There's quite a lot of nostalgia permeating the gaming industry nowadays, and it's made for some really interesting remakes, prequels and tweaks on classic titles in recent years. Games like NES Remix or even WarioWare play on old conventions, while others revel in their pixel art and tradition. Dragon Fantasy launched on iOS platforms in 2011 with nostalgia at its very core, and now it's about to make the transition to Nintendo's handheld.
Nintendo Everything has received confirmation that Book 1 of the (new) old-school adventurer is set to release through the 3DS eShop around Springtime, with Book 2 coming before the end of 2014. As for the gameplay - think Final Fantasy mixed with some EarthBound humour and you're on the right track. It's an RPG full of character, paying tribute to genre icons while offering an experience all of its own.
Previous platforms have included the PS3, the PS Vita and PC, but it seems as though 3DS will be getting a definitive version with some appealing extras. Developer Muteki hasn't skimped on making the most out of the hardware, so the eShop release will feature dual-screen battling, maps of towns and dungeon areas, 3D visuals, and the ability toggle random battles on or off. The latter is sure to appeal to anyone who likes a little more control over their level-grinding.
While we can't currently confirm which regions Dragon Fantasy will be hitting first, it shouldn't be too long before Muteki Corp gives out more information, and we'll be sure to update when this happens.
What do you think about this faux-retro style, and is this one on your radar?
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 38
I nearly bought it on Android a while ago. I dunno whether I want it. (Presumes a 3DS eshop price of at least double. If it is the same price I will probably get it straight away - it is still £5.29 on Android). I do think pixel art works better at a fixed resolution though.
Dragon Fantasy - Dragon Quest + Final Fantasy --- Ha
I can always use some more rpgs on my 3ds, old school or new. Where do I sign up at!
YES YES YES!!!
looks promising
Did a little more research on this, since I've never heard of it before until now, and I gotta say it looks pretty nice. Definitely keeping an eye on it.
@Unca_Lz Haha I get it.
This title looks amazing can't wait to buy these.
Sounds pretty cool! I'm definitely interested.
I hope it comes out for the wii u. There is a higher chance I would buy it if it came out for the wii u
I don't understand how mobile games are condemned but then ported and then the opinion changes so quickly.
(RPG's are not that bad on phones. I think there is a chance I may play the After Years to completion on mobile whereas I am at a point where I can grind for 15 hrs probably 99% through the game (With 99.995% of the story finished) on the Wii that I don't think I will ever finish. It is either that or start again and do some of the challenge dungeons but I didn't enjoy that much to start with and I don't like meaningless grinding. (Especially when I am sat at home and have any number of other better options).
@komodo182 If the assets are not of the right proportions then the only way would be to use one of those god awful filters on it (Short of serious effort very few people bother with - Retro City Rampage and Gunlord seem to be bothering but they also are taking ages possibly for that very reason).
could of got book 1 and book 2 a week or two ago on the VITA for like i think either 8 or 10 bucks. would not rebuy it on the 3ds. i know book 1 was very lame. None of the chapters carried into one another and short (6 to 7 hours) never played book 2 yet but got it. Nothing to really see on these games.
Love RPGs some getting this when it come out
@unrandomsam It's simply because gamers don't like to play games on their phone. It's not that the game itself is necessarily bad (although there are a lot of bad games on mobile).
Awesome! Looks like my type of game, I'll definitely be buying it when it's available.
I'm with @komodo182 on this one — should Muteki decide to bring their brace of pixel art Dragon Fantasies to Wii U, then I'd definitely bite. As for the upcoming 3DS versions? Well they're more like a possible maybe. Yup, a definite possible maybe
@unrandomsam — speaking of Retro City Rampage, buddy, it's a shame that Brian Provinciano has never announced any plans to bring that particular potpourri of retro deliciousness to Wii U as well as 3DS. Seeing as he pretty much brought it to every other system — bar mobile, of course — including Wii U's predessesor, I'd have thought a Retro City Rampage U would have definitely been on the cards by now. Perhaps it has something to do with all the Nintendoom that's been doing the rounds these past few months?
Either way, I for one love the idea of kicking back on the sofa on a rainy Saturday afternoon, a good set of headphones jacked up to the GamePad for maximum chip tune enjoyment, and partaking in a healthy spot of riotous, pixelated fun. Sounds cool, right? Well, to a 40yr old boy like myself, it's right up my alley!
Have a good weekend everyone!
Did anyone else misread that as Dragon Quest and get excited for no reason?
@Jollykarp Nope and since we get no Dragon Quest this company can have my money. Since we can't really get excited for Dragon Quest this will do. Square is dropping the ball
It is always nice to see a mobile game grow up and move on to more consoles.
@unrandomsam People don't condemn the few good games out there, but smartphone gaming in general. Even among quite a few dvelopers, it's considered a quick cash-in instead of a serious platform, simply because smartphone users without console experiences are completely unable to appreciate good games. These good games are often highly stylized (instead of looking silly) and provide good challenging gameplay to differentiate themselves from those casual cash-in games.
To me, it's an intelligent, but risky step to do this, but also a good alternative to crowdfunding. Developers can earn money easily on smartphone games/apps and use the profit for proper console releases, where their games find proper appreciation.
Wow the 3DS is a great little RPG devise, that's why I love it and that's why I'll buy this too.
Feh... Episodic releases are lame.
I've been following the lead designer of this game on Twitter for some time now. He's a cool guy and is really passionate about making games. I've been holding out for a Nintendo console release so hopefully it turns out good.
