3D Dot Game Heroes came out of nowhere for the vast majority of us here at The Newb Review. You may remember a preview of the game some time ago by our very own JoeFeesh, this preview garnered some intrigue for some of us, and certainly got the rest of us down right excited about the release of this title.

The premise of the game is perhaps the most intriguing thing about it. It is set in a land called Dotnia Kingdom, where peace was upheld by six magical orbs. An evil being attacked the land, a hero rose up and defeated the monster with the help of a sacred sword.

So far, so Zelda, but this is where it gets really interesting. The tale of the heroes exploits brought visitors from far and wide, but when the numbers of these visitors start to dwindle, King Dotnia decides to make this 2D land become 3D. Thus the pixelated graphic style is born and a new hero rises up to seek out the now stolen six magical orbs.

Welcome to Dotnia Kingdom, in all it's blocky glory

Essentially then, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a 2D Zelda-style game, pushed forward into the 3D era. All the charm of the original adventure titles remains in tact and sly nods here and there to the fact that this is essentially an old Zelda game make for a suitably post-modern slant on the genre.

This is a game that knows very well what it is and exploits it to the max. You’ll find the typical bow and arrow and grappling hook that have largely become the staple diet of the genre as well as a satisfying hack ‘n’ slash sword fighting mechanic.

To modify the genre even more and play up to the fact that the entire world is made up of tiny lego-like blocks, the game allows you to upgrade your sword by making it longer and wider. There are various swords to be gained throughout the adventure and each has a varying amount of potential, which dictates the extent to which the sword can be upgraded.

The hero was definitely compensating for something with the size of his sword...

The ability to make your own hero is a nice touch. Here you are given a rectangular frame in which to place coloured cubes to create any hero you desire. However, I found it difficult to create anything decent looking and found that the multitude of standard heroes was more than enough for my tastes. Also, creating your own hero only differs the games aesthetics and has no real impact on gameplay. Having said that, having a shark fin or Santa Clause run around the screen is a hoot and doesn’t really get old.

The camera presents an isometric view that feels very much like a handheld or old-school adventure game, blown up onto the big screen. There is a surprising amount of detail and variation found with the characters as well as enemies throughout the adventure. Anyone that has disliked the trend of recent RPGs, such as Final Fantasy XII, where there isn’t a town to be found, will be happy to know that towns are not only present in 3D Dot Game Heroes, but vibrant and accessible. Whilst there’s as little to do within these towns as any other RPG; short of upgrading weapons and buying armour, there are townsfolk to interact with should you be so inclined.

Towns! Well... Town.

The music begins as a nostalgic throwback to yesteryear; however the lack of variation and unrelenting high pitch of the soundtrack is generally unpleasant. In-game characters are also entirely text based, so there aren’t even any voices to break up the kitschy track. Essentially then, you’re really only left with an assault on the ear drums that is best turned off to ensure your enjoyment lasts more than ten minutes. I’d suggest putting on Absolute 80s on the radio to enhance the nostalgia the game conjures.

With the music turned down to minimum within the options menu, the remaining sound effects are a lot more palatable and further the wistful feel of the game suitably.

Lose a bit of health and your sword diminishes massively.

The main problem with the game is that, as charming as it is in the beginning, there are a few frustrating moments where it’s unclear what you have to do. These sections, though few and far between, will have you reaching for your laptop and pointing your generic internet browser towards GameFAQs.com rather than persevering to figure it out yourself. At worst, the frustration may even cause you to turn it off altogether.

3D Dot Game Heroes really is a delight if you can get past the irritating music and creates an engaging and entertaining Zelda replacement if you’re sick of all this modern hi-res nonsense. Suitable for both adults and children, I can whole heartedly recommend you give it a try.

Review Round Up

Graphics: 4/5 The block style is a neat idea that is suitably followed through. Perhaps a little jarring at first, you soon get used to the visual style. Play this enough and you may even begin to see the world as a collection of blocks…

Sound: 2/5 The music is criminally kitsch and immensely irritating after the first five minutes. Switch this off in the options though and the remaining sounds are solid enough.

Story: 3/5 This is ripped straight from the Zelda handbook of how to write narrative, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Gameplay: 4/5 The old school mechanics will make you remember a more innocent time in gaming. However, losing health causes your sword to diminish immediately and may well mean you avoid battles as much as possible.

Longevity: 4/5 At around 20 hours this presents a sizeable adventure for the price. However, there isn’t anything to get you coming back for more, save for a few trophies.

Overall: 3.5 Magical orbs out of 5: This is a great start to what could become an excellent new franchise. The “Game Heroes” in the title suggests possible spin offs… Perhaps a 3D Dot Racers? This reviewer will be watching with great interest.

- Tom Wallis

[starreview tpl=16]

£24.93 @ The Hut
£24.95 @ Zavvi
£26.89 @ Send it

With the arrival of this generation of consoles and the advent of paid for downloadable content, the life span of your average game has increased dramatically. While most games receive their additional content within a few months of release, Resident Evil 5 owners have been given a new piece of downloadable content nearly a year after the game’s original release.

