| Them's Fightin'
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I've played a demo of this game through twice, actually. They were two
different versions, and the differences between them have been interesting -- if
not frusterating. But I must hasten to say, though, that both versions were
enjoyable. This is a good game and possesses a high potential. I hope to see
it continued in the future.
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| Graphics |
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The graphics are pretty good. It's certainly possible to make more
professional-looking graphics, but the vibrant, color-saturated graphics in
Dimensions 1 have a vast charm to me. I wouldn't want to see them changed; only
improved upon. I was impressed the the originality of the graphics. Trees, for
example, are not just 'trees'; they're palm trees. Houses aren't merely blue
houses with red roofs; they're palm-frond huts -- round palm-frond huts. How
often do you see that? The water sparkles. Everything has a distinctively
tropical feeling. Enemy graphics are simplistic, but they fit into the general
mood of the game. The hero graphics are a little odd looking -- I'm still not
certain where Austin's eyes are -- but they have their own distinctive styles
and -- more importantly -- they fit into the game. Again, there are
improvements that can be made, but they are basically sound.
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| Storyline |
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The demo is too short to tell, but it got off to a good start. It begins small
and grows outward -- for what little there is of the demo.
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| Gameplay |
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The gameplay was fun. I think that this is the single most enjoyable OHR game
that I have played yet, in terms of gameplay.
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Battle |
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Ah, the battles. The battles are where this game has won a warm place in my
heart. Although they are quite difficult in the first few minutes of gameplay,
they mellow out eventually to the point where I can enjoy them. What really
shone for me was the extent to which the two heros complemented each other
during battles. In most RPGs, the heros function mostly on their own. Sure,
they heal each other every once in a while and such, but nothing special. In
Dimensions 1, the heros function as a team. Austin wouldn't be able to survive
without Flogan, and Flogan wouldn't be able to survive without Austin.
Together, they are immeasurably more useful than apart. I used Flogan as the
main attacker; he got the best offensive weapons and skills. However, his magic
was weak, and even using the powerful Potion healing items was a loosing battle.
Austin possesses most of the "support" abilities -- like curing and speed
alteration, but doesn't fight well. Because of their interdependance, a number
of interesting strategies come to light. In battles that I expect to be short,
I used Austin to speed up Flogan's attacks. In longer battles I speed up
Austin's Tropical Breeze cure, which, though weak, was executed often enough to
avoid having to consume Potions or MP.
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Map Design |
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Map design was respectable. Though there was nothing particularly wonderful
about the maps, there was nothing at all wrong with them either -- probably
their best point. The maptiles were layed out in a way that ensured visual
interest; except for the treetops, there were no large areas of the same tile.
I enjoyed walking along the little beaches trying to find the knapsacks holding
useful items. The maps were designed to not only help players get from point A
to point B, but to help them enjoy the journey. They succeeded.
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Balance |
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Things were for the most part balanced, but not so balanced that they were
unenjoyable. The S-Table allowed me to choose stat improvements, tailoring
character abilities to my choice. Because of this -- and the game's inherent
balance - I did not have any balance problems to complain about.
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| Music |
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The game documentation says that the music comes from RPeG Audio. That being
said, it is well-placed and serves to amplify the mood of the game.
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| Enjoyment |
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I enjoyed this game chiefly for its battle dynamics. The graphics were also
intersting, and I think they've tought me a few things. Debating my next moves
on the S-Table added a new dimension (*winkwink*) of character alteration to me
-- an aspect that I enjoyed immensely.
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| Final Blows |
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Instead of starting out with a short story of some random empire that players
don't even know enough about to care -- as in many games -- this starts out with
interaction between characters. Not just people, or heroes, or whatever;
CHARACTERS. The first few textboxes serve to set up character personalities
that are maintained for the rest of the game.
However, there were a number of unfortunate defects in the game. The Cure+
spell targeted enemies instead of allies. Talking to most NPCs or even just
accidentally pressing the space bar at the wrong time caused the heros to revert
from running speed to walking speed - a problem that the earlier demo didn't
have. In the building that holds the two special omega-boss enemies, I 'talked'
to the red gem and went immediately into battle -- the "Do you wish to fight
this enemy?" textbox didn't appear until after the battle. (for some reason,
this problem only occured once) The smith can build a steel sword that costs
$6,000 and requires a component that is difficult to get -- yet is weaker than a
bronze sword that can be had for $100 at the beginning of the game!
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Final Scores
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Graphics: 8/10.0 |
Attractive. Certainly not the most professional-looking, but - ya know what - I
like 'em. Instead of being cookie-cutter clones of other games it has its own
style and for the most part does it well.
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Storyline: 3/10.0
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I rated Storyline low not because the story stank, but because the demo doesn't
cover enough of the story for me to judge it any differently. I'm sure that I
would rate this an 8.0 or more if I knew what was going on... |
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Gameplay: 9.5/10.0 |
I loved the gameplay. Especially the battles. I think that this is the most
entertaining OHR game that I have played to date...
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Music: 3.5/10.0
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I rated the Music low because it is free music from RPeG Audio. That being
said, it was well-chosen and -placed. The included documentation said that the
RPeG Audio music is only temporary so I'm sure this score will go up sometime in
the future. |
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Enjoyment: 7/10.0
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Fun! A wonderful, enjoyable game. I would have rated the Enjoyment so much
higher if I didn't need to activate the Run Item even three minutes though... |
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Overall Grade:
B+ |
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| Final Thoughts |
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A grand game. The S-Table is a wonderful idea. I enjoyed playing this, and most anyone else will too. I would have rated this a lot higher if only there wasn't that issue with the running... |
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