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PS2
Rogue Hearts Dungeon
- Recent Import, In Stock |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCS» The
art of dungeon crawling was perfected by college
students in the mid 1980s on Unix machines. Rogue
was the game and it set hearts afire across campuses
in America. Monsters and dungeon walls
made of ASCII characters provided a stark visual
presentation of the action on monochrome monitors.
Despite the simplicity of the graphics, the strategy
involved in the game kept players rapt and ignited a
slew of clones and derivatives that would keep
dungeon crawling a popular diversion.
Compile reaches back into the early days of gaming and releases a
Rogue that looks a lot better than the original but
the game play remains pretty much the game. Players
start on the top floor of a dungeon and the only way
to go is down. Explore the first level, slay a few
sleeping monsters, gather treasure, and then find
the stairs so you can descend into the depths below.
The design of Rogue Hearts Dungeon retains the
simplicity of the ASCII-based Rogue where every game
begins with a randomly generated dungeon that
changes each time you play. At the conclusion of a
dungeon run when you've reached the bottom and
conquered the beasts within, all of the items and
treasure you've gathered are converted into points
and tallied up. In the next dungeon, you'll
start again at level 1 with only a basic
weapon, suit of armor, and supplies.
Jan Code: 4995857070411
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NCS Game Notes
» In
the intro to the game, the camera takes in virtual
sheets of parchment with line drawings etched upon
them. Animation scenes and assorted drama also
plays out while organ music sounds off in the
background.
» Press START on the title screen and a DATA
SELECT screen pops up. Choose one of the four data
slots and then select either a male character in
blue armor or a female character in a red robe
with blue chest plate. Next, enter the name in
either katakana or English. We named the warrior
"Bologna" and started the adventure.
» The game is based on the Rogue Unix mainframe
game from the 80s but the visual impact is much
improved over the earlier work. Players start the
quest inside a randomly generated dungeon which
changes every time you play. You might notice the
monotonous organ music that plays in the
background while exploring.
» Only the d-pad is used for control. The L-Analog
does nothing. The button commands are:
O-Button: Attack
L1-Trigger: Shoot Arrow
L2-Trigger: Torch
» If you shoot arrows at a wall, they'll fall to
the ground where they may be recovered and placed
back in your quiver.
» Gold pieces and potions lie around on the
dungeon floor waiting for someone to pick them up.
» As you travel around, an overhead map of the
dungeon slowly appears on the left side of the
screen to show the areas that you have already
explored.
» HP recovers by itself automatically as long as
you are moving. If you stand still, it'll stay
still as well. When walking around, your Condition
meter slowly drops. To recover it, eat some bread.
» Only a certain number of items may be carried by
the hero. If you reach the holding limit, you
won't be able to pick up any more items found in
the dungeon.
» The game is fairly challenging in that as you
level up, the monsters in the later levels that
you encounter are stronger and more formidable.
Monsters are usually sleeping when you find them
but if you walk near them, they'll wake up and
immediately go on the attack. If you're surrounded
inside the first level when your HP is a middling
14, you're as good as toast since the monsters
will attack in concert and whittle away all of you
HP in a few seconds. If you kill enough monsters,
you'll level up and HP goes up to 24. Level up
again and you hit 33 HP. Next up, 42. The HP count
appears to go up in 9s and 10s.
» There's a creature that blows ice and encases
you in an ice structure. To break out of it,
attack the ice for liberation.
» Monsters will attack each other if next to each
other. There's no discrimination or sides in Rogue
Hearts Dungeon.
» Some potions that you pick up are poisonous and
will cause you to lose 1 HP per move. Antidotes
are the only solution.
» Although the game looks a free flowing action
game, it is actually built on a turn-based
structure. Every move that you make is metered.
For example, take one single step forward when an
active monster is in the same room and he'll move
one step. He won't move again until you take your
next step. If you stay immobile, it cannot move
because the game is entirely turn-based. This goes
for attacks as well. Sword slices are metered and
you can strike once, the monster counterattacks,
and only then can you strike the next blow.
» The first dungeon should be completed in about
1/2 hour and you'll earn about 6000 points when
all of your treasure and items are converted.
» The next dungeon features a brown color scheme
whereas the first dungeon was grassy green. You
start with the default armor and weapon at the
start of every new dungeon. Your level is also
reset back to 1. If you die, the game ends
abruptly and you'll have to start over again or
reload a data save file.
» Fun and simple game that involves maze
wandering, monster hacking, and use of resources
such as potions and bread to keep your hero strong
and healthy. The music is sleep inducing - let us
explain. If you play it during the normal course
of the day, the music might not cause any
drowsiness but it's the kind of music that can
lull one into a deep slumber. It has a soothing
quality with soft percussion and tender timpani.
We could record it and sell it as a sleep aid for
insomniacs...
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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2007. All rights
reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of
this document may be made without express written
consent of National Console Support, Inc. |
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