The factor about video games concentrating on area of interest audiences is that I can often establish the area of interest. That isn’t the case with AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights. Followers of NES-era RPGs appeared the probably candidate, however after enjoying AdventureQuest 8-Bit, I feel it’s simply extra of an in-joke for AdventureQuest followers.
That’s to not say there aren’t jokes for the remainder of us. The sport is filled with references to every little thing from Nintendo to the Evil Useless. I laughed when an early enemy instructed me “It’s protected to go alone,” and proceeded to steal my ax. I received a kick out of the extent that out of the blue turned the sport into Pac-Man. Nice surprises like these occur all through AdventureQuest 8-Bit’s entirety, however I largely felt like I used to be lacking the punchline.
It doesn’t assist that the gameplay merely isn’t that nice. Having by no means owned an NES, my data of 8-bit motion RPGs is admittedly restricted; my periods had been restricted to the video games my mates had and what I’ve tinkered with via Nintendo Change On-line. So, I’ll must ask you…
Was fight at all times so clunky? Regardless of a rising arsenal of weapons and abilities (together with a pomeranian that may be unleashed for ranged harm), our hero, Artix, by no means feels in command of what he’s doing. He can swing his ax and miss an enemy proper in entrance of him, however hit one who’s clearly standing properly under him. Proximity detection is bizarre all through, and I’m undecided if that’s a part of the gag or simply odd programming.
Was motion such a chore? Navigating the sport’s mazes is awkward as Artix will get hung up on partitions that don’t appear to be blocking him. There’s even an element the place he retains falling down a properly for no obvious motive apart from to maybe riff on that Atari 2600 E.T. recreation (which I’ve performed). The sport will get irritating once you begin dying as a result of seemingly invisible boundaries stop you from getting the positioning you want.
Have been controls inconsistent? There appeared to be no rhyme or motive to when the leap button labored and when it didn’t. Generally the Y button would launch that aforementioned canine, typically it could swing a weapon. I couldn’t inform if the sport was altering performance primarily based on my rapid threats, if I had missed a tutorial someplace, or if the system merely wasn’t working.
Was there a degree? There actually isn’t a lot of 1 in AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights. Artix returns from a earlier journey to seek out his village in ruins, so he units out to rescue any survivors. I’m superb with a story that does little greater than arrange the motion, however I really feel this recreation’s comedic bent would’ve been higher served by a sharper plot parody. As an alternative, it depends virtually solely on reference jokes and its behavior of turning RPG tropes on their head.
So, is that sufficient? Are you the viewers for that? If not, the sport’s saving grace might be map exploration. Working your manner via the a number of ranges is fairly enjoyable, and people ranges do job of teasing you with locations to go with out telling you how you can get there. Killing the identical enemies each time you come back to a earlier room definitely will get tedious, however I do know that’s half and parcel of the style and period. And it’s rewarding to find {that a} significantly troublesome room is lots simpler when you may strategy it from a special aspect. The sport can be fairly pleasant with save factors, so repeated deaths are by no means rage-quit-frustrating.
The boss battles present a pleasant shot of adrenaline, serving to to maintain issues contemporary. The graphics are good with that, too. Always shifting palettes creates a enjoyable temper, and the colour selections are sometimes fairly hanging.
The sport additionally consists of quite a few, enjoyable choices for altering the show to fit your throwback preferences.
AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights is $20, and I feel that’s a bit excessive for what it affords. In case you’re up for the gag and look at the sport’s clunkiness as a part of the joke, there’s some enjoyable available right here. In any other case, you’re higher off enjoying any of the myriad video games being parodied right here when searching for your fox of nostalgia.
