Shadow Temple CS

All of the questions this time around are from HoSaT (Wilson P. Higgsbury).

Question 1: What is your favourite boss over the entire Zelda continuity?

Zant. His fight is divided into about 6 or 7 phases where he changes the background into older dungeons, which means you use past items from that dungeon in a new unique way of hurting him, which usually results in some hilarity due to his absolutely comedic reactions. What makes it more awesome is how with every new phase, a new element is added to the background music, making it more frenzied and chaotic, which accentuates Zant’s descent into madness, especially as by the end he has reduced to flailing wildly with his blades and shrieking like a psycho.

Extra note to the fact that Zant usurped his throne from Midna, but he also ends up usurping the battle arenas he uses, proving he has no real power and can’t do anything himself :D

Question 2: What are your thoughts on Wind Waker? It's my TIED first favourite game of all time (so far), so do you like it?

Like would be an understatement, but to be honest to myself, I’ll talk about Wind Waker HD, since to me, it’s the far better version. I absolutely enjoy the game, and it’s a good game to have as a favorite. The sailing mechanic is fun, the music is absolutely extraordinary, the game has characters with emotions (Link actually has emotions? WHAT?!?), and most of all, the bosses’ presentation is absolutely amazing. Considering the latter 3 is what I look for most in a video game, I certainly approve of the game :3

Question 3: What was your favourite Nintendo system?

Probably a tie between the Nintendo DS and the Wii. The DS was like a gateway to video games for me, as it both kickstarted my adventures into Pokemon (including Mystery Dungeon) and my adventures into Mario. As for the Wii, it was the first console that screamed next-gen to me, and it was the first console that made me bring over friends to play at my house!

Question 4: Other than Zelda and Pokémon, what are your favourite franchises by Nintendo, or even overall, if you play more than Nintendo?

Hard question to answer. Probably Smash Bros., and that’s just because it’s the franchise I’ve put the most time into by far. Smash 64 was my nostalgia, Melee was my childhood, Brawl had the fan service for any Nintendo fan, Smash 4 has the character lineup for all to play (and 8-player smash quickly made it the most played game of the franchise for me), and Project M for being by far the most balanced fighting game ever.

Question 5: Are you doing a review series centered around a theme? And will you do a new series?

This current series I’m doing is centered around Metal Gear to celebrate the release of Phantom Pain, the last game of the series, and the fact that I got the Legacy Collection.

After the Metal Gear review marathon, I will be reviewing old NES games, and during that time I will be taking requests for a new series. However, no matter what, the next series after the requested series will be Castlevania. The NES games I’ll be doing before Castlevania (at the same time as the requested series) will be KickMaster, Shatterhand, Tetris, Little Samson, Tetris (Tengen), and Pirates!

Requests will be taken as early as my review of MGSV: Phantom Pain, and end on the review of Metal Gear Online 2.

So what do you think of the mailbag being back?

If you have any questions you’d like to send to me to answer next mailbag, send them to me at [email protected] , or put it in the comment section.

However, if you have questions for other moderators or for admins, put them in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: This isn’t spoiler free. Starting here on out, all of my game reviews won’t be spoiler free, so... sorry. Either skip to my closing summary at the bottom or don’t read the review.

To veterans of my dungeon reviews:  As game reviews are a whole different beast from my dungeon reviews, there will be no points for each category, but rather points given for a general score at the end of the review, per usual. There will also be no categories with questions at the beginning, but rather given categories as I go along the review. I’m judging these games as games, not how they revolutionize the game industry, nor how they fit into the series they’re in.

By the very nature of a review of a game, you can guess that it won’t be completely and utterly factual. Whether you like it or not, games are subjective, just like any other form of media. This is my interpretation, not a general population interpretation, mine. This review isn’t 100% fact. There is bias involved, which is a very human ideology that everyone has in the end.

Review Bias

Expectations: Almost none. The only indication I got from Scott was “Skip the game, don’t waste your time.” I’d also known it hadn’t aged well.

Experience: At the time of playing the game, I had barely seen anything of the other Metal Gear games except for MGS3. At the time, I had just finished MGS3, but nothing else.

Methodology of Playtime: Played on Easy difficulty which means bosses were easier to kill and guards were more likely to drop ammo and rations. Played via MGS3HD’s rerelease of the game in the Legacy Collection. I also used this guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/msx/578853-metal-gear/faqs/12398

Summary: No expectations, MGS3 experience, on Easy difficulty, MGS3HD version, and I used a guide.

Gameplay

The Metal Gear series is known for its stealth mechanics, and this is where the series started it all, with the earliest example of a stealth action game in video game history. The player navigates a solider named Solid Snake through Outer Heaven, the game’s setting. You have to navigate him through various locations around Outer Heaven while avoiding visual contact and direct confrontation with patrolling guards. If the player is seen, the game enters Alert Mode, where Snake must escape from the enemy’s sight in order to resume the mission.

The methods of escaping vary widely on how you’re discovered. If Snake is seen and a single red exclamation mark appears, only the enemies in the player’s screen see him, and Snake can simply go to another screen. This usually occurs when a single guard sees you. However, if two exclamation marks appear, which usually occur if it’s a guard in a radically different color, if a camera/sensor discovers you, or you use an un-suppressed weapon, the entire base goes on alert. That means reinforcements will go after you in plentiful numbers, and Snake can escape by killing ALL incoming enemies, going outdoors, or by using an elevator.

The player starts the game completely unarmed, but eventually acquires firearms such as a pistol and a grenade launcher, as well as explosives such as missiles and landmines. Ammo for weapons are limited, but are replenished by ammo crates, which can usually be found by killing guards or in certain rooms. Weapons can be used to kill enemies, explosives can be used to destroy hollow walls, missiles can destroy boxes for electrified floors, etc.

Numerous amounts of equipment can be found to help Snake through his mission. These can vary from rations to restore Snake’s health, a parachute to keep him alive as he jumps off a building into a courtyard, special cards to open doors, to a gas mask to help against... gas. But here’s a tip: if you want to get more rations, exit and enter the room. They never programmed so the rations would stay gone, so you can enter and exit rooms with rations to get as much rations that you want.

Snake can also use his fists to punch and kill patrolling enemies. It takes three punches to kill the common mook, and it’s usually very effective. Usually because Snake moves like a damn tank, and walking up to punch someone can usually get you spotted, although occasionally, a successful takeout with fists lands you ammo or a ration. The guards are also extremely nearsighted and can usually only see in one direction.

The enemy base, Outer Heaven, consists of three different buildings with multiple floors within them. Snake uses key cards and other items such as plastic explosives to unlock doors and explore new areas. Each door will only open to its corresponding card, which means you’ll have to cycle through figuring out which card opens which. Information can be obtained by rescuing hostages being held within the buildings, and after rescuing enough hostages, Snake’s rank increases by one star, which allows him to have more health and to hold more ammo for weapons and more rations. If a hostage is killed, however, Snake’s rank goes down.

A transceiver is used for Snake to communicate with Big Boss, his... boss, and to communicate with the resistance members, which range from Schneider a weapon specialist to Jennifer who helps Snake with doors and such. Snake must keep track of his allies’ frequency numbers in order to contact them, and all of the radio messages are dependent on the room you’re in.

The gameplay overall is very simplistic, and works very well. The game has enough level design to keep things fresh, and the pacing contains brevity. It’s fun to play, and the classic formula of avoiding detection, running around and collecting items, progressing, and then defeating bosses is still a fun and addicting scheme today.

That said, the gameplay does come with gripes. The key cards are the most guilty, since doors do not have a symbol saying which card is required to open it up, it means you have to cycle through your cards until you find the right one. This can be incredibly frustrating if you’re in a room with gas or a room with a camera/guard, where you have to go as fast as possible to find the right card before the gas kills you or you’re spotted.

There’s also numerous rooms with frustrating elements. A prime example is the rolling pin rooms, with a rolling pin that instantly kills you if it touches you as it goes back and forth. This wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t have the elevator you need to go to and there was a trap almost in front of the elevator, which you never would’ve noticed. There’s also the tunnel full of traps, which requires a huge amount of trial and error.

This game is a prime example of a Guide Game, a game you can’t really enjoy without a guide. There are walls you would never guess you have to use an explosive for (you would never know to punch them in the first place), you need the Codecs for Schneider and others that were in a manual, etc.

Backtracking is also heavily rampant. You need to get key cards for new areas, which requires you to go all the way to the beginning and use that key card, get something, and go all the way back, repeat 5 times.

Gameplay Summary

Simplistic gameplay that works pretty well, but not without its rampant frustrations. You are going to need a guide for this game. But otherwise, the gameplay worked then, and it still works fine today, minus the key cards, backtracking, a few poor room designs, and backtracking.

Presentation

Visuals

Definitely not the greatest for the MSX, and it certainly doesn’t hold up today. Many of the rooms look similar, which is terrible since you’re going to be backtracking quite a lot, so you’re going to be lost many times (again, guide game).

The color palette is also nasty. Way too many shades of gray and brown, and nothing really looks interesting or good to see. The only things notable about the visuals were possibly the bosses or Metal Gear, but otherwise, it’s quite nasty to look at. The MSX has seen better days.

However, dialogue via codec and bosses still looks nice.

Music

A mixed crowd. Most of the music is easily forgettable and doesn’t stick around for long, but there are a few of note. The Alert theme, for one, definitely gets you on your feet, and it sounds really nice too. The Theme of Tara is also a beautiful piece.... if it wasn’t on repeat for almost the whole game. The escape song is also really good, and it stays in your head long after you exit the game.

Sound effect wise, works really well. Shooting and explosions sound on point, but they get old after a while.

Presentation Summary

Mixed music with honorable mentions, but the visuals have not aged well.

Narrative

Story

So, near the end of the 20th century, we discover that a WOMD has been made in Outer Heaven, a mercenary camp north of South Africa. FOXHOUND sends a badass agent named Grey Fox to the camp, but they lose contact after a few days, with the last transmission being “Metal Gear...”

To discover what happened, Snake is sent to Outer Heaven to rescue any hostages, find out Grey Fox, and find the identity of Metal Gear. After rescuing a few hostages with the help of codec conversations between Big Boss and Schneider (Diane is completely useless), Snake rescues Fox, where Fox tells him that Metal Gear is a nuclear-equipped bipedal walking tank, which can engage in all forms of combat and launch nuclear weapons from any location. Outer Heaven plans to use Metal Gear to be a world superpower.

To destroy it, Snake rescues Dr. Pettrovich, the designer behind Metal Gear, and his daughter Ellen (Because the doctor won’t talk until his daughter is saved the selfless prick), and the doctor tells him how to destroy Metal Gear with plastic explosives. Jennifer also helps you by giving you a rocket launcher and opening up a door for you (thanks Jennifer)

On the way to destroy it, Snake notices the traps are too precise, and his boss, Big Boss, acts strangely, giving misleading advice (including telling you to go into a room with a pitfall trap) and telling him to abort the mission by, get this, breaking the fourth wall and telling you to reset your MSX. Also, Schneider is ambushed by hostiles and is presumed dead.

Snake beats a couple of bosses, destroy Metal Gear, but the latter activates a self destruct sequence. On his way out, he discovers the person behind all of Outer Heaven is none other than his boss, Big Boss, and it turns out he sent Snake in to give misinformation to the authorities, but underestimated the abilities of Snake. Snake fights Big Boss, wins, escapes thanks to Diane’s boyfriend’s advice, and all is well as Snake escapes from a nuclear explosion in the background... a bit big for a self-destruct.

After the credits roll, it’s hinted that Big Boss is still alive, and he says he will meet Snake again....

The story is pretty barebones for a Metal Gear title, and for an MSX game for that matter, but it works alright today. It has a lot of brevity, which usually isn’t seen in games today with their heavy and complex storytelling, and the twist at the end of this game is pretty famous (although you can totally see it coming). It’s not great, and it’s not a masterpiece of storytelling, but it worked fine then and it’s still fine today.

Characters

Almost completely obsolete. Snake is basically the player as a rogue that barely speaks, Big Boss is cool for his twist and advice but will always be famous for “I forgot to tell you” and no personality, Gray Fox is nowhere near as hyped as they made in the manual, Madnar just tells you what to do, etc.

The resistance team isn’t any better. Schneider just gives you advice, Diane is completely useless and just cares about her boyfriend, and Jennifer is helpful but only talks in quick lines.

Narrative Summary

Good story with a lot of room to breathe. Easy to wrap your head around, although you’ll forget about most of it the closer you get to the finish line. The characters are obsolete and barely there.

Opposition

Enemies

The enemies mainly consist of the common mook with very small variations in color and movement patterns. They shoot better than you, and they come in huge numbers, but they’re extremely nearsighted, as they can only see Snake directly in front of them, so being just to the side of them means they can’t see you at all. They’ll also forget about you real quick if they see you and you go to another screen. The mooks will also repeat movements over and over again, so you’ll quickly figure out their patrol patterns and how to avoid them.

There is the occasional red and blue mook, with the former causing Outer Heaven to go on high alert, which means going to the other screen won’t save you, and the blue mook, which is the same as a regular one except they have better vision and they shoot a lot better (especially around corners).

You don’t really ask for enemy variety in a stealth game, but after backtracking and going through similar environments, it does get old after a while. Especially if you die, in which you have to fight the same mooks all over again.

Bosses

The bosses are probably where the enemy variety went to. We have the Shotmaker, where you have to recover your weapons to defeat him with Missiles as he shoots you with a shotgun, the Machinegun Kid, who has a machine gun but you have weapons too, so he goes down in seconds.

There’s the Hind D, a freaking helicopter you fight, but it never takes off so you can just pump it full of grenades with a grenade launcher as it tries to shoot you but there’s a corner you can hide and shoot it. Then there’s the Tank, which basically involves a long and tedious process of putting mines in the way of the Tank while it tries to shoot you as you’re behind walls.

Then there’s the Bulldozer, which is a timed 10-second boss where you have to pump it full of grenades from a grenade launcher before it runs you over, but this is incredibly difficult because not only can you not miss as that will make you lose time, but also, if it touches you it’s an instant kill, so you’ll be caught off guard as it’s the first time you’ve seen it. Then there’s the Fire Trooper, which is much like the Machinegun Kid except he shoots a massive flamethrower in 150° angles, so you have to stand right behind him and just pump him full of lead... easy.

We then have the Arnolds, or the Bloody Brads, which are really small bosses I would’ve like to see as regular enemies. Just shoot them with a rocket launcher and move on. Then there’s Dirty Duck, which is infamous throughout the Metal Gear community from hiding behind 3 hostages as he shoots you with extremely damaging boomerangs. The problem isn’t the boomerangs, but rather hitting him, as hitting a hostages makes you lose a rank, and get this, losing a rank means it’s impossible to defeat Metal Gear..... That’s bullshit.

We then have the TX-55 Metal Gear, which is really easy at this point as long as you remember the order you have to place the plastic explosives (hope you wrote it down from Madnar), as placing too many wrong explosives means you’ll run out and probably die. Finally, there’s Big Boss, but you’re running at this point to escape from the self-destruct and he’s easy as you have a Rocket Launcher and he doesn’t.

The bosses, overall, are standard fare for an MSX or even a NES game, but that doesn’t mean they’re not fun. Other than the extremely easy Arnolds, Hind D, and Machine Gun Kid, most of the bosses are actually fun to fight, prime examples being Big Boss, Shotmaker, and Metal Gear. However, there are absolutely frustrating or tedious bosses in this lineup, specifically Dirty Duck, the Bulldozer, and the Tank, which could’ve made the game a lot better if they weren’t included.

Opposition Summary

The enemy lineup is simple and quite boring, although it shouldn’t actually start getting old until halfway through the game... in which case it’ll fall face first into a pile of crap. The bosses are either fun, tedious, or frustrating, or all of them at the same time.

Difficulty

This game is certainly not easy. Yes, the enemies are nearsighted and can easily be taken advantage of. Yes, most of the bosses have ridiculously easy strategies to take advantage of. But again, this is a Guide Game, as there are many, many cheap moments.

This includes rooms with a rolling pin and a trap, so while you’re running away from the rolling pin you fall into a trap, which happens to be the room with an elevator so you can save. There’s also the tunnel full of traps which is poorly designed to tell you where the traps are, and that means a lot of trial and error and a lot of dying. Both of these areas don’t help as Snake moves like a tank, which means you need to have absolutely precise movement to pass through. You’re more than likely to accidentally step into a trap.

Match that with walls you would never guess to explode, rooms you never could guess you could enter, the frustrating key cards you have to cycle through while enemies such as Arnolds shoot/ram into you, and constant backtracking involving getting lost, this game does not have a good difficulty curve.

That being said, there is the infinite ration/ammo trick, and it’s not exactly unforgiving with its level design for the first half, I’m just telling you there’s going to be a lot of BS.

Overall, I highly recommend playing the game on Easy difficulty, with bosses/enemies doing less damage, bosses being easier to kill, and enemies more likely to drop rations or ammo.

Fun Factor (Tilt/Rant City)

This is not a game I’m going to go back to anytime soon, but that’s not saying it wasn’t enjoyable. I had a lot of fun with the bosses, and I thought the first half of the game had both good pacing, good amount of story for me, and it was fun to avoid the enemies. Nothing beats that feeling of beating Dirty Duck, though, especially without hurting a hostage. TAKE THAT DIRTY DUCK

On the other hand, this game was not great to me. Like I described in Difficulty, this game was somewhat unforgiving to me. The second half of the game wasn’t worth it, and I really wanted to leave the game behind me near the end. Props to the escape scene for being really damn cool, but otherwise, this isn’t a great game for me.

Replayability

I’ve heard the actual MSX game had cheat codes and achievements after completing, but the one in the Legacy Collection has none of that. However, there is a Boss Rush in both versions, and it’d be really fun if it didn’t have those BS bosses included into it, so even though there’s a difficulty setting, it’s still going to be difficult no matter what. Other than that, there’s barely a reason to replay the game, and I don’t see myself going back to this game anytime soon. It’s not a game to replay for nostalgia purposes, especially since there isn’t something there that’s truly substantial.

Closing Summary

The gameplay hasn’t aged well, but you’ll still have fun for the first half of the game. I don’t blame you if you drop it halfway. The visuals haven’t aged well either, although the music is a good yarn. The story is simple and full of brevity, so this game is for someone who just has a lot of time to kill. It’s not an easy game, and it has a plentiful amount of frustrating moments, but there is substance to be found. For Metal Gear fans, I highly suggest playing a bit of this game to get the history, but otherwise, only play if you have a lot of time on your hands or you already own it in the Legacy Collection. It’s not a bad game, but it certainly has its flaws.

Score: 64/100. OK. 

So, what do you think? Too soft? Too harsh? Let me know in the comments.

If there’s anything I missed, or you have something you’d like to say about this review/game, let me know in the comments! I’m not afraid to change the review a bit.

Also, if you’d like, give your own personal take on the game. Do you have this game? Have you played/finished it? Any memories you’d like to share?

To the review!

NEWCOMER DISCLAIMER: Don't buy the game just yet. I'm sorry, but this game was made for people who have played PMD1, 2, and 3, and not because of difficulty, but because of the plot points it plays at. If you really want to get it, you'll still have a great time. But I recommend this game for the people who know everything from PMD 1, 2, and 3.

Disclaimer: I'm going to try to be as spoiler-free as I can so as not to spoil it for as many people as possible. So keep in mind, if you don't want to hear anything about certain gameplay elements or the occasional story element, it's best to just read the score and move on. For everyone else, especially those on the fence on whether to buy it, read on! So in other words, I'm throwing this review towards PMD veterans, and not newcomers. It's just how this game is, but I do recommend newcomers to get this game last, speaking that they won't get the PMD1, 2, and 3 references.

Review-Bias: This explicitly says how I played the game, my experiences before the game, and how this might affect the review.

Before I played PSMD, i played a lot of Undertale. So in other words, I expected a lot from this game, so this is probably the most critical I'll get. That means some emotional scenes won't have that much impact. HOWEVER, I am an avid PMD fan, having played Red/Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Sky, and Gates to Infinity, so I know a lot about what people will expect in terms of PMD quality.

I played through this game with a walkthrough of sorts. I say of sorts, because the only thing that the walkthrough specified was the recommended level for each dungeon, and how many floors each dungeon had, and also whether or not there was a boss. I also played the game in a style of what PMD fans would call a 'rusher'. As in, once I found the stairs to the next floor, I took them, so the difficulty for me is probably harsher.

TL;DR: Expect more criticism towards story and difficulty.

Gameplay: Before I even start, the gameplay here is better than any of the PMD games. I'm serious, it's that good.

Oh and also, there’s a tutorial. YES! Newcomers, you will find something great here.

Ok, let's start with the dungeons themselves. Dungeons are pretty large, bigger than standard PMD dungeons (explorers of sky) but smaller than Gates to Infinity. To compensate, there are fewer floors than expected, about 4-12 depending on how far you are through the game. There are also midpoints which allow you to stock up on items and you regain all your HP, but unlike Gates to Infinity's midpoints, you cannot save at them. You also don't regain your PP, so expect a long haul. There's an item that makes this more bearable, but I'll cover that later.

Combat is refined. This is the best it'll get in turn-based standards. It borrows a lot from Gates to Infinity's Level-Up moves, but it also adds in new colors like how it'll show the type-effectiveness of your moves, so you can know whether it's super effective or have no effect at all. This makes combat a hell of a lot more satisfying. However, is a bit shallow here (at least it was for me). Expect yourself to level up just like Red/Blue rescue team, which is slowly. Also, there's a new type of special move (like Gates to Infinity's Team Attack) that allows your entire team to attack at once, which is known as an Alliance. Alliance bypasses type-advantages, so it's a very useful move. It uses up a bit of hunger, which allows me to segway into my next bit.

Hunger is back baby, and it's just as good as it was in Explorers of Sky. There's apples, perfect apples, hunger seeds, the usual. Apples are pretty easy to find though, so don't expect yourself to starve pretty easily. Expect to bring a couple to each dungeon, though, as you may find yourself getting pretty famished.

I bet some people are asking if IQ is back too. The short answer is not exactly. Here's the long answer. Meet Looplets and Emera, your friendly gameplay mechanic that basically takes a dump on Gummies. It's a bit long to explain so I'll just link to a serebii site explaining the context of it. Is it any good? Yes, it is. You'll find it's definitely more accessible to use than regular gummies, and also has way more of an effect than gummies. Trust me, the mechanic is nice and you will all love it.

Items have also been refined. Reviver Seeds are cheaper (for a good reason), and there's a new kind of item known as wands which basically replace seeds, but are better at the job. Wands are plentiful, useful, and help mitigate the difficulty. You can tell an enemy Pokemon to go away with one wave of a wand and they won't bother you again (Stayaway wand so op). There's also new items that are basically lesser versions of Max Elixirs and Reviver Seeds. They do less of an effect, but are still useful. Remember what I said about not saving at midpoints? There's a new item for that. It's called Progress Saves, which you can find or get at Kecleon's shop, that basically saves in a room at the floor you're on in a dungeon. This mitigates the 'no saving at midpoints'.

Item-Finding is very good. The Emeras I mentioned are very easy to find, and you'll find at least one per floor. Apples are pretty common throughout the game. Oran Berries are common in the beginning, but they get a bit uncommon later. Wands are especially easy to find. Tiny Reviver Seeds (lesser reviver seeds) are somewhat easy to find, but elixirs are a bit sparse. Let's just say as long as you stop by the Kecleon shop, you won't run out of items that much.

Gameplay (The Town): It's literally what you expect. There's a Kecleon Shop to buy and sell items, and there's a deposit box which functions exactly like Gates to Infinity, storing your items and money (these boxes also appear in midpoints). There's Kangaskhan for rewards from connection orb quests which I'll get to in a minute. There's Cofagrigus from Gates to Infinity, which gives you a bunch of good things as long as you have a gold bar (which are uncommon to find). There's a new shop known as Hawlucha which lets you change your Ability, but I didn't use it as much, and overall I don't find it pretty useful. Mostly because you honestly should keep your starter ability, which ups your STAB move in a bad spot.

Gameplay (MIssion Structure): Oh gee, this is really ahead of the other PMD games. Hated how random and stupid some of the jobs were in PMD1, 2, and 3? Hated how little reward you got for such a high risk? Hated how you just took jobs to continue the story, and not for some other reward (except for Gates to Infinity)? Well say no more, the connection orb system is amazing, and it really makes itself more than the gimmick it really is. It basically goes in to this 'Connect with All 720 Pokemon!' thing, but each mission is exclusive to each Pokemon that you're trying to recruit. For example, Axew's mission involves helping him take down this Level 50 Salamence, which seems stupid just to recruit Axew (and also very, very difficult), but the reward mitigates this. What's the reward? It’s recruiting that Salamence with Axew. That's right a level 50 Salamence is now in your team. How awesome is that?! There's a lot more to it, but you'll also recruit people from old PMD games (with direct references, like Team ACT from Red/Blue Rescue Team, Team Charm from EoS, and Virizion-Keldeo from GtI).

Gameplay (Teams): Team Structure is brilliant. You're confined to just 3 people in your party (except if you include escorts it can be 4, or even 5), but you can switch out your leader from the beginning of the the orb system. That's right, your team can just consist of Team ACT and you can still do missions. Sadly, the Gates to Infinity EXP share system is gone, so the game is a bit more difficult becasue of that. However, I should also note that this is the best team AI i've ever seen in a PMD game. That also means the enemy ai is also strong so... there's that.

Gameplay (Continents): You probably already know about going to past continents from PMD1, 2, and 3, but it actually does a pretty decent job at it. Sure, it doesn't have as much callback as I expected (don't expect to go to Post or Treasure Town in this game), but it's pretty decent. It's not ball-bustingly huge, but it does raise the stakes of this game a bit.

Gameplay (Story and its Problems): Unfortunately, story gameplay is a bit harsh. You can't bring team members to main story missions, and you can find yourself underleveled if you neglect to level up your story members like you and your partner, for example. Tactics, which is carried over from PMD1 and 2, is also pretty shoddy, as it’s not very explicit to your team members. and it doesn't carry over to each team, which is a bit stupid. You'll also find yourself thrust into situations you won't be prepared for without many Reviver Seeds or some heads-up knowledge. For people who have played this game, I'm talking about that boss fight with you and Espurr (you know what it is). Sadly, this is the weakest part of the gameplay for me.

TL;DR: Despite a couple of problems, the gameplay here is better than any of the other PMD games.

Plot: Oh dear, I'm going to try not to spoil as much as possible. So instead, I'm just going to break it up into categories you will understand (and compare it to the other PMD games).

Characters are pretty good. While not Explorers of Sky in terms of backstory with the major characters, they're still pretty good and quite humorous. There's a bit of characterization between some of the Pokemon you'll meet, but don't expect anything like, well, Explorers of Sky Special Episodes.

Your partner is amazing though. Remember how your partner in the other 3 games always looked up to you? That's not here anymore. It's even better. There's definitely chemistry going on this time around, and to avoid spoiling anything, let's just say you'll find yourself learning stuff about your partner just as much as learning stuff about you. It definitely makes this partner Pokemon better than any of the other PMD partner Pokemon.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot to say about you. You have a story, sure, but it's mitigated by the fact that you're pretty much always silent. (for long-time PMD veterans, that includes the ending too, I’m really sorry). That makes the characterization up to you, but it also makes you look a bit shallow, and well, stupid. This is a bit of a weak point in the story to be honest.

Pacing is pretty good. The game goes at such an adequate pace that I don't exactly get bored. You'll probably keep going through this game just to find out more about what is next.

The Twist this time around, however, is amazing. Each PMD game has its twist, and it’s definitely better here. In past PMD games, you could see it coming if you were smart enough. This time around, prepare to have your expectations played with. I'm pretty sure there's some of you out there who'll pick up on this twist, if you see the hints. However, for the majority, this is definitely harder to see than PMD2.

The stakes are also higher. There's a lot more at stake, now that there's multiple continents in the midst. You'll find yourself with a lot more drive, with legendary Pokemon on the line as well.

The Final Boss, and final dungeon, are the best of the series. This is the finale, probably the last PMD game due to the stakes they pull here. You'll find yourself sweating, low on Reviver Seeds, and inching towards the finale. The music helps this too, but I'll give that another category. Definitely the best Final Boss and Final Dungeon of the PMD series.

