3D Dot Game Heroes Gets Updated... Now With Sackboy!

Atlus has released a great update to its excellent retro action RPG, 3D Dot Game Heroes. Players who already own the game as well as those new to the awesomeness will find a nice surprise in the form of over 50 new playable character models including Little Big Planet's popular Sackboy. Additionally, the game will feature a couple of fixes and tweaks... but you'll have to click below to read that part!

Review: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Silicon Studio/From Software

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site
Score: A

Without a doubt one of the best "retro" games to date that's not a homebrew creation, 3D Dot Game Heroes perfectly blends old-school gameplay elements and today's console technology with the end result being an instant classic no PS3 owner should miss. It's easy to look at screen shots or poke around on a message board and read about simplistic comparisons to The Legend of Zelda or other favorite 8-bit adventure RPGs, but the game is a lot more rewarding than a mere clone if you know your gaming history. Obvious plot and gameplay elements aside, 3DDGH is a pretty darn funny trip through the 8-bit era with a decidedly modern spin.

While the plot is packed with plenty of familiar genre cliches, the game's intentionally old-school aesthetics get the grins going from the get-go. You can play as a generic hero (or heroine)-type out to save the kingdom of Dotnia, rescue a missing princess and complete a ton of optional side quests. While you can choose to play as anyone you like using a wide host of pre-created avatars, the robust character editor is too tempting to ignore for very long.

Sure, you can whip up a mere boring Link clone, but it's a lot more fun to let your imagination run wild as you piece together a totally original creation or something inspired by your favorite piece of pop culture. The game allows you to swap out heroes when you load up a save, so it's entirely possible to play as dozens of characters (including some sweet surprises from a few From Software-developed titles). Want to play as Old Spock, Sam Jackson, a random Lego character or a favorite deity? Well, jump in and play around with the editor and it's all up to you...

As far as the main game goes, expect the usual huge map-traveling, monster-killing, treasure grabbing stuff of old with a cool twist. You'll be using a bunch of awesome swords throughout the game that are ridiculously HUGE and powerful... provided your health is at maximum. The game's main gimmick revolves around keeping your heart containers full for as long as possible to allow for your swords to have maximum power and reach. You'll also be able to enhance the swords you collect, making them stronger, longer wider and able to shoot a powerful beam in some cases. Yes, this sounds like a Cialis advertisement, but the game actually doesn't make much of a big deal about the overly obvious male enhancement jokes you're possibly thinking of.

The game mines some of its best moments out of things such as tricky boss battles, finding the many hidden secrets scattered throughout the land or tackling its challenging mini-games. If you're one of those younger players more used to games that walk you through the hard parts or games where you can finesse your way out of getting hit by enemies, you'll be occasionally annoyed by what seems like "cheap" areas in some dungeons. On the other hand, part of the retro appeal here is making sure you're just as cheap as the enemies you'll face. If you augment your sword so that it can pierce through walls, you'll have an edge (pun intended) on certain foes. Having a big, fast sword and some deft moves thanks to that dash move (and the time you spend mastering turning on a dime in the race mini-game) is not only supremely satisfying, it just looks so darn cool.

In fact, the game actually rewards you for taking no damage from bosses, but don't expect to blow through all of these big bad beasties on the first go. While some of the earlier boss battles can be won rather quickly, as the game progresses, both regular enemies as well as bosses get harder to beat, forcing you to make every swing or other attack count. Simply relying on your growing arsenal of swords to take down some enemies or traps is a bad idea, especially when you're dealing with flying foes out of range or hazards no sword can touch. Still, there's a great sense of victory and relief once you've cleared out a dungeon, that's for sure.

While you never need to return to a cleared dungeon unless you want to get into previously locked areas, the lure is definitely there. The chance to beat up on even tougher optional versions of defeated bosses (if you really want to challenge your skills) and the items waiting behind those formerly closed rooms help keep the game interesting. While the game isn't really linear (even following the dungeons one after another will have you backtracking at some point), you can stick to the story and miss out on a load of hidden goodies.

