Page 47 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #8

From the outset of 3D Dot
Game Heroes, two things are
made plainly clear: The game is
an unabashed clone of The
Legend of Zelda, and the
developers at From Software
never let the task of emulating
a classic franchise get in the
way of lighthearted fun.

Both revelations serve as
double-edged swords, however,
with the persistent Zelda
imitation likely to inspire
nostalgia and outrage in equal
parts, and the game’s playful
narrative keeping things light,
but ultimately preventing
players from forming any sort
of emotional connection to the
characters.

Countless games have taken a
stab at reproducing the Zelda
series’ mystique, from early
knockoffs like Golden Axe
Warrior and Golvellius: The
Valley of Doom, to the village-
building twists of Dark Cloud
and the Skittles-driven nearly every aspect of 3D Dot allows players to design
absurdity of Darkened Skye. Game Heroes has been “characters” ranging from a
But never before has a game so borrowed from The Legend of single pixel to a hulking cube
deliberately sought to copy The Zelda, or its Super NES that fills the entire grid. The
Legend of Zelda in such a progeny, A Link to the Past. controls in the editor are a tad
complete manner. From broad clunky, but the learning curve
imitations of the plot, music, The game does offer a few isn’t terribly steep, so most
weapons, items, and enemies, features that aren’t wholly gamers will be able to design
to far more specific imitations, derivative (of Zelda, at least), their very own Link in as few as
such as the largely useless such as the ability to select 15 minutes. From that point,
overworld map, the swarming from a variety of pre-made though, things begin to get
flocks of enraged chickens, and characters or create a new quite familiar.
even the sad swaths of real protagonist from scratch. The
estate that inexplicably suffer editor resembles a three- With its mix of Arthurian
from perpetual rock slides, dimensional Tetris grid, and it legend, Tolkienesque fantasy,

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