Pros:
+ cute art style in the spirit of the series
+ adds a new twist to the Minecraft formula
+ building system is mostly smooth
+ permanence to the world makes it feel alive
+ items and dungeons can be seen from a distance
+ some unique side-quests
+ transparent construction trees
+ constantly growing home base
+ diverse NPCs with cute personalities
+ tutorials are quick and easy
Cons:
- starting each episode over again at zero is deeply frustrating
- the entire game is basically a fetch quest
- traversal is slow and teleportation is limited
- awful, simply unfun combat with few to no offensive or defensive options
- tough boss fights feel out of place
- item retrieval after death is aggravating
- item storage system is cumbersome
- enemies can destroy your home for no reason
- created rooms are sometimes ignored for unknown reasons
- blueprint building is finicky and not context-sensitive
- midi-tracks are low-quality that get grating really fast
- in-game achievements are hidden from you until the end of an episode
- speed-run ingame achievement is antithetical to the core gameplay loop
Worst Moment: Having to say goodby to the home and friends you made and starting over in a dark, poison swamp to do it all over gain.
Verdict: Word is the sequel is the much better game and fixes most the issues apparent here, so I abandoned this game at the half-way point. As an adult, I was not the intended audience for this, and I can can accept that. However, even to children who are fans of Minecraft and Dragon Quest, the combat is simply too shallow and the quests too samey to make the time spent worthwhile. The episodic structure punishes you for taking your time to build your home by forcing you to reset with each new episode, and the hidden achievements incentivize players to rush instead of stopping to take in the scenery and experiment. You should probably pass on this in favor of the sequel, which I am very interested to play.
+ cute art style in the spirit of the series
+ adds a new twist to the Minecraft formula
+ building system is mostly smooth
+ permanence to the world makes it feel alive
+ items and dungeons can be seen from a distance
+ some unique side-quests
+ transparent construction trees
+ constantly growing home base
+ diverse NPCs with cute personalities
+ tutorials are quick and easy
Cons:
- starting each episode over again at zero is deeply frustrating
- the entire game is basically a fetch quest
- traversal is slow and teleportation is limited
- awful, simply unfun combat with few to no offensive or defensive options
- tough boss fights feel out of place
- item retrieval after death is aggravating
- item storage system is cumbersome
- enemies can destroy your home for no reason
- created rooms are sometimes ignored for unknown reasons
- blueprint building is finicky and not context-sensitive
- midi-tracks are low-quality that get grating really fast
- in-game achievements are hidden from you until the end of an episode
- speed-run ingame achievement is antithetical to the core gameplay loop
Worst Moment: Having to say goodby to the home and friends you made and starting over in a dark, poison swamp to do it all over gain.
Verdict: Word is the sequel is the much better game and fixes most the issues apparent here, so I abandoned this game at the half-way point. As an adult, I was not the intended audience for this, and I can can accept that. However, even to children who are fans of Minecraft and Dragon Quest, the combat is simply too shallow and the quests too samey to make the time spent worthwhile. The episodic structure punishes you for taking your time to build your home by forcing you to reset with each new episode, and the hidden achievements incentivize players to rush instead of stopping to take in the scenery and experiment. You should probably pass on this in favor of the sequel, which I am very interested to play.