The gameplay is great, but it’s very different from the original Zelda1, good or bad. I feel battles are much harder than the original Zelda1. I recommend playing this quest Easy or Relaxed if you don’t want hard battles.
Boss battles except the final boss battle are very interesting and exciting and the normal boss battle music was chosen very well. Final boss’ attacks are very fierce, light polls often block some areas of the screen. It makes dodging final boss' attacks harder.
As for the story…
Big twists and big surprises are there, but I guess it’s not to everyone's taste.
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The Depths of Malice
Overview
Feature Quest
Creator: Russ Genre: NES-style Added: 23 Jan 2020 Updated: 14 Apr 2022 ZC Version: 2.53 Downloads: 1819 Rating[?]: |
Download Quest (8.56 MB) |
Information
My entry for the 6th Quest Contest. A new take on the standard 8 triforce piece NES-style quest.
About Reviews Comments Forum Topics
Description
The Depths of Malice is a modern-ish, classic-ish, NES-style-ish dungeon romper created for the 6th Quest Contest over a four month period. It's about the closest thing to a classic style quest you'll get from me, though how classic it is is up for some amount of debate. It seeks to celebrate ZC's legacy by invoking an old-school vibe while pushing the limits of what 2.53 is capable of with new ideas and features.
So what can you expect from The Depths of Malice?
Updates: 4/14/22
- Fixed a problem with the ZIP archive
- Made one screen in level 1 slightly less confusing by removing a duplicate switch
So what can you expect from The Depths of Malice?
- Two 16x8 overworlds, one based on Zelda 1 and one completely original.
- Nine dungeons, two of which are freeform, and all of which feature new scripted gimmicks and bosses.
- A mix of new and returning items.
- Nonlinearity, with the ability to tackle several dungeons "out of order".
- An HP system which allows you to survive mortal damage by collecting health before your HP meter drains.
- Scary Lynels.
- An engaging story set in the Zelda universe but divorced from typical Zelda themes.
- An extra game mode, unlockable upon clearing the quest, for added replayability.
Updates: 4/14/22
- Fixed a problem with the ZIP archive
- Made one screen in level 1 slightly less confusing by removing a duplicate switch
Older updates
4/13/22
3/15/20
2/29/20
This update may break older saves, so use caution when updating!
2/27/20
2/20/20
2/7/20
2/6/20
2/4/20
2/3/20
1/31/20
1/28/20
1/26/20
1/25/20
Changelog
- Replaced one puzzle in level 7 with some enemies, since there were a bit too many puzzles in the dungeon.
- Moved that puzzle to the end of the dungeon, replacing a harder puzzle that was there.
- Replaced a bomb wall on that screen with an open door.
- Moved the puzzle that WAS on that screen to level 8, replacing an even harder puzzle, which has now been removed from the quest.
- Added the ability to freeze and thaw Armos, making a certain puzzle much less janky to solve.
- Fixed a pit in level 2 not being solid.
- Moved that puzzle to the end of the dungeon, replacing a harder puzzle that was there.
- Replaced a bomb wall on that screen with an open door.
- Moved the puzzle that WAS on that screen to level 8, replacing an even harder puzzle, which has now been removed from the quest.
- Added the ability to freeze and thaw Armos, making a certain puzzle much less janky to solve.
- Fixed a pit in level 2 not being solid.
3/15/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug that could cause the Lost Hills path to break if you obtained a certain item upgrade.
2/29/20
Changelog
- Added a wallet upgrade to the OW, per popular demand.
- Added two new late-game item upgrades, both of which require finding hidden entrances to late-game dungeons. Abei hints at these.
- Ensured that every dungeon has at least two (three in the case of The Tower) bomb/rupee drops.
- Added a new option to a certain game mode that utilizes these new drop locations.
- Added a seed display to the subscreen in a certain game mode.
- Fixed a bug (for real this time) where defense values lower than 50 would display incorrectly on Hard or Insane.
- Fixed a minor bug where you would swim more slowly underneath leafy overhangs in the Northern Sea.
- Fixed some misc script errors.
- Fixed a bug where a warp from a cave was set to scrolling warp, rather than insta warp.
- Fixed a logic bug that could place arrows behind a soft arrow check.
- Fixed a bug where collecting an arrow upgrade would un-equip arrows.
- Fixed a bug where the wrong item could appear in The Tower's item cellar.
- Added two new late-game item upgrades, both of which require finding hidden entrances to late-game dungeons. Abei hints at these.
- Ensured that every dungeon has at least two (three in the case of The Tower) bomb/rupee drops.
- Added a new option to a certain game mode that utilizes these new drop locations.
- Added a seed display to the subscreen in a certain game mode.
- Fixed a bug (for real this time) where defense values lower than 50 would display incorrectly on Hard or Insane.
- Fixed a minor bug where you would swim more slowly underneath leafy overhangs in the Northern Sea.
- Fixed some misc script errors.
- Fixed a bug where a warp from a cave was set to scrolling warp, rather than insta warp.
- Fixed a logic bug that could place arrows behind a soft arrow check.
- Fixed a bug where collecting an arrow upgrade would un-equip arrows.
- Fixed a bug where the wrong item could appear in The Tower's item cellar.
This update may break older saves, so use caution when updating!
2/27/20
Changelog
- Fixed a logic bug with a certain game mode.
- Added healing tiles outside the final boss room.
- Added healing tiles outside the final boss room.
2/20/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug where stats could, in rare occasions, become 0.
- Upped the stat total in a certain mode from 300 to 320.
- Wand fire now properly lights the torches in Depths of the Abyss.
- Wand fire is no longer nearly as finnicky about burning OW secrets.
- Fixed a version compatibility bug where melee weapons would drop flames after obtaining the book on 2.50 versions.
- Exploding Jellyfish no longer lose their collision when struck by a boomerang.
- Easy and Relaxed modes are now easier, with defense buffs from normal increase from 50% to 75% on easy, and 100% to 150% on Relaxed.
- A frequently missed bomb wall in Coral Caverns is now better hinted at.
- A tablet at the beginning of Coral Caverns clarifies that you are not expected to tank to reach keys now.
- Fish orbs now make the proper sound effect when struck by an arrow while inactive.
- Misc typos are now fixed.
- Upped the stat total in a certain mode from 300 to 320.
- Wand fire now properly lights the torches in Depths of the Abyss.
- Wand fire is no longer nearly as finnicky about burning OW secrets.
- Fixed a version compatibility bug where melee weapons would drop flames after obtaining the book on 2.50 versions.
- Exploding Jellyfish no longer lose their collision when struck by a boomerang.
- Easy and Relaxed modes are now easier, with defense buffs from normal increase from 50% to 75% on easy, and 100% to 150% on Relaxed.
- A frequently missed bomb wall in Coral Caverns is now better hinted at.
- A tablet at the beginning of Coral Caverns clarifies that you are not expected to tank to reach keys now.
- Fish orbs now make the proper sound effect when struck by an arrow while inactive.
- Misc typos are now fixed.
2/7/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug with yesterday's update that caused stats to sometimes become negative.
- Fixed some inconsistencies that could occur in a particular game mode.
- Fixed a soft lock in Level 7.
- Replaced the exploding jellyfish in an alloy cave with enemies that don't sometimes have a stroke and print script errors when particular items are obtained.
- