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There are multiple swords for you to collect throughout the game that can be upgraded in various ways at the local blacksmith. There are a few other nice touches that attempt to break from the usual mould as well. It’s an entertaining setup with a retro charm, that fills a gap left in the genre by the lack of 2D titles being released on this console generation. The rest of the package is also implicit with challenging and puzzle-ridden dungeons, along with a vast world to explore. The combat is a simple one button affair, but provides an enjoyable experience, even if it is a little shallow. This means the engine of 3D Dot Game Heroes will be familiar to most of you. The gameplay resembles the adventure game paradigm made most popular by the top down 2D Legend of Zelda titles. This becomes even more obvious when you pick up the controller. Regardless of how you look at it, it’s clear what is influencing 3D Dot Games Heroes. It might not have the stunning visuals of Crysis, but the graphics have an undeniable charm It is obvious right from the start that the visuals are a major strong point of the game. The technical aptitude of the visuals is also noteworthy, with the water and bloom effects being particularly impressive, if a little on the extreme side. The artistic flair and unique style cannot be truly expressed properly in words. Thus we get to see the sprites become 3D models before our eyes and the pixelated, yet smooth visuals becomes apparent. The visuals begin looking like a carbon copy of the original Legend of Zelda, but when the king of Dotnia realises the tourist trade is losing out due to the 2D nature of the land, he decrees it become three dimensional. This becomes most apparent in the visuals, as reading about it doesn’t quite convey the sense of humour the game has. But before you write 3D Dot Game Heroes off as a derivative piece of trash, you need to understand that the clichéd nature of it is sort of the point. If this doesn’t remind you of every other adventure game of the past twenty years then you’re either: Not a gamer, or exceptionally unobservant. An evil stirs in the kingdom of Dotnia and, as the descendant of the legendary hero, it is up to you to find the six magical orbs that can seal the evil that may befall the land.