3D Dot Game Heroes

Last updated
3D Dot Game Heroes
3D Dot Game Heroes NA box.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Silicon Studio
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Koichi Watanabe
Producer(s)
  • Koshi Tsuboi
  • Masanori Takeuchi
Composer(s)
  • Shinji Hosoe
  • Yousuke Yasui
  • Ayako Saso
  • Shoichiro Sakamoto
  • Teruo Taniguchi
  • Takahiro Eguchi
  • Norihiro Hurukawa
Platform(s) PlayStation 3
Release
  • JP: November 5, 2009
  • NA: May 11, 2010
  • EU: May 14, 2010 [1]
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

3D Dot Game Heroes [a] is an action role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the PlayStation 3. The game is presented using voxel-based graphics in a 3D environment to emulate the 2D graphics of earlier video games. [2] The game was published in Japan by FromSoftware in November 2009, and in North America and Europe by Atlus USA and SouthPeak Games in May 2010, respectively. [3] [4]

Contents

Upon release, 3D Dot Game Heroes garnered positive reviews from critics, praising the nostalgic gameplay and graphics.

Gameplay

In-game screenshot of 3D Dot Game Heroes 3D Dot Game Heroes PlayStation 3 gameplay screenshot.png
In-game screenshot of 3D Dot Game Heroes

The gameplay resembles that of action role-playing games on third generation video game consoles from the 1980s, particularly that of The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy Adventure , and also aesthetically similar to Dragon Quest . Players move characters from screen to screen exploring dungeons, battling enemies, collecting items and solving puzzles. When the player's health bar is full, the player's sword will grow to tremendous sizes whenever swung. Swords in-game can be customized and leveled up to increase its length, width, as well as magical power, other special items that can also be used include boomerangs, lanterns, candles, and bows. [5]

Players can create their own character model using the game's 3D sprite editor. Players can collect monsters to be featured in an encyclopedia which is done through beating the monster on its head with a book until its profile shows up in the encyclopedia's pages. Loading screens in-game feature recreated box art of classic video games using the game's 3D sprites. [5]

Synopsis

The game follows a hero on a quest to rid the Dotnia Kingdom of a dark plague caused by the forces of evil in order to restore peace to the land. Legend tells of an evil king known as the Dark King Onyx who brought tragedy and darkness to the kingdom by stealing six magical orbs. However, a hero rose up against the Dark King and with his legendary sword as well as the power of the orbs, he sealed Onyx away within another orb. However, the forces of evil rose again as the Dark Bishop Fuelle stole the orb and threw the Kingdom of Dotnia into a state of chaos once more. The game's main protagonist is the grandchild of the brave hero who sealed away the Dark King and thus is entrusted with the responsibility to save the land. [6]

The kingdom was once a 2D pixelated world but as the King of the Land felt that sprites were outdated he thus decreed for the kingdom to make the switch to 3D. This caused the entire world to become 3D while still retaining its original pixelated look. [5]

Development

Silicon Studio developed 3D Dot Game Heroes in just 10 months despite none of the development team having prior experience with PS3 development[ citation needed ]. The game was actually created as a way to showcase Silicon Studio's middleware technology, and the speed at which development could progress with it. [7] The game was teased by From Software on August 10, 2009 with a teaser site showing a cube and a countdown-timer to August 20, 2009. [8] The game was unveiled before the countdown ended by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu , on August 18, 2009. [6] A North American release of the game was confirmed by the Twitter account of Sony Computer Entertainment America which said that the game was "definitely" coming to North America. [9] On November 17, 2009, Atlus confirmed that they would be localizing and publishing the game in North America for a May 11, 2010 release. [10]

Reception

The game received a generally positive reception from critics with a Metacritic score of 77/100. [11] Famitsu gave the game an 8/8/7/7, a total of 30 out of 40, saying that the gameplay is a huge homage to The Legend of Zelda and there are numerous references to Nintendo Entertainment System games throughout the game, making it a "nostalgia-laden trip." Famitsu also praised the graphics saying that the blocky animations are pretty and that they fuse the old with the new seamlessly, also saying that it was a fun and well-made title, though it does not qualify as a new and original game. Samuel Claiborn of IGN gave the game an 8.5 stating: "Other Zelda imitators seem to lose sight of the playfulness and irreverence that Miyamoto and others infused classic games with, but 3D Dot Game Heroes never pretends that it's anything but a game, and games like 3D Dot Game Heroes should be played." [14] Jeremy Parish of 1Up.com gave the game a B− and thought the game was decent saying: "The parodic loading screens, throwaway in-jokes, and ridiculous visuals are an amusing novelty, but once that's worn away, you still have a pretty decent adventure to keep you going through to the end." [12] Tom McShea of Gamespot gave the game 7.5 out of 10 praised its old school roots stating: "3D Dot Game Heroes is a pleasant retreat for anyone who pines for the good old days, but even those without nostalgic links to the past will find an enjoyable experience." [13]

