Wonder Boy: the Dragon's Trap

[Sméagol]

46 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Wow, @Sméagol I had no idea you could do that trick though. That's really cool. So, what? Do you just keep spamming the "switch art style" button?

Yeah. Eventually, the transitions gets slower until it stops completely. It's a bit hard to control where you want the division.

[dazzybee]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

If they had put checkpoints in the game it would have ruined it. The game is actually pretty short and it's the challenge of the game that gives the game its length. You're supposed to learn from your mistakes, look around for power ups/items and then do your best to progress forward.

I honestly think a big reason why the game got so much praise was because of the difficulty, much like the Dark Souls series. It's very old school and there's not many games like it these days. Far too many games these days hold the gamers hand and point them exactly where to go. This one doesn't.

@Grazza have you read the Q&A that ResetEra organised with the makers of the game? It's quite a good read.

Oh I get that completely. It’s jist not for me anymore. The core gameplay isn’t fun enough for the difficulty to be worth. It became a chore and it’s part of my new gaming approach where if I don’t enjoy it then I stop playing - not enough time, far too many games. Cuts have to be made. 

[Grazza]

On ‎23‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 4:00 PM, Hero-of-Time said:

 

@Grazza have you read the Q&A that ResetEra organised with the makers of the game? It's quite a good read.

 

I hadn't, but thanks for the heads-up.  LizardCube were pretty honest about what I think is the game's one objective flaw - namely how obscure it becomes later on.  Personally, I would have liked some particle effects to signpost the hidden doors, and a few hints about the other things mentioned, but to me it's not a huge deal.

 

Other than that, though, I think this game is of medium difficulty rather than anything more.  There are 8-bit games that get trotted out - Metroid, Kid Icarus, Legend of Zelda - that I wouldn't dream of playing without save states.  Not Dragon's Trap though - it's fine.  Checkpoints aren't part of the design, just as they aren't everywhere in Super Mario Bros.  Developers always ask you to complete certain stretches without checkpoints, and I don't think Wonder Boy's are too big.

 

What I love about this game is how considered the overall design seems - neither overly simple nor overly complicated.  The overworld isn't too big or too small.  You find your way to a boss, defeat it, gain a new transformation, access an area you couldn't before, defeat the next boss... and so on.  There's no DLC or ridiculous amount of sidequests.  To me, it's this proper (but limited) design many people have nostalgia for, not necessarily the difficulty.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Grazza

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, Grazza said:

Other than that, though, I think this game is of medium difficulty rather than anything more.  There are 8-bit games that get trotted out - Metroid, Kid Icarus, Legend of Zelda - that I wouldn't dream of playing without save states.  Not Dragon's Trap though - it's fine.  Checkpoints aren't part of the design, just as they aren't everywhere in Super Mario Bros.  Developers always ask you to complete certain stretches without checkpoints, and I don't think Wonder Boy's are too big.

Yep, as far as games from that era go, this game is definitely on the more manageable side. While you are punished for death, getting sent to the village and losing secondary items, you still keep your money and permanent items. So given enough time, you could use the money you've accrued to buy equipment to ease your progress or even hoarding potions to effectively quadruple your health. It's a nice balance that encourages skilled play but doesn't make it too lofty that only the ultimate player could get through it.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Glen-i