While Resident Evil 5 had its detractors, I personally enjoyed sharing the intense experience the game had to offer with my friends via the cooperative campaign mode. As a long time fan of the Resident Evil series I was pleased to be playing as Chris Redfield, hero of the original Resident Evil, and found new character Sheva Alomar to be a well rounded addition to the Resident Evil series.

Of course playing through it with the computer controlled second character was not anywhere near as rewarding on account of the AI character being as dense as War and Peace soaked in concrete. While some lamented the evolution of the series from survival horror to intense action game I had come to accept it and loved the game for it’s own merits.

So you can imagine my surprise upon downloading this add on to find that this had more in common with the original Resident Evil games than Resident Evil 5. Gone are the hordes of enemies in large open spaces, and in its place a lonely mansion that oozes tension with it’s darkly lit passageways and tight corridors.

Lost in Nightmares is pure old school Resident Evil

Taking place before the events of Resident Evil 5, you control Chris Redfield and his partner Jill Valentine on the hunt for the founder of the Umbrella Corporation. Tracking him to a remote mansion that will look very familiar to anyone that has played either Resident Evil 1 or Code Veronica, you spend the majority of your time solving puzzles involving crests and cranks in the vein of the classic Resident Evil games. There are a number of nods to the original Resident Evil, including an amusing homage to the pant-wetting dog scene.

The interior of the Mansion will look familiar to long time Resident Evil fans

This isn’t to say that you will not be facing any enemies. About half way through the new content hulking acid-spewing axe wielders crop up, and are a real challenge to kill, especially considering the limited resources at your disposal. Those that complained about having too much ammo in Resident Evil 5 will be happy to hear that things have changed. The combat is far more tense, with really only a pistol and a limited amount of ammo at your disposal.

Your main enemies will be these deformed acid spewing axe men

Adding to the tension further still, the last section of the add on has you losing all of your equipment and having to face off against acidic, tumour-ridden monsters. Here you must use a series of well placed traps in order to gain crest fragments that will allow you to open a locked door. Classic Resident Evil, with a cooperative twist.

Does this look familiar to anyone?

That is not to say that everything about this add on is perfect. The final boss fight is a little cheap, as it requires you to shoot at your enemy until he leaves himself exposed to a punch. However, in order to get to the position to punch him you must engage in a quick time button pressing activity that has an infeasibly short window of opportunity. Sure, you are only ever required to press either A or X, but it soon becomes irritating when you miss out on performing the move because you pressed the button a split second too late.

Also included in the expansion is the Resident Evil Mercenaries Reunion mode. The two base characters that are available with this DLC are Excella Gionne, head of Tricell, and Resident Evil’s own Barry Burton. Rather than just adding Excella and Barry to the existing Mercenaries mode; a score based battle against the clock, Mercenries Reunion has it’s own menu and will require you to earn a B grade on each level in order to access all eight levels.

Excella and Barry make their Mercenaries debut in this expansion

Unfortunately there arn’t any new levels on offer, but each level has been slightly changed. For the most part the large boss enemies on each level are more rare, with more enemies appearing on screen at any one time than before. Also the time bonuses appear to be in different places, which can breathe a bit of life into the game for those of us that have worked out a set pattern for every level.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 5/5 Anyone that has even looked at Resident Evil 5 knows that it is a good looking game. The character models are detailed, and the environments are suitably dark and foreboding. As an added bonus, without spoiling anything, I compel fans of the original Resident Evil to interact with the mansion’s front door several times in order to unlock a fun bonus.

Sound: 5/5 Menacing cracks of thunder punctuate the chilling music, which creates a wonderful sense of tension. Voice acting can be a little stiff, but for the most part is good.

Gameplay: 5/5 A near perfect blend of old school Resident Evil gameplay, with a focus on puzzle solving and limited resources, crossed with the cooperative focus of Resident Evil 5. The Mercenaries Reunion mode will be familiar to any one that has spent any time playing the original Mercenaries mode, with just enough changes to keep it from feeling stale.

Longevity: 4/5 Clocking in at about an hour long, with multiple difficulty levels and online leaderboards, the story mode is a fun experience that will be worth playing through a few times. The Mercenaries Reunion mode could potentially keep you coming back for hours and hours if you are particularly inclined to try and work your way up the leaderboards.

Overall: 5 shambling undead out of 5. This add on is a fantastic blend of old school Resident Evil mixed with the more modern action adventure co-op gameplay. There’s less of a focus on action and more on puzzle solving, as well as an expansion of the addictive Mercenaries mode, it is hard not to recommend this add on, especially to those that found the series recent shift towards action adventure displeasing.

[starreview tpl=16]

Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares is available to download now for 400 Microsoft Points on 360 (about £3.50) and £3.99 on the Playstation Store.