal_light, and let me start off by saying that the only reason I gave this a 9 is because 9.5 is a fraction. Although I only played through the first chapter, Deep labyrinth for the DS is an amazing game, and I'm going to tell you all about it.

Story

Many people say that the story for the game is unimaginative and boring. In my opinion, they are horribly, horribly wrong. It starts out with a boy named Shawn going for a family drive with his family and his dog, Ace. When the car gets a flat tire, the family is stranded in front of a strange house. Ace dashes into the building with Shawn's parents after him. When Shawn follows, he gets sucked inside a magical portal to a strange world where memories are watched over. He must find the answer to a mystery and stop his parent's memories from being destroyed. I dont want to spoil the story too much but its very interesting and it will keep you hooked all throughout the game. Other characters include a wise, flying pink elephant, talking mice, and a faceless woman. But the most memorable character of all would have to be Mocco, the purple platypus. What could be more awesome than a purple platypus?

Gameplay

Right from the beginning, you are placed into the body of Shawn.... literally... in his body. The game is played in a first person perspective. You move around with the control pad and use the stylus for everything else from talking to people, to accessing menus, to swinging your sword. The sword is your main weapon against the unknown and there are many types of swords. But its not your only weapon. Throughout your adventure, you'll learn spells called Kirie. When you draw these kirie on a special grid that can be brought up at any time, you can do everything from throwing a fireball to healing yourself to infecting your enemies with a number of status effects. The magic system can be a little annoying in when fighting multiple enemies, but its hardly a problem and is easily forgotten when you learn spell combinations that take magic to a whole new level.

Graphics

Even though graphics dont affect a game much, the graphics for Deep Labyrinth are some of the best on the DS, if not The best. The environments (wile sometimes a little repetitive) are amazingly detailed, as are the enemies. There is a wide variety of monsters, from simple slimes to grim reapers! From the smallest little piece of scenery or slime to the most gigantic boss monster (trust me, they're HUGE), the visuals in this game dont disappoint.

Sound

The music in this game is some of the best videogame music I've ever heard. The tunes are very unique and never feel repetitive, and there's a wide variety of songs too! (I especially like the early boss music) The DS has had some games who's music rises above all other games, and this is another one of those games.

In conclusion, this is a must buy for those who like adventure games. The whole time, you feel like you're really there, really fighting monsters, really having conversations with purple platypi! The biggest problem with the game is that its too easy. But it's not a huge problem and there's always chapter 2! All in all, Deep Labyrinth is one of the most fun and exciting games yet!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/06