It looks a lot like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening--I don't know why that surprised me, as I knew going into this game that Link's first portable adventure was created using the engine that the folks at Intelligent Systems came up with for Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru.
Battling enemies is ... interesting--In most Zelda-esque ARPGs, you fight foes by slashing them with a sword or other weapon (which is accomplished by mashing the A or B button). In For the Frog the Bell Tolls, you simply run into them and then watch as the battle takes place in a cloud of dust. Whichever character is stronger wins. I know it sounds lame in theory, but in practice it works pretty well. It also keeps the game from feeling like little more than a Link's Awakening hack.
The whole package feels like a breath of fresh air--Especially if you've had your fill of everyone's favorite plumber and his friends. Don't get me wrong, I love Mario and Kirby and all of Nintendo's other go-to characters. That said, I miss the days when Miyamoto and his colleagues regularly churned out new IPs like this one.
Are any of you playing through For the Frog the Bell Tolls? If so, what do you think of it so far? If not, no worries--I'll continue to share impressions of the game as I edge ever closer to its finish line.
See also: 'Well, I guess I know what I'll be playing this weekend (and probably next) ...'
10 comments:
From what I understand, the Richard made a cameo in Link's Awakening and you had to find a golden leaf for him. You could also get your picture taken with him in the DX version.
Sounds like a top game, thanks for bringing it to my attention! I just hope I get around to playing it :P
Hey there, Drunken Lemur! Yes, I've heard that, too. Unfortunately, it's been a looooong time since I've played Link's Awakening, and even then I didn't play it through to completion. Maybe I'll tackle that as soon as I'm done with For the Frog the Bell Tolls...
You're welcome, Simon! You really should give it a try if it sounds at all interesting to you. I'd love to hear what you think about it!
Prince Richard (the jerk) is indeed in Link's Awakening with a calm, relaxing version of For the Frog the Bells Tolls' overworld theme.
Go to 5:05 of this video to see his house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TqwquoOPAM
Anyways, I played about an hour of it over the weekend and it's an excellent game with wonderful music. Plus the translation is wonderful featuring typical Nintendo sassy dialogue. I'll try to beat it myself in the next few days.
Thanks for sharing the link to the video of Richard in Link's Awakening, Mark!
As for FTFTBT, it does have nice music, doesn't it? Also, the sprites are just wonderful, IMO. I have no idea how far I am into it yet, but I would guess I'm still in the first half.
Anyway, glad someone else is playing it and enjoying it, too. Keep me/us updated on your thoughts on the game, will you?
I wasn't super-inclined to play it before I read this post. The bit about the battle system made me NEED to play it. That sound like a great system! I assume you level up as you go? And...how do you know who is stronger?
Huh. I'm actually surprised my commentary on the battle system is what made you change your mind about the game, Justin.
As for your first question (do you level up as you go?): Not really. This game is very much like a Zelda game in that you boost your life, strength, defense, etc., by finding or by being given heart containers, newer swords, newer shields, etc.
Oh, and how do you know who is stronger? Basically, you just have to jump in and try fighting the enemy in question. The game is very forgiving, thankfully -- if you lose, you end up in the nearest town's hospital with all items and money intact. Also, until you're strong enough to defeat said enemy, you can simply avoid it (in most cases).
Anyway, I definitely think you should try it, esp. since I know you like Zelda games. Just be warned that some of the things people tend to hate about Zelda games (backtracking, fetch quests) are included in this one, too :)
I don't hate that too terribly much. Fetch quests, maybe...
Like I said earlier, it'll be interesting to hear your thoughts on this one. I'm really enjoying it overall, but I will admit that when I played it last night and I got a *bit* annoyed that, once again, I was going to have to trek back to a town I had been to many times before. Hopefully an easier way to transport between towns will show up sooner rather than later...
Post a Comment