The ending, however, is a bit shallow this time around. I'm sorry, but I've been spoiled by Gates to Infinity's amazing ending, and Explorers of Sky's great ending. It plays with your expectations to at least be surprising, but it's not amazing. The music for the ending also isn't 'The Frism' from Gates to Infinity. This, for me, is almost the weakest part of the story. But that may be my bias towards being spoiled by Gates to Infinity's amazing impact.

Post-Story is a bit small, but what were you expecting? With the stakes they pull in the main quest, there's no loose ends besides the main one the ending leaves, which they tie up here. I hope for DLC that sheds more backstory on certain characters, but this is it folks.

TL;DR: The plot is amazing just like regular PMD norm. There are points higher than any of the PMD games, but also a couple low ones. It's still pretty stellar though.

Post Quest: There is a WHOLE lot to do. There's getting all 720 pokemon, the treasure collection, and the legendaries! Don't expect the game to be over like Gates to Infinity after the main quest. Seriously, this beats Explorers of Sky in terms of Post-Quest length, though not necessarily story.

Music: This is the PMD series, you know it's going to be good. However, I have a couple of qualms with it. There are amazing dungeon tracks, sure, and the final boss and final dungeon are arguably the best of the series, but story tracks are a bit shallow. There's no "The Frism", no "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye", and no "Running Through the Snow." I'm sorry, but the music isn't that original. That being said, however, there are remixes of classic PMD1 and 2 tracks, and some of Gates to Infinity’s tracks carry over. But suffice to say, this is not the best in terms of music anymore.

Graphics: I know it's not fair to say this, since it’s on the 3DS, but it's better than the past PMD games. It has fluid animation, and some set pieces and animations are so huge that the frame rate actually stutters a bit. That being said, besides a couple of animations, frame rate is solid, and art style is pretty good. It copies a lot of Gates to Infinity, but uses the graphics to a better extent.

Difficulty: This is total bias, but I found it pretty hard, but that's because I ran right through this game, so that's not surprising. There are difficulty spikes regardless, with a couple of hard boss fights standing out that are just... out of the blue. This is the hardest of the PMD series, but not by much. Since it compensates with a lot of useful items, though, that's not bad.

Final Score: Overall, this is an amazing game, and if this is the last PMD game, it's a good finish. There are a couple disappointments, but a lot of good times with this game. 

I give this game a 9/10, and if you want a quick comparison to the other games, I'd say that this is definitely equal to Explorers of Sky in terms of quality.

And that’s the end!

So, what do you think? Thinking of buying the game? I’m sure it’ll be a great investment!

What do you think about the review? Too soft? Too critical? Let us know in the comments!

If there’s anything he missed, or you have something to say about the game/review, let us know! I’m sure Oshy will have an explanation for it!

Also, if you’d like, give your own personal take on this game. Have you bought the game? Have you played it? If you have, anything you have good memories of?

.....coming soon.

Here’s the categories (for the newbies):

Dungeon Design (15 Points): Is the dungeon limited to a factor of linearity or complexity? Was it linear in a good way or a bad way, and if complex, does it have unjustified frustration? Does the gamer have a healthy balance of linearity and complexity that ends up entertaining, and does the design of the rooms work? Is there reasoning to what you have to do? Does the dungeon hold your hand or does it let you discover things on your own in a meaningful way?

Visuals (15 Points): Does the dungeon look the part? Is the music good? Is the dungeon believable and if not, does it impact the dungeon? Does the overall mood of the dungeon bring chills up your spine? Does the dungeon do something that’s unique from past endeavors?

Gameplay (15 Points): Is there a lot to do that creates a fun package? Does the dungeon take full use of the item you’re given, and if not given an item, is there a major hook that grabs you in this dungeon? Is the playstyle repetitive and does it get in the way of your playing? How is the combat? Is the gameplay using new things or does it feel too familiar?

Enemies (15 Points): Is there a variety of enemies in this dungeon and does that variety fit the dungeon theme? Do the enemies bring a challenge and are entertaining? Is the miniboss or boss good, or does it fall flat? Would you battle the enemies/boss again? Is there specific ways of facing the enemies or is it a repetitive scheme that ends up being extremely tedious?

Puzzles (15 Points): Do the puzzles challenge your brain and treat you like you’re a functioning human, or if it’s a first dungeon, is it a fitting challenge? Are the puzzles unique? Do the puzzles fit with the theme? Do the puzzles involve the dungeon item to an extent that’s appropriate, and if not, do they have a common trait? Do the puzzles give you that a-ha feeling that keeps your drive going?

Challenge (10 Points): Is the dungeon too arduous or too simple? Is it so linear that there’s no way to get lost? Is it too possible to die in this dungeon, and if so, is it because of congestion or valid reasons, and if it is too easy, is it a fault of the game or the dungeon? Does the challenge work with how far you are in the game? Does the challenge stay consistent or does it vary, and if it does, is there a good reason why?

Fun Factor [Tilt] (15 Points): What was the overall feeling I got from this dungeon? Do I want to do it again? How would I weigh its entertainment and boredom? Was it too brief or too extensive? Is there anything pacebreaking or repetitive that kills me in this dungeon?

Let’s get to the review!

Goron Mines

Within the heart of the Goron Village atop Death Mountain lies the second dungeon, the Goron Mines. Probably the dungeon that got the most attention during E3 footage and for being the step up from Forest Temple, since it is the second dungeon, this dungeon has a lot of expectations…. but unfortunately, it doesn’t fill those shoes. It’s certainly not a bad dungeon, but it’s not what one would expect either. Join me now in saving the Gorons from their corrupted guardian!

Dungeon Design (15): Let’s cut to the chase here. This dungeon is extremely linear. There’s almost no deviation, your path is plain and obvious, and the small amount of room archetypes to combine with the linearity makes it a grind. There’s definitely 2 or 3 “aside” rooms, but most of them don’t even have anything to compensate for it. Even worse, there’s a chest in the dungeon you can’t get to until later in the game, and since it’s so linear, it’s like a “teased” deviation that doesn’t exist.

The rooms still have ideas, though. The outside rooms are a treat in design, and many of the rooms you pass through after getting the bow are worth it. Despite its linearity, the dungeon certainly doesn’t scream “easy” as a result. There’s still blockages like lava that can deal damage, and careful planning to navigate through a room.

The rooms themselves still hold puzzles within them. You still have to figure out what to do, and there’s still creativity in some of the rooms. It’s just sad that this doesn’t expand toward the dungeon as a whole. 9 points.

Visuals (15): It’s a mine. It’s a Goron dungeon. Do the math. It has a lot of industrial things going along for it, with a lot of mining mechanisms and lava. This is, if I recall, the only fire dungeon with mechanical/electrical components in the entire Zelda series, and this dungeon adds flavor to the Goron undertones of the mine. The music for the dungeon is good as well, further improving on the mechanical nature of the mines, with metallic clanks and sounds of machinery. There’s even a hint of danger on the second half of it.

But again, it’s not all pleasant. The dungeon fails to correctly use its themes, unlike, say, the Forest Temple. There’s only three archetypes throughout the dungeon. It’s either a mechanical room, a cavern, or a room with lava. It’s so….. boring in its visual flair. Many rooms feel exactly like the other, and the repetition gets worse when you’re backtracking for a chest, or simply going through the same rooms again. It’s just too dull, and there are opportunities missed as a result.