What you won't miss out on are the incredible graphics and a great retro soundtrack. The game's super high resolution block-based world manages to stylistically put games with more realistic visuals to shame. Sure, it's a gimmick, but the game explains Dotnia's existence well enough that the illusion is quite believable (well, in a fantasy world come to life sense). It's pretty funny that the dev team has managed to capture almost everything about 8-bit games perfectly, from the way your hero's body moves while walking to re-imagining how color usage would look in the transition from 2D to 3D.

In a great touch, You can also adjust the camera angles so the game can be played from a few angles. The classic top-down style is recommended as it gives you a better idea of what's waiting on each screen, but you can play from a few closer-in views as well. The ability to adjust the typeface size is a brilliant thing (more if not all games this generation absolutely need), especially if you still haven't made the move to HDTV yet or have trouble with the tiny text too many of today's games use. As for length, the game can be completed in around 12-15 hours if you're really good and don't die quite so much. Add at least 10+ hours to that time if you get wrapped up in finding all the secrets and completing every mini-game as perfectly as can be. Getting ALL the Trophies takes quite a bit of work, but this isn't quite as brutal as the spectacular Demon's Souls.

For my money (I always end up buying Atus games even if I get review copies because I like supporting the company), the game has no huge negatives at all. It's built like the classics and can be as tough as them when it wants to. Anyone who's played and loved games from the NES era onward absolutely needs to give 3DDGH a place in their game library. If you're rusty from too many of today's easier games, you might want to jump up and down on your PS3 controller once or twice. Nevertheless, that rush of sheer nostalgia will make you feel young (well, for at least for the time it takes you to complete the game).

Screenshot Gallery
Screenshot Gallery

Gallery Update: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Lock up your daughters (well, unless they're kidnapped princesses that need rescuing)! Atlus USA is letting loose a few more screens from its upcoming PS3 exclusive 3D Dot Game Heroes. Before you take a peek down there, you need to ask yourself a few important questions.

Do you like HUGE swords? Er, in a non-threatening, but increasingly screen-filling manner, that is? Well, take a gander at these big'uns, read the descriptions and try not to lose an eye in the process...

Yeah, this game is going to be a total blast (er, try not to take that the wrong way, folks).

Ancient Sword: The sword of the legendary hero, left in the Sacred Woods should evil arise again.

Claymore: A massive blade that cuts down your foes!

Excalibur: A sword of legend that will require you to gain favor with King Block to obtain it.

Holy Sword: A sword forged in sacred water.

Katana: A sharp, thin blade from the east!

Rare Fish: ...? Really?

Preview: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Thanks to the power of WebEx (craaaak-BOOM!) and the ridiculously fun folks at Atlus USA, 3D Dot Game Heroes has jumped to the front of my must-play list for early 2010 releases. I've been interested in this PlayStation 3 exclusive ever since seeing screens from Japan last year and upon hearing Atlus wisely snapped up the US publishing rights, I was more than a little ecstatic at the localization possibilities. Based on the hour-long web demo/presentation, the guys and gals out in sunny Irvine, California have done another super job of bringing US gamers one more surefire hit. From the excellently stylized 3D "block art" to the head-boppingly nostalgic soundtrack and simple yet challenging Action/RPG gameplay, this could be one of those cool "sleepers" that hopefully wakes up a few jaded gamers from their usual purchasing patterns.

There's a nicely kooky story here that uses plenty of pages from a few well-worn handbooks, but it's all done with a neat sense of fun and love for the games the dev team obviously cut their teeth on back in the day. You've got an intrepid (and customizable) hero, a missing princess and a kingdom to save along with magic orbs to collect and so forth and so on. What's here is definitely one of those games that just needs to be played, as screen shots don't quite do what's here justice. As soon as I joined the presentation, I had a smile on my face that lasted throughout and a few hours afterward. What's here nails that nostalgic vibe without going overboard and wearing out its welcome.

The main game is a tightly focused single-player homage to classic 8-bit gaming and yes, more than a few Legend of Zelda influences abound (as do references to many other 8-bit classics). We got to see Atlus' PR Manager Aram Jabbari play a few portions of the game, guiding his created hero (which happened to be Domo-kun, the lovable NHK TV mascot and part-time Internet meme) through a few early sections in the kingdom of Dotnia that included a town, nicely sized dungeon, boss battle and a few other areas. Those looking for a direct Zelda pastiche will find more than a few similarities, no doubt. Yet the game isn't some sort of constant poke in Nintendo's eyeball for not giving Wii owners a new Link adventure in a more timely fashion. Rather, the experience is a well-made often humorous take on a particular era that will put a massive ear to ear grin on the faces of older gamers who grew up spending TV time with the original NES and a stack of carts in front of the TV.

