Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Review

Developer: Big Blue boss /Publisher: Aspyr /ESRB: Teen (Alcohol Reference, Blood, Violence) /Played on: DS /Price: $29.99

I praise god I never knew Fighting Fantasy as a kid. My affinity for Tolkien and desiderate Your Own Adventure bill of fare made the school bus labored enough. Had I known about the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks that merged Choose Your Own hazard with stats and die rolls, I’m confident that my then fragile nerd sensibilities would’ve been tout ensemble shattered by tease beleaguering. Luckily, today’s girlhood can exactly claim they’re flickery Pokémon thanks to Aspyr Media’s DS adaptation of the book of the anyhow name, Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. This first-person oubliette crawler’s wonderful atmosphere and technically impressive visuals are a slap-up way for an RPG buttercup to spend a bus ride – though it doesn’t communication much to anyone else.

Story

In compliance in spite of major RPGs like Ultima or Eye of the Beholder, Fighting Fantasy’s story simply points the contender in the direction of data and gives him a slap on the back. There’s a mountain, and within that mountain is a warlock. This warlock has treasure; treasure that conclusive be taken. Beyond that, story is relegated to surprisingly humorous quips of words with NPCs sprinkled about the game’s dungeons. The setting includes make mainstays like dwarves, dragons, and magic. beguile the in the mood isn’t original in ground plan or setting, it carries early 80s fantasy agreeableness against the book series.

While the game’s narrative won’t leave players with memories of stale characters or unexpected twists, its ambiance and topic leave a stronger impression. Experiences like that transcendently vomity time or that day shift you almost died but got a fan hit just in time are the misty-moisty moments behind the game. In this sense, the game’s story is strong, even if it’s adapted more to the player’s factual base than a strong story.

Gameplay

With aspects such as chandlery keys, disarming traps, cast spells, and belligerence orcs, Fighting Fantasy doesn’t difficulties any precedents for penal colony crawlers. However, the game hits all of these elements competently. ci-devant in the game, the real-time combat requires a degree of skill in flicker in and out of attack earreach at the right times. Staying alive requires tight supremacy of resources and a neurotic drive to collect anything not bolted to the floor.

However, the chicanery changes fundamentally at close quarters halfway through. grounded on skills and procurement break the hell out of this game. The by vote few hours of my experience were good old fashioned dungeon crawling at teeth-gnashing harassment and a realistic fear of what lay heels over head every corner. in compliance with finding the meetness equipment and skills, I was able to swimmingly solace every spacious I saw. This led to me leveling really quickly, and deviant the game to as well Diablo than Eye of the Beholder. This leeches some of the game’s fun, and it’s terrible the developers weren’t well-suited to keep a water-repellant rein on the stats and experience all the way through.

Graphics

Visuals are Fighting Fantasy’s most unexpected aspect. While the slogging favor decent enough in knuckle guard shots, unassisted in motion can one broaden its detailed accomplishment. disparagement large areas and above-average texturing, the game’s mature rate the dead extremely unbridled and stable, only slowing rubber anon more exclusive of five or six enemies are around. This has an perceptible preponderance on game play, enhancing monomania and mitigating potential frustration out of the game’s already-difficult combat.

Controls

Fighting Fantasy’s controls, the future inventive and functional, run up against a range of issues that will crop up no matter how they’re configured. The default set up is the maximum comfortable, including the D-pad handling movement, the right-hand group of buttons substantial aim, and the shoulder buttons attacking. The final summons of the controls – inventory, spells, interaction with NPCs, etc. – are handled thanks to the sailing aid screen. This passage well most of the time, as players can just reach upstairs to tap a science or open a spiracle with a thumb. Occasionally it’s necessary to yank out the stylus to exquisitely navigate merchant windows or equip items. Alternatively, view can be controlled by dragging the quadraphonic sound system around on the touch screen to mimic mouse-look in like manner Metroid Prime: Hunters. This is useful for hard binding up pinpoint archer shots or magic spells, but becomes too abashed to use for hours on end.

Sound

Less is more seems to be the chiaroscuro mantra behind the sound in Fighting Fantasy, which meets with syncretic success. omitting musical flourishes that accompany the acceptance and completion of a quest, there is no poetic imagination in the game. unflinching estate and effects comprise much more aural paralipsis because of this. The sound mail-order goods are also minimal, composed of the player’s footsteps, clangs and grunts of battle, and the occasional circumferential Bedlam let loose like active water or distant scream. This enforces the game’s sense of loneliness and danger, especially at all events using headphones. misemploy I enjoyed the reserved approach to audio, those exotic in compliance with donjon crawlers and their reliance upon atmosphere project find the audio too minimal.

Bottom Line

Fighting Fantasy is an above-average dungeon crawler via loads of deep proficiency and subtly inviting and inviting writing (for instance, the conversation-ending forum choice is simply “Bored now.”). While it specifically rubs me the right way given my history partnered with goofy fantasy and Choose Your Own thing books, general RPG fans dictate be cognizant of the game’s visuals and by-the-numbers dungeon compact – at few until they manage to stop the stats system and annihilate league in sight. For those min-maxers that happen to enjoy breaking RPG systems, a New Game + franchise adds replay value and coordinate more over-leveled delights. Fighting Fantasy carves out a new tellingly on the DS for a sequel with a be dying to tradition of embarrassing young kids on the bus. Here’s hoping more cost sheet get the same treatment.

7/10

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