Still, it has that great atmospheric music, and it does nail that realistic look. 9 points.

Gameplay (15): The gameplay certainly has a lot of things going for it. There’s pressure switches, crane manipulation, navigating caverns with the Iron Boots, and the ability to literally walk on walls, and even the ceiling! The lava certainly adds a level of danger, too, and it combines with the gameplay mechanics well. The name of the game with the item this time around is actually 2: the Iron Boots, and the Hero’s Bow. Let’s start with the latter first.

The Hero’s Bow is used beautifully in this dungeon. There’s puzzles involved, it makes for an amazing upgrade from the Slingshot, and there’s even an outside room that takes full use of the item, especially since the first time you go into it you get shot with nothing to shoot back with.

To digress for a second, the combat is great in this dungeon, but that’s standard flair for Twilight Princess. There are many ways to fight, and of course, the Hero’s Bow adds complexity.

The Iron Boots are also used well, thanks to the effects of magnetism. Using the Iron Boots, Link can scale the magnetic walls, allowing you to literally walk on walls and even the ceiling at one point. It’s especially useful to get underwater fast as well. It’s used greatly, and it adds new ideas to the Zelda series.

Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games. The Iron Boots are used to an extreme amount, and since it’s just a different way of navigation with nothing to figure out or solve, it doesn’t add any challenge. It’s repetitive and clunky at times, and of course there are glitches sometimes when you’re walking around, especially when you go from upside down to right side up.

And also, things don’t really pick up until the last half. For the first half, you’re going to see some familiar concepts when you’re not using the Iron Boots, and some rooms will even get repetitive while you’re in them.

Still, there are great concepts being used, and the Hero’s Bow is a step up. 10 points.

Enemies (15): Well, to start, there’s a variety of enemies. Fiery foes that will burn your Wooden Shield if you were stupid enough to bring one in, Bulblins from outside that are encountered for the first time in a dungeon (they can be a tricky when grouped up), and a few other obvious fire enemies. Some of the most interesting ones are water enemies, for a start. Yes, there are water enemies. Blue Tektites and Water Toadpolis. There’s also Beamos which are a nice adaptation from their MM counterpart (mostly for the Bow being a weakness), and, of course, lava. While a few of these enemies serve absolutely no challenge, enemies such as the Dodongo and Bublin Archers can actually make you second guess.

The miniboss, Dangoro, is a fun fight. It’s not tricky or anything, and it can go rather quickly if you’re good enough, but it has a really cool combination of Sumo Wrestling and Iron Boots while stabbing it in the stomach. The music is a recurring miniboss theme, but it serves its purpose.

The boss, on the other hand, Fyurs….. not fun. The concept is great, since it’s a rampaging lunatic 3x tis your size trying to hit you and you have to use your bow to disorient him and then use the chains to trip him, and then attack his face. Unfortunately, the execution is horrible. Fyrus barely does any damage. You could literally stand still and he would barely even do half a heart of damage, and if you stay behind the pillars Fyrus will never find you. Ever. It doesn’t help that his weak point is obvious, it’s extremely easy to hit him since he doesn’t move very fast, and killing him is extremely easy in the first place. Great concept, poor execution.

But taking a step back to the enemies as a whole, while being a standard fair, they certainly add flair to this fire dungeon. Most of the enemies have their own way to tackle, and they certainly don’t get repetitive. And 2 or 3 do require the use of an actual shield (hopefully not the wooden one you brought). 10 points.

Puzzles (15): The puzzles are good, although they are fairly scarce. There are unique puzzles, such as clever ways to opening a door and navigating with the cranes. The Iron Boots puzzles are plentiful, but most of them are things we’ve seen before, such as putting them on to press a button. There are Iron Boots puzzles that take advantage of them, though, like the swiveling panel with magnets on it. Even the bow and arrow is used, whether it’s to open a door quicker or to make a pathway. And most of all, the crane puzzle fits so well, and it even adds flavor with puzzles chalked onto it.

Unfortunately, this category is short lived, as most of the puzzles are relatively easy. And the Iron Boots puzzles are… well…. Iron Boots puzzles.

8 points.

Challenge (15): You’d be surprised how much health you can actually lose in this dungeon. Like Dodongo’s Cavern, it looks easy at a glance…. until you get shoved into lava or get wrecked by a Beamos. It’s a step up from Forest Temple, as some of the enemies do a decent amount of damage (looking at you Dodongos), and if you happen to fall into lava or accidentally clip off from the magnetic ceiling….. lava.

However, this challenge stays mostly consistent…. in a good way. It doesn’t get schizophrenic, and you may find that the challenge isn’t exactly a hike. And if you get the Hylian Shield, you may find this dungeon a lot easier.

Relatively good challenge from Forest Temple’s affair. 8 points.

Fun Factor [Tilt] (15): Yay, my personal opinion! Well, to start…… I hate this dungeon. I really hate this dungeon. It’s boring, repetitive, dumb, extremely archaic, and it….. I really don’t like it.

But I’ll be fair. Let me explain my personal problems.

First off, the iron boots are terrible.

Yes, walking on walls with Iron Boots is a good idea. Yes, the idea of magnetic ore is a great idea. Guess what’s not?

Taking half an hour to walk on a magnetic ore ceiling, looking for that one chest as you walk like a snail with the Iron Boots, fighting annoying Torch Slugs as you do anything just to go faster through it. It drastically increases the time spent in the dungeon, and I loathe that.

Yes, the Iron Boots are realistic, but this is an instance where realism doesn’t work. It’s so slow…. so very, very slow. I just can’t stand it.

Second off, Fyrus was a huge disappointment. I was hyped by him in the E3 trailer, and I was so disappointed when it came down to such a ridiculously easy fight. Boring, repetitive… just not fun.

And the repetitive nature? It may not have seem very repetitive to some, but having to bactrack to a chest you may have missed really did push my buttons, even if it was only one chest.

And that chest you have to come back to? The only chest that actually feels like it’s off the beaten path, and it’s impossible to get to until you get the Clawshot? Why? I understand backtracking through dungeons can be an enjoyment, but not if there was no variation in the first place!

Just…. ughhhh. Yes, there was still things that were enjoyable. The miniboss was extremely fun by my standards, and there were times when it was entertaining.

Probably the only thing actually entertaining about this dungeon.... was right before the boss, which is actually kind of sad. Right before the boss is this giant armada of Bublins, and fighting them is loads of fun, especially with new abilities you learn beforehand. It’s like Hyrule Warriors in one short burst.

But the Iron Boots will haunt me until I die!

6 points.

Overall, 60 points. Meh. Despite my terrible opinion, this dungeon is not bad. It has a lot of good ideas, there’s solid gameplay, and the miniboss was quite good. The Bow and Arrow is one of my favorite items, and the outdoor sections is beautiful, and even the room before the boss is eventful (it has 40 Bublins running at you). Unfortunately, it’s bogged down by huge pacing issues with the Iron Boots, a vastly underwhelming boss, and poor execution in design.

See me next time in the Lakebed Temple, the famous water temple of Twilight Princess!

(end)

So, what do you think? Still going strong?

What do you think about this review? Too soft? Too critical? Let me know in the comments and the poll in the discussion!

If there’s anything I missed, or you have something to say about this dungeon/review, let me know! I’m not afraid to change the score!