According to Famitsu magazine, 3D Dot Game Heroes sold 17,300 units in Japan by the end of 2009, making it the 463rd best-selling game of the year in that region. [15] Atlus USA reported in October 2010 that 3D Dot Game Heroes sold 160,000 units, greater than six times the amount they had anticipated. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 3Dドットゲームヒーローズ, Hepburn: Surī Dī Dotto Gēmu Hīrōzu

Related Research Articles

<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> (video game) 1986 video game

The Legend of Zelda, originally released in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first game of The Legend of Zelda series, it is set in the fantasy land of Hyrule and centers on an elf-like boy named Link, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon. The player controls Link from a top-down perspective and navigates throughout the overworld and dungeons, collecting weapons, defeating enemies and uncovering secrets along the way.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past</i> 1991 video game

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask</i> 2000 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was the second The Legend of Zelda game to use 3D graphics, following Ocarina of Time (1998). Designed by a creative team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, Majora's Mask was completed in less than two years. It features enhanced graphics and several gameplay changes, but reuses elements and character models from Ocarina of Time, which the game's creators called a creative decision made necessary by time constraints.

<i>Secret of Mana</i> 1993 video game

Secret of Mana, originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2, is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game Seiken Densetsu, released in North America as Final Fantasy Adventure and in Europe as Mystic Quest, and it was the first Seiken Densetsu title to be marketed as part of the Mana series rather than the Final Fantasy series. Set in a high fantasy universe, the game follows three heroes as they attempt to prevent an empire from conquering the world with the power of an ancient flying fortress.

<i>Persona 3</i> 2006 video game

Persona 3, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus that is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and in North America in 2007. It has received several enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version featuring a new playable epilogue and other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide in 2008. An abridged PlayStation Portable version, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011, and ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S was released on February 2, 2024.

<i>Etrian Odyssey</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Etrian Odyssey is a 2007 3D dungeon crawler role-playing video game by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It centers around first-person exploration of a mysterious dungeon known as the Yggdrasil Labyrinth using a player-created party of characters. The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who criticized its punishing difficulty as limiting its appeal, but also making its gameplay more rewarding.

<i>Luminous Arc</i> (video game) 2007 tactical role-playing game

Luminous Arc is a tactical role-playing game developed by Imageepoch for the Nintendo DS, and the first in the Luminous Arc series. The game was released on February 8, 2007 in Japan, August 14, 2007 in North America, and October 18, 2007 in Australia by Atlus, and in Europe the following day by Rising Star Games.

<i>The King of Fighters XII</i> 2009 Video game

The King of Fighters XII is a 2009 arcade video game produced by SNK Playmore and the twelfth installment in The King of Fighters series of fighting games, following The King of Fighters XI (2005). Built on Taito Type X2 hardware, home ports were released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Similarly to KOF '98 and KOF 2002, this game does not have a storyline, but it is the third chapter in the Tales of Ash Saga that started in KOF 2003. The King of Fighters XII received a lukewarm reception, with criticism given to elements such as its roster, gameplay and lack of single-player content. SNK Playmore responded a year later with a follow-up, The King of Fighters XIII (2010).

Vanillaware Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. An independent company, it was founded in 2002 under the name Puraguru by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed Princess Crown (1997) for the Sega Saturn. Beginning as a small studio developing Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion for Enix, in 2004 the company moved to Osaka, Kansai, and changed its name. Kamitani wanted Vanillaware to create successor projects to Princess Crown, beginning with Odin Sphere.

<i>Baroque</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Baroque is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Sting Entertainment. It was originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1998 by Entertainment Software Publishing, then ported to the PlayStation the following year. A remake for PlayStation 2 and Wii was released in Japan by Sting Entertainment in 2007, and later overseas in 2008 from Atlus USA and Rising Star Games (Europe). This version was later released on iOS in 2012, and an enhanced port of the original version on Nintendo Switch in 2020.

<i>Demons Souls</i> 2009 video game

Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan in February 2009, in North America by Atlus in October 2009, and in PAL territories by Namco Bandai Partners in June 2010. The game is referred to as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's King's Field series.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor</i> 2009 video game

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a 2009 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It is a spin-off within the wider Megami Tensei series. An expanded version subtitled Overclocked was released on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan and North America by Atlus in 2011, and in Europe by Ghostlight in 2013. Following a group of teenagers in Tokyo who are trapped inside a government lockdown following an invasion of demons, the gameplay is divided between story events tied to an in-game clock, and tactical grid-based combat with a turn-based battle system. Which events and battles are completed can unlock different endings.

