Topic: Dot Eater New Pickdun impressions

First things first - this is not "New Picdun", it's "New Pickdun" - that is, not the sequel to Picdun, but the sequel to a completely different, Japan-only, game named Pickdun.

Basically, the game involves collecting dots. You control a guy named Eater (who looks like a mix of Wario and Dr. Crygor) running around small first-person mazes. By touching "cells", you spawn a number of dots in the maze, which will disappear after a while. To beat a "quest" (maze), you need to touch all cells in the maze and collect at least 4 dots spawned from each. Of course, as you're rushing around grabbing dots, you'll have to avoid robots and deal with switches, doors and other obstacles. You view the action both through a first person perspective that makes turning and orienting yourself easy, and an overhead map. The first person view only shows dots, cells and doors, so you have to consult the map to keep track of where robots, helpers, switches and the like are located. Being able to switch which screen to look at at the right moment is the key to success, since you often need to move very fast.

The game constantly introduces new features, like characters who "join you" and grant you powers, switches that can be triggered to open doors, "power pellets" you can use to kill robots... some levels even have additional objectives, like locking up all the robots in marked rooms before grabbing the final dots. Each mission has 4 such "quests" and one "speed run", where you have to grab all the dots in the maze within a strict time limit. All 5 levels in a mission share the same map, but switches gameplay around by introducing new elements, making for a constantly evolving gameplay.

Each level also has gold medals you can go for - in the standard quests, you need to grab ALL the dots, while the speed run challenges you to beat the level in an extremely tight time limit that requires absolute mastery of the controls and knowing exactly how to move. Getting all 5 gold medals in one mission unlocks hidden artwork, giving them somewhat of a purpose. Each quest also saves highest score and lowest completion time.
At the low price of 300 yen (2.99$ in America, I guess) for... I didn't count them, but I think there are 50 levels total, this is a must have.

Thanks for these japanese eshop impressions adamant, I plan on importing one over the holidays so it's nice to see some other people trying out the games so I don't have to
Sounds like a fun game.

The official site has some great gameplay videos, too. Let the menu load, then click the lower right option to see a compilation video, and the lower left to see complete playthroughs of four different levels.

So has anyone gotten the game yet? I'm curious about the gameplay and what is different in this version conpared to the DSiWare version. And if its worth the cash or not.

I'm not taking just anyone's word for it, when it comes to this 3DSWare title. I'll make up my mind, after I've read at least three gaming reviews. If those reviews are all favorable, then I'll ask for gamer recommendations.

I didn't knew this even existed until I saw it on the eShop.
I looks fun and good in 3D.

It is still quite cheap and our version includes 100 levels.

Here's my impressions form the other thread:
Got Dot Runner but never actually tried Picdun but after seeing some videos, I know they are two drastically different games like comparing Pacman to Shin Megami Tensei. The game is basically a strategy maze game (think Pacman moving manually) with some elements of a First person dungeon crawler that relies on quick reflexes if you are aiming for a higher ranking. The objectives of each stage is to defeat all the enemies shown on the map while collecting all the coins by going through some tubes. The enemies can only be defeated if you gather your party member who's trapped inside the maze or by collecting a power up. The battles here are automatic so don't expect a battle system unlike Picdun.

The game is gorgeous, sure I would have preferred the charming anime visuals of Picdun, but the game sports a snazzy Tron-esque vibe and the 3D polygonal models are smooth and refined, if not a little bit too shiny. I'm currently digging the game so far, but I really didn't like that they forced a tacked on story here, it just felt like it deviated from the fast paced experienced. I also didn't like that they forced you to use the 3DS' D pad as there is no Circle pad control. I'm willing to look past those issues since but I fear for the game to get repetitive later on. I only played 4 worlds (2 from the first story line and 2 from the other) and most of the stages has you doing the same objectives.

tl;dr Dot Runner focuses more on maneuvering through the stages and collecting the shinies as opposed to Picdun's RPG-esque exploration and battle. I recommend it to you if you like Fast paced games preferable in quick play sessions.

Also, one more thing, This game will give you alot of trial and error in the later stages.

What are the controls for the game?

You use the dpad to move with up and down to go forward and backward Left and right to turn. You use the shoulder buttons to make a quick steer as you move forward. Think of it as as First person Dungeon crawler like SMT Strange journey controls placed in a pacman styled arcade game.

Nintendo life gave this a 6/10. Has anyone else played it? Im still interested but not interested enough to give up 4.99 without a few more reviews.

This is my favourite 3DS game. If you think people throwing controllers of NES and older games is good memories, then recommended. Would've been nice if there was an option to draw a guide on the map screen that would display on the top screen.

BTW, this isn't the Sequel to DSiWare's Picdun.

The real Picdun 2 was just released on the Japanese eShop a few weeks ago, and retains the gameplay & art style of the original.

Any tips for 9-5 in 3015? I'm assuming I trap them all in the top left room and hope I get lucky?

Edit: Have golds in all the levels now. Trapping them was wrong, I'll come up with an explanation if requested.