@Kaze_Memaryu I would never use a phone. (I had an Xperia Play but it was so awful as a phone it was useless). Tablets with decent build quality / power and screens (For Android anyway) are dirt cheap. Most stuff supports controllers. The only ones that don't are Square Enix and Konami. (Contra Rebirth is totally stupid with touchscreen controls).
I won't be getting Rage of the Gladiator (3DS) because to see roughly what it was like I tried the free mobile version. It is exactly the type of game I want nothing to do with. (Not interested in supporting a company that is involved with that). If it was the same game I probably would have done.
The dotemu stuff all supports physical controls and is generally Arcade versions of stuff that Nintendo has either a really junk NES version or if we are very lucky the PC Engine version.
Double Dragon Trilogy
Blazing Star
R-Type (Arcade)
King of Fighters 97
Raiden Legacy (5 Raiden Games)
Far better than any of the NES stuff that is available and comparable and also cheaper and able to be used in a more comfortable manner. (D-pad location).
(RECCA perhaps being an exception.)
The vast majority of Wii and DS games are also absolute garbage. (And on the 3DS eshop there is still loads of absolute junk).
Now THIS I want
@unrandomsam Comparing new games to NES games is completely pointless.
Nowadays, frameworks, tutorials, and all the other kinds of help available on the internet make it seriously easy to make passable games (and yet, many dev's still fail to do even that). Back then, nothing was defined, and there were no standards since gaming wasn't nearly as big as it is now.
Also, many smartphone gamers don't want controllers or button expansions/devices on their phones - smartphones are marketed to work with as few button as possible, after all.
Other than that, you haven't really brought up anything that was in any way related to what I told you. I don't care about superior versions of the games themselves - without an actual controller, they all have awful touch controls. So the quality of these games are nonetheless painstaking to those who know how it's supposed to be played (not a single person who finished Double Dragon on a console would ever say that touch controls are actually better).
@Kaze_Memaryu I am talking about now as in what can be bought right now as in the quality of older stuff readily available. You always talk about smartphones but if you want that stuff then the sane thing to use is a tablet. All those games are not new they are Arcade game emulations which is directly comparable to NES emulations. (And they are cheaper and tablets have better screens and with a £20 controller an overall better experience).
@unrandomsam Tablets don't magically make retro games better, they still suffer from the same control issues. So the difference is nonexistent. The screen argument, however, is simply wrong. Retro is retro, and better screens don't make them look better, just stretched.
Also, I consider smartphones and tablets to be the same (I know they're not, but gaming on both is), since almost every game on smartphones works on tablets and vice versa. But no retro/arcade game in the world works better on smartphones/tablets than on consoles by default - and having to buy a controller for such a device is unreliable since no dev is obligated to support any peripheral beyond what every smartphone/tablet has: a touchscreen.
@Kaze_Memaryu You can keep the aspect ratio. Mobiles are not comparable because the primary purpose is to make calls and a phone with no battery cannot fulfil that purpose. You say nobody has to yeah but there is enough that already do that is worth it anyway. The cost of the controller is almost certainly less than the amount saved for better games. If the Wii U Gamepad could be used more than 10m from a Wii U that would be different. Tate mode stuff is more practical as well. Nobody has to support the circle pad pro - sometimes people don't when they should have that is the same situation as people not supporting physical controls. There is also the issue of convenience. I agree those attachments for phones are not convenient (Stops it fitting in a pocket reasonably) but in a bag a controller is no weight at all.
They all use LCD's (With the associated negatives. One of the advantages of the original Wii is it is reasonable to connect to a CRT)
Finally a classic RPG! (plus I LOVE Earthbound ;D)
@Expa0: I agree, it should be an all-in-one title only.
I played this for a couple hours on my android tablet last night. I also paid 8.99 to download it. Well its. Pretty cool game but I really don't like the touchscreen controls. The 3ds version has the potential to really blow away the android version. I can also see where the 3d visuals can really look neat on 3ds. Is the game worth 8.99? I'm going to need to play more. I just hope the price doesn't get doubled when it hits the Eshop cause I say nope.
@LaytonAprentice "I may have to consider this." True consumer dedication.
@Windy Just get an usb otg adapter ($2 for a decent one) and plug a controller in. Be less than the price difference between this and the 3DS version more than likely.
(Those fake play sega ones ($5) have pretty good compatibility even though they suck as far as controllers go they are much better than any touchscreen controls. If you want it better you can swap the insides into a real mk2 Saturn controller pretty easily).
360 controller just works as well. Others depends on how they are mapped. (Can be fixed but it is fiddly you can end up with start or select as one of the needed buttons if they cannot be remapped in the app).
I am pretty happy with this (Was going to refund it if the controller didn't work).
I have had this game on ios for years, and both games on Vita. So I'll have to wait and see how compelling the new features make the experience before deciding to triple-dip.
@unrandomsam I actually don't like gaming on my tablet. I really also hate the thought of getting one of those BlueTooth adapters hooking up a controller to my 7inch tablet then propping the tablet somewhere and playing that way. Now if I had Google TV or one of those adapters where it ran on my big screen I would probably do it. For now its gaming on 3ds with an ocassional android game using touchscreen. 3ds gets probably 95% of my gaming time these days and I like it that way anyway
I tried to buy this on PSN for the Vita but it wasn't there. Poo! I have left a message on their Facebook page to see if there's any way to buy this game. I believe it's only available in the US.
Tap here to load 38 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...