hmm, I'll go with an 8.8!
Pros:
- The game is hard, but has a good amount of content to justify the difficulty and makes you wanna continue on.
- The game has some good RPG elements when it comes to character development. Not as deep as some MMO's on pc, but that's expected.
- The combat is great! It tends to suck in rpg's such as this. The way you use your shield along with your positioning is important. The weapon you're using could also really change the way you fight enemies.
- Nice open world design. It seems that I had that typical linear design of this gen's games so drilled into my head that it took me a while to realize that it really is ok to "skip" worlds rather do them in numerical order.
Cons:
- We all know that the game is unforgiving, but some of the design choices are really harsh, and I'm not really talking about the combat itself. Playing the game without some kinda mini guide might leave you making some mistakes that often arn't fixable/changeable till your next playthrough. Not really a huge con, but I think it might be less of con if the game had some good communication features.
- Shorter than I expected. For some reason I was getting the impression that it'd be a little longer. If I wasn't so obsessed with checking the DS wiki so often for info on stuff, I probably would've finished alot faster. Unless you really enjoy the game and all the elements/mechanics it has to offer, you might struggle to motivate yourself to play through a 2nd time.
- Can feel a little repetitive at times. The first world (Boletarian Castle) felt big and had some pretty nice visuals. When I got to the 2nd world, I was hoping it wouldn't be too long since I got tired of the dark cramped spaces. Got to the 3rd world and things got even darker and more cramped. I can understand that the game is meant to feel abit like a "dungeon crawler", but sometimes it feels just a tad abit overdone. The enviornment starts to feel a little dead and bland, rather than dark and mysterious.
- Some of the bosses are easy'ish and have very repetitive attack patterns. In a way, it feels a little old school'ish but sometimes can feel a little lazy. Not really a huge con I guess.
My cons list seems a little long =/ It's not that I hate the game but it always feels so much easier to write longer about a game's flaws.
Anyways, it's a great game and I'll be playing some more tomorrow!