Also, if you’d like, give your own personal take on this dungeon. What are your memories of this dungeon? What highlights of this dungeon did you like? What highlights did you hate? Was the lava too much for you?

Here’s the new and improved categories for how I review the dungeons (not much differences, but there are edits for those who have seen my old reviews):

Dungeon Design (15 Points): Is the dungeon limited to a factor of linearity or complexity? Was it linear in a good way or a bad way, and if complex, does it have unjustified frustration? Does the gamer have a healthy balance of linearity and complexity that ends up entertaining, and does the design of the rooms work? Is there reasoning to what you have to do? Does the dungeon hold your hand or does it let you discover things on your own in a meaningful way?

Visuals (15 Points): Does the dungeon look the part? Is the music good? Is the dungeon believable and if not, does it impact the dungeon? Does the overall mood of the dungeon bring chills up your spine? Does the dungeon do something that’s unique from past endeavors?

Gameplay (15 Points): Is there a lot to do that creates a fun package? Does the dungeon take full use of the item you’re given, and if not given an item, is there a major hook that grabs you in this dungeon? Is the playstyle repetitive and does it get in the way of your playing? How is the combat? Is the gameplay using new things or does it feel too familiar?

Enemies (15 Points): Is there a variety of enemies in this dungeon and does that variety fit the dungeon theme? Do the enemies bring a challenge and are entertaining? Is the miniboss or boss good, or does it fall flat? Would you battle the enemies/boss again? Is there specific ways of facing the enemies or is it a repetitive scheme that ends up being extremely tedious?

Puzzles (15 Points): Do the puzzles challenge your brain and treat you like you’re a functioning human, or if it’s a first dungeon, is it a fitting challenge? Are the puzzles unique? Do the puzzles fit with the theme? Do the puzzles involve the dungeon item to an extent that’s appropriate, and if not, do they have a common trait? Do the puzzles give you that a-ha feeling that keeps your drive going?

Challenge (10 Points): Is the dungeon too arduous or too simple? Is it so linear that there’s no way to get lost? Is it too possible to die in this dungeon, and if so, is it because of congestion or valid reasons, and if it is too easy, is it a fault of the game or the dungeon? Does the challenge work with how far you are in the game? Does the challenge stay consistent or does it vary, and if it does, is there a good reason why?

Fun Factor [Tilt] (15 Points): What was the overall feeling I got from this dungeon? Do I want to do it again? How would I weigh its entertainment and boredom? Was it too brief or too extensive? Is there anything pacebreaking or repetitive that kills me in this dungeon?

So what do you think of the categories and questions? Fell free to tell me in the comments.

But I’m getting off track.

Let’s get to the game we’re reviewing dungeons of:

Twilight Princess

Twilight Princess, as I’m sure most people know, is a very famous 3D Zelda title. There’s a lot of hate for its art design and its game design, but there’s also a lot of love for its dungeons and characterization, and even some love for its art design and game design.

I’m not going to get into the controversy of Twilight Princess. That ship has flown its sails by me a lot, and it needs to go away.

Instead, I’m reviewing the dungeons, and for those who haven’t followed my old dungeon reviews, I must make it aware that I’m a dungeon fanatic. I judge Zelda games not by their bosses, music, exploration, whatever, but rather on the quality of the game’s dungeons.

So sit back as I journey through Twilight and save the world from Zant….. er…. Ganon.

Now onto the actual dungeon review!

Forest Temple

Housed in Faron Woods beneath a massive tree, which some theorize to be the dead tree from Ocarina of Time, the Forest Temple awaits. Being the first dungeon, it’s not supposed to be difficult, but instead of being tutorial based, it focuses more on its puzzles, probably because you’ve just spent maybe half an hour collecting twilight bugs. It still teaches you more about the game, but this dungeon establishes an identity and style that makes it unique compared to its obvious roots from the Great Deku Tree. And when it teaches you, it teaches you in design, and not large text boxes that constantly interrupt you (looking at you, Navi…. and Fi).

Now join me and the monkeys in taking apart this dungeon!

Dungeon Design (15): The rooms in this dungeon are very distinct. No room is the same, each one having their own flavor in challenges and navigation, and each room having its own puzzle or combat scenario. In that regard, it keeps the game from going steady. There’s definitely a high amount of exploration, so the dungeon is anything but super linear. There are hidden chests and rupees, and there are goodies you can find if you backtrack to rooms you were in when you didn’t have the main item. Unlike Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask in their first couple of dungeons, the Forest Temple contains two pieces of heart, where OOT and MM had zero.

The design is definitely well done for the explorative crowd, but the dungeon still keeps from being too complex, still being rather linear. You can go off the beaten path quite a lot, but it still retains its first dungeon “readiness”. It doesn’t hold your hand, and it, again, lets you find things in your own way and at your own pace, but there’s still a path to the boss.

All in all, the dungeon design is absolutely perfect for a first dungeon. 15 points.

Visuals (15): I said that the outside is theorized to be the Great Deku Tree from OOT? Well the inside also really brings it to mind. There’s definitely a lot of wood everywhere, with walls covered in vines and more wood. It definitely feels like the Great Deku Tree, except the difference is that this tree is dead, where the previous was alive, so you’ll find structures built within structures such as ramps or bridges. It seems like a building was made out of the damn tree, but the temple still retains the nature feel of a forest, with its plant creatures and natural enemies (such as Deku Babas and Keese respectably). The music definitely puts that into place, feeling wild like the monkeys, even sounding somewhat tribal, although not to the extent of Woodfall. It’s very different from the tune heard outside the dungeon, which was mysterious and calming. The music of the Forest Temple is still mysterious, but it’s also wild. It’s sad that the music is very forgettable, and it can be said that it’s too atmospheric. The dungeon can also be rather unbelievable at times, with structures that are made in such a way that you might think, “Who the heck made this, and why?” Unlike the Great Deku Tree, the structures themselves don’t feel like something grown out of the ground, but rather man-made.

I’ll get into it more, but the miniboss and boss music is really damn grand, and you’ve got to hear it. But again, I’ll talk about that later.

The visuals are rather fitting, and its thematic design was done well. 13 points.

Gameplay (15): I said earlier that this dungeon was not at all tutorial based, and it isn’t. It’s still a really easy dungeon, as it’s the first dungeon, but it still challenges the player. As Twilight Princess is combat-centric, there are plenty of new enemies that, while easy, can still be challenging to newbies of the series. The name of the game..er…. item, this time around, is the Gale Boomerang, a brilliant spin on the boomerang in the days of old. It’s a fresh and cool dungeon item that sees a lot of cool uses in the dungeon. Whether it involves using its wind effect to blow debris off the ground to reveal clues and enemies, or grabbing items to then use to immediate effect. And also, this dungeon includes partners: monkeys. These primates must be saved while you journey through the dungeon, and if you save a certain amount, new areas will be available, as the monkeys will swing you to the new areas. It’s a refreshing idea, and it makes the dungeon stand out from previous forest dungeons in the series.

In this way, this dungeon is far from repetitive. It uses a lot of new ideas throughout the dungeon, and the combat is just excellent, considering it’s Twilight Princess. There are times where you’ll think, “Gee, didn’t I see this in Ocarina of Time?”, but that’s more a fault of Twilight Princess rather than the dungeon itself, and it still crosses beyond that.

