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Avalon CodeBy Marlon Esmeralda - 04-02-09 Print  EmailMost RPGs nowadays hardly do anything new. Many you see come out, tend to be sequels or have a similar style to many others. So with the release of Avalon Code for the Nintendo DS, its good to see developers willing to take a risk in doing something new amongst the other well-established franchises. It plays kinda like your standard RPGs, but by adding in one very unique mechanic, the game becomes a totally new experience. You see, the basis of Avalon Code is that the world is ending. And when one thing ends, another begins. So with the end of the present world nearing, you have been chosen to take charge in the creation of the next. By using the Book of Prophecy, you will record things that you feel are significant enough to bring over into the new world. The Book of Prophecy is definitely the game's highlight. Its purpose is to record things that will be used in the new world. You can record various things like: people, monsters, foods, weapons, and flowers. Along with their picture and short biography, other stats are present, like a monster's weakness, and a person's likes and dislikes. The most important stat to take notice of though, is the object's code layout. Each object in the world of Avalon Code has a specific code combination attached to it. There can be one code, or many. These codes range from elements like fire, ice, and forest; to feelings like, hope, freedom, and illness. By altering the codes of an object, you will change their properties. For instance, there will be a point in the game where you will need to heal an injured cat. With the proper code combination, you will be able to remove the ill code, and by doing so, change it from being a injured cat, to a normal cat. The same can be done to monsters. Say your facing a monster with a lot of life. By adding some ill codes to it, the monster will become more weak, enabling you to easily defeat him. Codes can also be arranged to strengthen you weapons, and may even change them entirely. Its not just grabbing and adding in codes either, as each code has its own shape and size, adding some puzzle gameplay in the mix. You will be surprised at how much you can do with these codes and how much you can alter the properties of an object, thanks to this unique mechanic. While it is a unique concept, it isn't perfect. The book interface will become quite a hassle to use when more info is recorded onto it. By recording lots of data, you will acquire more codes. Since you can only hold four codes at a time, you will need to place codes onto other objects in order to make room, so that you can place specific codes onto another. Even finding a specific code can be quite troublesome, since you can't really track what codes you have inputted onto what object. The process of code swapping will definitely become more complicated as the game moves along. And thanks to the fact that code swapping consumes some MP, it may make all your work useless if you are unable to input a final code in because you ran out of MP. Your book will also become full of other things like locations, which may make scouring the pages quite troubling. There is a table of contents available, but you will still find yourself needing to flip through the many pages of this book, just to find whatever you're looking for. Apart from code scanning, the rest of this game plays like a typical dungeon style RPG with a simple combat system. For combat, you will equip one weapon onto your left and right hand, and swing in combinations in order to defeat enemies. As a twist on the simple combat style, comes the Judgment Link attack. This attack will have you launch enemies in the air with the push of a button. By hitting them at the right time, you can launch them higher and higher. Hit them enough times and they will explode like fireworks. Its definitely something I haven't experienced much in a game, and if done well, you may be rewarded some HP and MP. As for the dungeons, well they're pretty standard as each will have a boss waiting for you at the end. Each room in the dungeon will have a requirement that will need to be fulfilled before you can move on. These requirements are pretty simple and will mainly have you either killing off enemies, or turning on switches. There's really no defend mechanic, though you can equip shields, but other than that you will need to roll in order to evade attacks. You will die occasionally in this game, but rather than having to restart from the last saving point, the game will put you back in the room in which you died, along with half HP and MP. When you're not in dungeons or off fighting enemies, you will most likely be interacting with the many characters in the game. Most characters will have their own story attached to them, which will allow you to really get to know them, and may eventually start caring for. There are even specific characters that you can become intimate with. Its a nice addition to the gameplay, as it definitely adds some depth to the story. Visually, Avalon Code is beautiful. With some nice 3d graphics and a very artistic animation style. Its no surprise as these are the same guys who worked on games like the DS remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV. Add in the wonderful soundtrack and great voice work, and you got yourself a high-quality title overall. As with most RPGs, this game will take some time to complete. The story itself is pretty lengthy, but there is also many other things that you can do in this game. Thanks to the Book of Prophecy mechanic, your time will be mainly spent exploring areas and experimenting with the properties of other objects. The character interaction will also occupy you as well. The game even has a couple of mini-games for you to enjoy on the side. Your definitely looking at well over 20+ hours of gameplay, with each experience definitely being different from the last. Avalon Code definitely succeeds at setting itself apart from other typical RPGs, thanks to the introduction of the Book of Prophecy. While it is a unique experience, it definitely has its flaws. Hopefully the developers are willing to provide a sequel to the series, as I think they can really take this thing somewhere if they tweaked a few things. As it stands now though, the game is pretty engaging and by investing the time into it, you will certainly come out pretty satisfied. Great graphics and beautiful sounds help bring this experience to life, and it's certainly one experience I recommend many others to try. Ratings |
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