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| (Source: World 1-1 Blog) |
1) 2 - Character Advancement:
2) 2 - Combat: character stats used for combat,
3) 1 - Items and Equipment:
4) 2 - Story: main story at the forefront; world full of hints and lore;
5) 0 - Exploration:
6) 0 - Quests and Puzzles:
Many games try to mimic the Gauntlet series, and some of those go far enough to breach the line towards RPG dungeon crawlers. Dungeon Explorer was an example of this, and even I was fooled into thinking that game would prove to have enough in common with an engaging and interactive RPG. I hope to avoid that in the future, and it seems I'll pass on Arcus Odyssey . It actually has more in common with Dungeon Explorer than Gauntlet, and I wonder what inspired the game in the first place.
I considered playing, but I don't think it would offer enough in the end. I'm certain we're going to get to the tipping point eventually, just look at Diablo. I think I may have had this on my original list (before I decided to keep everything and rate it as an RPG), but cut it because it didn't quite fit. This is the same reason I didn't have BattleMaster and other games added based on lists composed by SeedyGamer. BattleMaster is one I plan on playing as it seems to offer enough while still in the same genre (I could be wrong).
In any case, we're removing Arcus Odysser from the playlist because once again there's no leveling of the characters, no stores, little NPC interaction, a single quest, and a very linear world with separate levels. The combat is action oriented, with what seems like items and equipment, possibly puzzles to solve later on, and upgrades for the character after each boss. There's a choice of four characters, and it seems like a fun game. David Izat seems to think so at any rate.
I'd be curious to read your thoughts on "Adventure!" sometime (which is absolutely not an RPG, but perhaps the ultimate precursor to fantasy console games).
ReplyDeleteI enjoy these "Below the Cut" posts, especially since half of them are about games I've never heard of.
The Atari game?
DeleteI never beat it, and it was too simplistic to keep my interest for long. I can see the emergence of action-adventure design in it. The only Atari games I remember playing more than once were Joust, Jungle Hunt, Congo Bongo, Astro-Grover, and Coconotes.
I had other options as a kid since my dad also had a couple Apple computers, and grew up playing games more like Lode Runner, Realm of Impossibility, Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory, and Think Quick!.
One of the best titles for the Genesis, and am disappointed I can't read your take on it, since you didn't play it. It's not a RPG, but is a fantastic hybrid that was sadly overlooked. It's a shame that Sega ate Renovation, I was a huge fan of their games as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIn looking further at this game, I found there was a bit of series, and the sequels were more RPGs than this. Maybe that's why this is often categorized as one. Japanese only for the sequels though.
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