Those under 30 lacking a sense of irony, humor or who take modern games too seriously to appreciate what's here might be scratching their scalps bloody at all this, but it's their loss. On the other hand, while you're waiting for that new Zelda game (and yes, if you happen to own a PS3), you may as well play something that's as close as you're going to get with a more wicked sense of humor, to boot. The game's huge overworld and seven dungeons should take most gamers about a dozen or so hours to complete, but that's IF you know where to go what to do and can do it as quickly as possible. 3DDGH has tons of secrets to track down, plenty of in-jokes and three mini-games to whittle away at your spare time. We were shown two of the three games, Block Defense (a Tower Defense riff) and Blockout (a Breakout-style block-buster). The final mini-game, Dash Circuit, is a racing game of sorts. If my notes are correct, expect at least two tracks and possibly some kart-style action.

In terms of the main game's play style, expect a simple pick up and play control scheme, with some of the block pushing puzzles and later bosses to be tricky in a nicely old-school manner. You'll come across a few handy (and amusingly familiar) weapons and items such as a boomerang, bombs, hook shooter and the like. I'm sure a few die-hard Nintendites will be champing at the bit and screaming while shaking their balled up fists in the general direction of Atlus' offices, but remember - Atlus didn't MAKE the game. They're just responsible for the translation, improvements and localization efforts. These efforts include a few very cool additions to the US version such as an improved user interface, bonus Block Defense maps (originally DLC from the Japanese version), the ability to use your sword in Blockout, new loading screen art for the North American version and more fun stuff. Speaking of loading, one of the main issues with the import, lengthy load times, has been addressed by allowing US gamers to load the contents of that shiny disc onto their PS3 hard drives.

Developer Silicon Studio (turn those letters sideways and it spells From Software, I think) has done a wonderful job in bringing 2D pixel art into glorious 3D block art, using some cool modern effects such as depth of field, lovely water and magic spells. That giant sword you may have seen elsewhere may be intentionally humorous (Smilin' Bob jokes were rampant during the press event), but the game isn't a one joke show at all if you know your 8-bit hits and misses. I know I'll be poring over my Famicom collection between now and the time a review copy arrives so I can crack up a bit more at the references. Still, I can see some critics and players going off the deep end to overly criticize this one for not being "innovative" in this day and age (*yawn!*). However, they'd be missing the point of the experience entirely. What's here is a fantastic little chunk of retro game bliss wrapped in a shiny PS3 candy coating and at $40, it's an absolute steal if Memory Lane is a favorite destination. Even better, you don't need to blow on the game disc to get it to run!

Speaking of Memory Lane, Jarabbi ended the presentation by showing off some hilarious loading screen art from the US version. We saw 3D pixel versions of scenes from quite a few 8-bit and PC classics and everyone was invited to guess which games the art came from. I was laughing so hard by now at the great images flashing by that I think I only typed in two or three guesses. On a related front, users will get to play around with the game's deep character editor to create their own blocky avatars (right down to the walking animations) if they desire. You can also expect a nice selection of other playable characters to choose from along with a nicer selection of in-game weapons, shields and other cool gear to discover in your travels. From Software fans will want to keep an eye peeled for a few Easter Eggs and the Atlus Faithful isn't left out of the loop either. Still, I can see a load of images of custom created characters filling up message boards all over the Internet once the game hits retail.

Overall, things are looking quite fun in the land of Dotnia and its surrounding areas, so mark down May 11, 2010 and definitely pre-order a copy of 3D Dot Game Heroes even if you've only a passing interest in diving into "classic" games. Hmmmm... I'm wondering if Atlus will drop by this year's Classic Gaming Expo in Vegas, as 3DDGH is pretty much something quite a few CGE attendees might be more than a little intrigued by... Anyway, here are a few cool screens to peek at while you're waiting. Looking good, huh? Well, don't just sit there drooling... go get your pre-order in and absolutely set your sights on exploring a bit of wistful nostalgia, controller in hand. Back with more in a bit - stay tuned...