<i>Class of Heroes</i> 2008 video game

Class of Heroes is a role-playing video game dungeon crawler for the PlayStation Portable developed by Zero Div and published by Acquire in Japan and Atlus in North America. In Japan, the game was released on August 26, 2008; in North America, the game was released on June 9, 2009 by Atlus. In the game, players progress by navigating dungeons as hordes of enemies appear and attack in turn-based combat. Class of Heroes received mixed reviews from critics, with some appreciating the creative take on dungeon-crawling and others disliking the game's graphics and grind-based leveling system.

<i>Katamari Forever</i> 2009 puzzle-action video game published by Namco Bandai Games

Katamari Forever, known in Japan as Katamari Damacy Tribute, is a video game in the Katamari series. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 console in Japan on July 23, 2009, and in September for North America, Europe, and Australia.

<i>No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise</i> 2010 video game

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by feelplus. The game is an enhanced port of the 2007 Wii video game No More Heroes, originally developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and directed by Goichi Suda.

<i>Radiant Historia</i> 2010 video game

Radiant Historia is a role-playing video game co-developed by Atlus and Headlock for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan in 2010 by Atlus, and in North America in 2011 by their subsidiary Atlus USA. An expanded remake for the Nintendo 3DS, titled Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, was released in 2017 in Japan and released in North America and PAL territories the following year, with the latter version being published by Deep Silver.

<i>Persona 4 Arena</i> 2012 video game

Persona 4 Arena is a fighting video game co-developed by P-Studio and Arc System Works and published by Atlus for arcades, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; the game is a spin-off from the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. The game was published by Atlus in Japan and North America in 2012, and by Zen United in Europe in 2013. Gameplay follows standard fighting game conventions, with matches between two characters with individual movesets, and special expendable abilities. The storyline is told through visual novel segments.

<i>Guilty Gear Xrd</i> Japanese fighting game developed by Arc System Works

Guilty Gear Xrd is a fighting video game sub-series by Arc System Works and part of the Guilty Gear series. Guilty Gear Xrd was developed using Unreal Engine 3, with cel-shaded graphics in place of the series traditional hand drawn sprites. Following the storyline of the last game in the series, Guilty Gear 2: Overture, it introduced seven new characters.

<i>Hyrule Warriors</i> 2014 video game

Hyrule Warriors is a 2014 hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, mixing settings and characters from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda with the gameplay of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Hyrule Warriors was released in Japan in August 2014, and worldwide the following month. It became one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An updated port, Hyrule Warriors Legends, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in March of the same year. A second enhanced port, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. A successor, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020.

<i>Brave Prove</i> 1998 video game

Brave Prove (ブレイヴ・プローヴ) is a 1998 Japanese video game for the PlayStation. It was developed by Data West Corporation, and directed by Noburo Nishizawa.

References

  1. ↑ "3D Dot Game Heroes gets UK release date". GamerZines. February 10, 2010. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ "PS3 Getting 2D Hero In 3D Game". Kotaku . August 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  3. ↑ "3D Dot Game Heroes "Definitely" Coming To America". Kotaku. October 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ Spencer (November 16, 2009). "Atlus Dates 3D Dot Game Heroes For North America". Siliconera. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Clements, Ryan (November 17, 2009). "3D Dot Game Heroes Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Tanaka, John (August 18, 2009). "From's New PS3 Title". IGN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Silicon Studio Talks 3D Dot Game Heroes And How They Started Making Games". Siliconera. March 17, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  8. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (August 10, 2009). "From's Latest Tease". IGN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  9. ↑ Sony PlayStation (October 27, 2009). "No need to import – 3D Dot Heroes for PS3 is DEFINITELY coming to NA!". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  10. ↑ Atlus (November 17, 2009). "Atlus Links to Legends Past, Announces 3D Dot Game Heroes for PlayStation 3". IGN. Archived from the original on November 19, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  11. 1 2 "3D Dot Game Heroes". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Parish, Jeremy (April 20, 2010). "3D Dot Game Heroes Review". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  13. 1 2 McShea, Tom (April 30, 2010). "3D Dot Game Heroes Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Claiborn, Samuel (April 16, 2010). "3D Dot Game Heroes Review". IGN . Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  15. ↑ Valay (August 7, 2010). "The top 1,000 best-selling games in Japan for 2009 (Famitsu)". Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  16. ↑ Spencer (October 21, 2010). "3D Dot Game Heroes Sells Six Times Expectations, Demon's Souls Does Double". Siliconera. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.