Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 - From The AbyssDSiWare

Well, poop in the wind. This actually looks interesting.

Can't wait for the review...but already this looks like a surefire hit! And only 200 points to boot!

If it gets a 7 or above (and hits Europe), I'm all over it

Isn't this a retail DS game?

@uel Nope.

Im pretty sure this is a watered down verison of
FROM THE ABYSS cart game ... still worth the 200 pts though.. got the cart based game and now the download ... hopefully will play it later tonight... so far what i can tell you is.. THERE IS NO SLOWDOWN AT ALL shockin for a 200pt game.. now for length and fun factor that will have to wait ( i know i beat the cart based verison in around 10 hours)

Hmm I guess it is from a retail game then, I just checked if there was a retail game called Anonymous Notes beore.

I heard bad things about From the Abyss. Hopefully DSiware will benefit this game, as was the case with Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ.

The reviews for From the Abyss were poor, but I feel like if there hadn't been a cart release, and this was a dsiware (or cellphone game) it would have gotten a much stronger reception.
If it is broken up into two parts, so the whole game would be 400 points, it seems like a great dsiware game. But if it has 4 or more parts, considering the ds game is now really cheap, it isn't as strong a value.

i got it its so fun its hard to play when plants vs. zombies around the dsi shop i keep playing plants vs. zombies but i play from the abyss more than plants vs. zombies

So is this any good?

I downloaded it.

I'm half happy about this game.
Controls are responsive enough, but the fact you can only use items with the stylus really slows the flow of the game.

Also, since the dungeon is randomly generated, it is highly likely that you end up with dungeon floors loaded with unbalanced monsters that make it way too hard to reach the next floor in good shape. And since you lose all your items when you die, this can get very frustrating. (There is a storage system in place, but it is quite limited...)

The minimal story does a great job at making you want to retry a dungeon once you cleared it.

Visuals and sounds are okay, reminds me of the "Secret of Mana" era of gaming.

Character growth is there, even if there is no leveling up system in place.
Monsters are supporters of palette swap, but there is enough diversity and some rare monsters to keep you entertained.

Skills vary from downright useless to overpowered, but this is balanced by an elemental weakness system. Too bad you cannot know first hand what a monsters elemental attributes are (But then, obviously, a fairy that uses fire magic must be fire elemental).

Overall, it is worth 200 pts, but don't expect to find a perfectly crafted gem. It has some serious balancing issues (Hell, I've been on the same dungeon for hours now, because it has a stupid floor made of way too much magic using ennemies... and I'm out of resurection items).

Also, sp/hp healing items are used instantly, while status cleaning ones are stored in your bag, in a questionable game design mechanic. You'll often run around killing critters, hoping for some heals to drop, and likely end up dying.

It is common that you'll just want to run right through a dungeon, kill the boss, and hope that the next dungeon will be more balanced.

Also, there is no buy/sell system, so you'll often end up with an insane amount of useless equipment, since you really just need one of any kind. This makes managing your inventory a time loss. And also, you can only manage said inventory inside the dungeon, so make sure you find a room with no monsters, as they have a wide player detection range.

Another problem is that when your player gets hit 3-4 times in a row, he'll get knocked back at a distance that seems a bit too far, really.