PS3 Informer

3D Dot Game Heroes Preview

Up until now, parodies of video games have remained quite rare. And that's too bad, because we have a long and rich history of titles to comically skewer. Perhaps no other genre leaves itself more open to mocking than the role playing game, with its tight pants, impossibly long 'swords', bad hair and equally comical dialog. Along comes 3D Dot Game Heroes, which could be considered the 'Scary Movie' of role playing games. Every fan favorite from the ages is represented here, and even some obscure gems fall victim to the merciless satire. 3D Dot Game Heroes is expected to release in North America on May 11th, 2010, but we've dug up all the details we could find about this promising PS3 exclusive game.

The story behind 3D Dot Game Heroes is an amalgam of many previous RPG plot lines. A little bit of Final Fantasy, a strong helping of Dragon Warrior, and two dashes of Zelda have been used to flavor the broth. A long, long time ago, the Dark King Onyx brought an age of darkness upon Dotnia Kingdom. Only by the bravery of a hero with a legendary sword was Onyx sealed in an orb, restoring peace to the world. Along with peace came a graphical enhancement -- Dotnia sprung from its 2D shackles to be rendered in full 3D glory. Everything was great until Fuelle, a powerful Dark Bishop, stole the orb containing the Dark King. Now, Dotnia requires a hero once more, a role that the player is predictably eager to fill.

It is important to talk about the visuals, because that is a major part of the charm behind 3D Dot Game Heroes. The developers wanted to retain that retro feel in all aspects of the adventure, but still update the engine to take advantage of all that silicon inside the Playstation 3. The result is a world that looks as if it were an 8-bit game come to life. Characters and environments are blocky -- constructed from individual square pixels -- but they move and interact in completely 3D space. A nice depth-of-field effect also adds to the realism of this decidedly retrograde world. Music is also inspired by the favorites of old -- essentially 8-bit instrumental tracks that worm their way into your brain as you wander the wastes slaying monsters.

3D Dot Game Heroes plays like an action RPG, rather than a turn-based affair. Enemies are fought directly on the world map, and striking a critical blow will send them bursting apart in a shower of pixels. The effect, along with the visuals more generally, are reminiscent of the LEGO series of adventure games.

The main weapon available to the player is his sword, which will deal extra damage when the player's health bar is full. It can also be heavily upgraded over the course of the game by way of leveling up. Other weapons besides magic that are available to the player include bows and boomerangs (did we mention the influence of Zelda yet?).

Japanese critics who have played the game generally liked it. Famitsu lauded 3D Dot Game Heroes for its awesome visuals and attention to history. However, a few reviewers have quibbled that because the title is more of an homage to the RPG genre, it doesn't break any significant new ground in terms of innovation. Still, if you love classic JRPGs as much as we do, you are probably counting the days until the game's English language release in May. To ensure you get a copy of what could be a relatively obscure game, make sure to pre-order it. Amazon currently has 3D Dot Game Heroes priced at $36.99

Official Dot Game Heroes English Trailer (HD)