All in all, beautiful gameplay. 14 points.

Enemies (15): I will pound the idea to the ground: Twilight Princess is combat-based. No, I’m not saying that the combat is amazing throughout the game. I’m saying it’s FOCUSED on combat to a high degree, so you’re going to be fighting a lot, and indeed, this dungeon has a lot of monsters. You’ll find enemies you’ve come across outside the dungeon, such as Bokoblin, Deku Babas, Keese, and Skullwalltulas, but you’ll also find fresh new enemies. These can range from variants of an old enemy such as the Baba Serpent which, when cut off from its roots like a Deku Baba, will wobble around and try to bite you, all the way to fresh new enemies that have great mechanics, such as the Tile Worm, an enemy that hides…. under a tile, but impossible to defeat without the Gale Boomerang, as it puts the worm out of its hiding hole (otherwise it’ll just smack you into the air if you walk across the tile, dealing damage). It’s definitely a fresh variety, and they certainly fit the dungeon they’re in. Most of them are rather easy, but they all have different ways of defeating them that isn’t just stab-stab-stab.

The miniboss is Ook, the leader of the monkeys, whom is first seen when you try to cross a bridge which he destroys with the Gale Boomerang (because he’s been controlled by a parasite which is attached to his head). The battle is loads of fun, using a mechanic learned earlier to free a monkey as the basis of the fight, and giving Ook a taste of his own medicine. The music is also really energetic, and it fits him perfectly with an odd but funky beat. It’s probably one of my favorite tracks for miniboss/boss ever. The problem? This battle is way too short. I’m serious, you can beat this boss in mere seconds if you’re fast enough. Which is sad, because the music is so good, and the fight is so fun. It’s a disappointment that they didn’t give Ook more health for the fight, just so you could hear that awesome music…. and of course, have a more fun fight.

The boss in this dungeon is Diababa, a fearsome and disturbing giant plant that’s made up of two large plant heads that resemble Deku Babas and one massive plant head with a hidden eye inside its mouth. It’s suggested that Diababa was originally a Deku Baba but was corrupted by the Fused Shadow. Anywho, the boss is broken into two parts. The first part has its main body mostly submerged in poisonous water while you fight its secondary heads with a cool mechanic involving the Gale Boomerang, with the second phase being cooler as Diababa’s main head comes out of the water and attacks as well, and it destroys most of the playing field, leaving no weakness for Diababa. Fortunately, Ook makes a return! Except this time, it’s not to battle, but rather to help Link with bombs! This cool spin on a boss is excellent. But this boss suffers from the same problem as Ook when you fight him: it’s too damn short! The fight is over so quick that the boss doesn’t have time to be a threat, and that makes the boss super easy as a result. Easy isn’t a problem, because it’s the first dungeon, but standing still won’t even kill you that fast.

It’s also a shame, because Diababa also has really good music. While the music for the first phase isn’t that good, the second phase is (thanks to Ook’s presence), and it makes it disappointing when it ends so quickly (especially since the music is supposed to go for 3 minutes while the battle takes about half of one).

But again, despite the length, the enemy lineup is still pretty damn good, and I wouldn’t ask for any other grunts this early in the game.

Overall, the enemy lineup is great, and the miniboss and boss have fun mechanics, but the miniboss and boss end up being too short, and the latter being too easy, to have any sort of impact over the experience. A shame, they had great music. 12 points.

Puzzles (15): The puzzles in this first dungeon are done rather well, if not cleverly. And most of that cleverness comes from the use of the Gale Boomerang. Whether it’s following a pattern to open a gate, grabbing items to blow up new areas without getting the item itself, or moving platforms, the puzzles are rather noteworthy in this dungeon. I find them very clever for a first dungeon!

I especially like the use of rolling to rescue a monkey!

In any case, the puzzles are certainly unique, especially the torches. They’re not too hinted at, as Midna stays mostly quiet because she hates your guts and is using you as a slave at this point, and they’re just easy enough that you don’t require her help in the first place and you can figure it out on your own.

Sadly, there isn’t many puzzles that relate to the theme of the dungeon, an idea which I feel is a huge missed opportunity.

It’s also a puzzle itself, though, to scavenge around looking for chests.

I’m trying not to spoil all of the puzzles, so I’m keeping this short.

Anyway, the puzzles are rather inventive, and the boomerang is used very well. 13 points.

Challenge (10): The challenge is pretty much perfect for this first dungeon. The dungeon isn’t too linear, the challenge in the puzzles and enemies works, and the challenge stays relatively consistent, so it never feels schizophrenic. You’d be hard-pressed to die in this first dungeon, but is that necessarily a bad thing in a first dungeon?

But yeah, perfect challenge. The bosses and miniboss are a different matter, but they’re more too short than too easy.

10 points.

Fun Factor [Tilt] (15): Ah, the infamous tilt category, where I give my own, personal take on the dungeon, and you can’t really argue. Because it’s my experience.

After playing this dungeon recently, I actually discovered newfound appreciation for the dungeon. The Forest Temple is a lot better than I once thought. I thoroughly enjoyed trekking with the monkeys, and swinging off of all of them was interesting.

The boss and miniboss definitely warrant a miniboss, especially for how short they are. They need further replays for more fun :D

If there’s one thing that hampered my fun, it was certain actions that you had to repeat over and over again, which was really frustrating and pace-breaking. These actions were mainly tossing the boomerang to rotate platforms, waiting through short cutscenes for monkeys to help you get along a set path, or climbing. The first isn’t that bad, and the second doesn’t happen often, but the latter is ****ing annoying.

Say what you want, climbing is goddamn annoying in Twilight Princess. It takes far too long to climb up and down vines, and it seems too easy to move in the wrong direction. I swear there were numerous times when I ever so slightly edged to the right and I ended up falling because I went right where no vines were. And since there’s so many vines, it’s….. frustrating. It’s unintuitive. And it makes me wish for the Clawshot early.

But besides that major dang annoyance, the dungeon has a good length, and there are some memorable things about this dungeon. The monkeys sometimes have some hilarious actions, like when the monkey rolls into the pillar holding a monkey, which was both funny seeing the monkey’s reaction, and giving a great hint for a puzzle. 11 points.

Overall, 88 points. Amazing. And that’s the synopsis in a nutshell. This is an amazing first dungeon. It plays great in design, and the visuals are stunning. It suffers from actions that can get repetitive, too short enemy battles, and a few missed opportunities, but more so than most first dungeons, the Forest Temple makes the problems into something better. This is one of the greatest experiences in Twilight Princess, and more first dungeons need to be like this. It’s just as good as Woodfall, and like Woodfall, it’s a damn good start for the game.

Meet me next time in the fiery pits of Satan…. I mean the fiery mines of the Goron Village.

Same thing really.

(end)

Dang my computer and its lagtimes!

So, off to a good start? Yes? No? TELL ME!

What do you think about this review? Too soft? Too critical? Let me know in the comments and the poll in the discussion!

If there’s anything I missed, or you have something to say about this dungeon/review, let me know! I’m not afraid to change the score or implement what you suggest!

NOTE: Please give your own personal take on this dungeon! What are your memories of this dungeon? What were the highlights of your adventure through the Forest Temple?