3D Dot Game Heroes is a blast from a past that is loads of fun for the young and old that appreciate the retro years.
Seeing as how it is heavily based off The Legend of Zelda, the story for this is no different. An evil warlord has risen from his prison and plans on continuing where he left off by casting the entire world into darkness. In the past, 'the legendary hero' thwarted his evil plans and vanquished him. This time around, an ascendant of 'the legendary hero' is the one left to do what his ancestor did.
Gameplay is over the head view of the character travelling through the many fields, meadows, villages and frequent dungeons on his quest. At the start, he starts off with a weak sword and shield. However, as the game progresses and you start collecting money (bronze, silver and gold pieces), they can be used to purchase better equipment or upgrade for more strength behind each swing. One thing that makes this game unique is the sword. The blade is huge and can decimate even the toughest of foes in a few gentle swings. However, as you take even a single piece of damage, the blade shrinks to its regular and lose plenty of its power. So the game rewards you for your combat skills, though it will punish you at times if you are too reckless (especially on New Game Plus).
Borrowing from Little Big Planet is the ability to create your own ascendant of 'the legendary hero.' With the use of a Pixel Creator, you can either create your hero from scratch, giving it a gender, name and everything or if you don't have the time......don't worry. There's over two dozen templates for both genders and classes to simply edit and give their own name to.
Like any game of this genre, you travel from town to town, grassland to grassland and finally from temple to temple. A good majority of the game takes place in various temples scattered across the land with each one being a elemental variation (grass, sand, fire, water, etc). One must navigate through them, fighting off various enemies that get stronger and more dangerous as you go even further in order to find 'The Big Key' and access the tough boss. Defeat him and you'll earn an orb necessary to defeat the warlord. The bosses of these temples can be quite tough until you learn their patterns and can dispose of them quicker. After beating the near 20-hour experience, New Game Plus awaits which makes the enemies faster and tougher while your character takes double damage and 'Spelunker Mode' where all enemies kill you in one hit.
3D Dot Game Heroes is loaded with charm and nostalgia references to Zelda, Mario, Mega Man and many more games that came out during the 8-bit era. Combine with the HD presentation of the world and the catchy music along with the great gameplay and nice challenge that comes with it, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a out-of-a-kind gaming experience in an era dominated and/or saturated with first-person shooters.