Other parts of the game’s humorously localized writing are lifted directly from the classic titles it parodies and honors, and the overall story is essentially the same core Zelda tale gamers have come to know and love: An evil-doer threatens the kingdom an ancient hero’s descendant embarks on a quest to stop him the hero battles through X number of well-guarded, labyrinthine strongholds scattered throughout the world, collecting one sacred artifact from each the hero uses the collective power of these items to defeat the ultimate foe the people of the Kingdom live happily ever after. Throughout the adventure, characters make mention of the Kingdom’s shift from 2D to 3D, and self-referential lines of dialog poke fun at the notion of such a project. The game’s use of just a few frames to animate its character models creates a stop-motion appearance that only adds to the aesthetic appeal, as long as the occasionally dipping frame rate remains steady.Ĭonverting a two-dimensional virtual world to 3D is a theme that pervades not only the game’s visuals, but also its minimalist narrative. Everything from foliage, to buildings, to weapons, to characters, is composed of these little blocks, but because this is a modern-era game, lighting, mapping, and depth-of-field effects are skillfully implemented, giving the game an incredibly inviting, what’s-old-is-new look.
The most striking thing about 3D Dot Game Heroes is its unique visual style, which presents a Lego-like world constructed out of millions of tiny, cubic blocks in an effort to express a pixelated 2D world in three dimensions. Despite its best efforts, though, it falls short of the source material in both substance and design. It succeeds at this and more, providing a nostalgic and enjoyable trip through the Kingdom of Dotnia. This PS3-exclusive title is built entirely around homage to the Big N’s Legend of Zelda franchise - a painstaking emulation of the series’ two-dimensional entries in high-definition 3D - and seems to want nothing more than to be a love letter to those games and their fans. For gamers reared on Nintendo’s action/adventure titles of the late 80s and early 90s, the concept behind Silicon Studio’s 3D Dot Game Heroes is what dreams are made of.