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Mar 6th, 2008 at 01:38:16 - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) |
Gameplay
The save points in the game are sometimes difficult to find and scattered a bit far from each other. I found that this made the game more challenging as I cant just run through the areas getting hit by every enemy along the way and expect to make it to the next save point.
The way the power ups worked in the game is that you would collect the souls of enemies you have felled. With the large variety of different monsters scattered throughout the map, I was really drawn into it anticipating what kind of ability I would gain after defeating a certain monster. The game separates the souls into three different categories. You are allowed to equip or use one soul from each category at a time, meaning you are able to equip three souls at once. This allows for combinations of souls and abilities.
The main abilities that allowed players to go deeper in the castle came from boss fights. The bosses in the game were quite challenging and required more than just hacking and slashing. I found myself having to retry a certain boss quite a few times before I was able to best it. Defeating a boss also means having the right souls for the fight. Having souls that are effective in the fight really helps you out.
Design
The game is played on the lower screen while a map is displayed on the top screen. The map can be switched to show your character’s information as you make your way through the castle. In the menu screen, you are able to see how much of the castle you have explored. Though the map is large and you are free to choose where you want to explore next, the game actually does pretty well in keeping you going where they want you to go. there are blocked passages, obstacles, and areas that are inaccessible until you have obtained certain abilities.
Castlevania also features multiple endings, which gives the game a greater replay value. I was unsatisfied with the ending I got so I found myself running around the castle grounds once again in hopes of achieving a better ending.
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow has some RPG elements embedded within it. Though it is clearly an adventure-platformer, it has a level up system and equipment system. You can increase your stats by leveling to make fights easier and you can also change the gear your character is wearing.
Though Castlevania is a platformer, it does utilize the touch screen function. There are seals that need to be drawn on the touch screen after defeating bosses and there is an ability that allows you to break apart weak blocks by touching them on the touch screen.
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Mar 6th, 2008 at 01:37:47 - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) |
Summary
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow is an action-platformer game on the DS. You run play as young protagonist Soma Cruz, who must stop an evil cult from resurrecting the Dark Lord, Dracula.
Gameplay
You start the game out being attacked by a group of monsters. You are given a weapon and no tutorials on how to play. This leaves players to figure out the controls while playing. I found this quite interesting. You either, pick up on the controls quickly and defeat the enemies, or you don’t and get beaten to death. I found that the controls comfortable and simple to grasp.
The game features a large map bent on exploration. Within each map there are different areas with their own mood and setting to them. For instance, I would run around in a garden, pass a few doors and find myself in a clock tower filled with large moving gears and deadly spikes. The game does not tell you where you need to go next or what you have collect. Your objective is to stop the cult from resurrecting Dracula and that is all. In other words, you are free to roam the castle looking for the cult members and bosses that will grant you with new abilities, allowing you to reach places in the castle you couldn’t go to before.
Not being told where really adds to the gameplay experience. Players truly feel like they are given free range to explore where they please. I thought that the no hint element worked well in the game as you are forced to find your own way through the castle. This really reminded me of the Metroid games I have played in the past. Lone warrior fighting your way through a hostile environment, not being told where to go, just you and the world your on.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:27:03 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
Gamplay
The game really gives you a sense of seclusion. You are the only person on the planet and you must battle through the areas alone, with no help or hints from the outside world. After hours of playing the game, I found myself quite addicted to it as I spent a large amount of my time searching for upgrades and returning to places that were previously inaccessible to me.
As I entered new areas I noticed that there were different habitats. There were areas with water and others with plants and bugs. The game does a good job of keeping me busy. There is a ton to explore. You often have to run back and forth between areas in order to advance farther. For instance, after I received a new ability, I noticed that I could now proceed through places located near the start of the game that I was unable to enter before.
A drawback for the game is that I often found myself stuck, not knowing where to go next. I would run back and forth between different areas until I finally notice that you can blow up the floor and go deeper in the area.
The bosses scattered throughout the level proved to be difficult as I often found myself on the verge of dying before defeating them. The sense of defeating an enormous boss and collecting power ups was satisfying. Some of the bosses however, were complete disappointments. They were easy and can taken down with minimal effort. I found that this
Design
Super Metroid has to be one of the best adventure games I have ever played. It does an extraordinary job on level design. I loved playing through each sector and blasting enemies with my powered up weapon. There are no levels in the game. Instead you have a large map featuring areas with its own environment. You have to backtrack a lot and as you get farther in the game, creatures in previous areas will get stronger, giving you a feeling of progression, even if you are entering the same area again.
The game is designed to give its player a very confined and solitary feeling. Although the map was extensive, tour movements were restricted in many ways. The game gave you a feeling of freedom but actually limited you in many ways, forcing you to fight certain bosses or fulfill certain events in order to advance. The music in the background is eerie and the levels are often dark which gives you a sense of seclusion. This only made the game all the more awesome as you get the feeling it is all up to you.
Super Metroid offers a pretty standard reward system that is nonetheless fulfilling. After defeating a boss you will get a power up, which gives players something to look forward to. I never got tired of fighting bosses and anticipating what new ability I would get next. The reward system may seem pretty standard, beat a boss, get an upgrade, but it doesn’t stop players from getting a feeling of accomplishment.
I can clearly see how this game is a classic and would recommend this game to anyone looking for a challenging game.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:25:07 - Super Metroid (SNES) |
Summary
Super Metroid is a 2D side scrolling adventure game set in a futuristic science fiction time period. You take control of intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran. Your task is to retrieve the last metroid in the galaxy from the Space Pirates.
Gameplay
You start the game exploring a research facility after receiving a distress call. There are no tutorials or explanations of where to go. Instead you just run through empty rooms getting used to the controls and game mechanics, such as jumping, shooting, and crouching. I found this to my liking, as you don’t have to sit through a tutorial learning how to play. Instead, you learn as you play. When you reach the last room, you find a floating mushroom, plankton like, thing, called a metroid. But soon after entering the room, a big purple dinosaur with wings snatches the creature away and starts attacking you. Turns out, this is a boss fight, and your first encounter with an enemy. After beating the boss, it runs off with the metroid and you’re told to evacuate the facility within a minute before it blows up. The whole time you are running back to the ship, enemies start appearing and the screen even shakes and tilts left to right.
Getting out of the station safely and landing on a planet I can only assume is where the metroid is taken; this is where the game really starts. What an intro, unexpected and fun. Here you are given free range of what to do. You can go where you feel and explore wherever you can. It will not take long until you find out that there are places you cannot reach until later in the game. As you progress through the game, you will find power ups that empower Samus with some pretty amazing abilities, such as morph ball, the ability to roll up into a tiny ball, which allows Samus to roll through tight passages.
The lack of direction plays a key role in adding to the gameplay experience. It really gives the players a feeling of being lost on a large planet and having to explore and actually search for the kidnapped metroid. The lack of hints and directions will send you all over the place, sometimes leading you to hidden power ups, or even large monstrous bosses.
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