| Them's Fightin'
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Ever wondered if your dreams actually were another universe? Buni's interpretation of this idea comes out well enough. As the game begins, our hero decides to sleep in a mysterious bed and wakes up to embark upon a fairy tale-like journey to wake up where she belongs. The preview itself doesn't let up, but with a few tweaks, we've got something to look forward to.
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| Graphics |
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This requires seperated explanations. Tilesets are above average quality(quite fitting tint as well). Walkabouts are wonky looking, but it needs little change. The most confusing is the quality of the battle graphics. A few of the backgrounds look nothing like their tilesets, also bearing quality similar to pre-PSP generation. Its a huge turn-off when the battle heroes and foes are well done, yet the background looking like it was drawn by a 4 year old. The attacks are not horrible looking, but Buni could lay off the spray tool a bit.
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| Storyline |
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As mentioned, the story begins as Samara, fellow islander chemist, wanders into a cave with an enigmatic bed. Taking a quick nap, she wakes up in a different world and begins to wander. After being rescued by both an apparent antagonist and an ally later on, it is explained that a 'Dr. DreamWeaver' has been doing wrong with Dream World. A nice addition is the promised ability to travel between Real and Dream world locations physically(Link to the Past anyone?)To make it short, take Kirby, Never Ending Story, and Final Fantasy 4 and puree it. Buni makes a good combination of the usual 'travel to get powerful element items' plus a mix of 'Lets get the guy that's the same name as a Macromedia program so I can wake up'.
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| Gameplay |
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Well planned, but this demo could use some improvements. It basically is a button masher, but it doesn't really feel like it. The creator's designs keep a hold on what the player's purpose is, and makes a point to be persistent. With those in mind, the player won't get too bored when they have an idea of whats after, but not know entirely.
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Battle |
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This has its pros and cons. Samara earns 'Fruit' spells with elemental capabilities. The bad part is, she is basically the most powerful person in the party. The hire-able Allies run too different and seems a tad too mundane. The Sprite hero will never grow in stats no matter what level, so whats the point of getting it in your party? Oddly enough the battles are too much on the easy side. The 'Banana' spell kills basically everything, and some battles do not vary in foes enough. Some battles will run quite long without a little strategy.
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Map Design |
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There is a plus in here. The dungeons are not very long at all, yet there is an effort to keep you pissed off in a good way. Each path leads to something useful, so there is no lost patience when there is a reward. Town maps are screwy though, with errored passability (She can walk on the lower part of the walls in some maps) and the ability of seeing the next in-house map across isn't very impressive. It couldn't be that difficult to make the in-house a few tiles more to the right could it?
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Balance |
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Decent balance, if there is such thing. It's too easy, but then again, its just a demo, so progress on that part is very possible. There's a large sense of objectivity, but when the objectives are to easy to accomplish, it takes away the integrity of players, leaving them with a sensation of mild boredom.
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| Music |
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Some are identifiably ripped, some I just don't know. But Buni has good judgement on it and placement is fitting on many places.(Why isnt there music when you walk into buildings?)
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| Enjoyment |
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It's actually fun for a demo. Text is worth reading, if not useful. Somethings do tend to be annoying, buggy or just confusing (What IS the first boss really?), but with the mentioned objectivity, its a not easy to put down.
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| Final Blows |
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The end of the demo was the most irritating part. I couldn't believe myself when I wanted to play more. I MUST HAVE MORe.....err...excuse me. I believe with a few fixes, the complete version will become a classic.
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Final Scores
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Graphics: 5/10.0 |
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Null opinion here. The tilesets look like they need a few more detail tiles, and some of the fighting backdrops are horrible. But the other graphics not cheezy or terrifyingly bad either.
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Storyline: 6.5/10.0
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Very cheezy, but it has its moments. Every once in a while you'll see hints of serious ideas that create parts of the overall fairytale-ish feel. |
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Gameplay: 6/10.0 |
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Too easy really.It hits its frustrating-but-motivating parts, but those are too easy themselves as well. Then again I like easy games, so it's really saying something when I say it's too easy.
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Music: 4.5/10.0
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Wish it were original. The rips actually match the scenes and maps, but for a game like this it needs its own sound. If you want, I'm free for hire, but I have a limited schedule. |
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Enjoyment: 8/10.0
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Like I said, I really was hoping it was completed. But quite fun(for me anyway) while it lasted. |
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Overall Grade:
B+ |
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| Final Thoughts |
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Some games are fantastic looking, some are beautifully written, some are impossible to put down. This doesn't fit into any of those, but then again, it doesn't have to. |
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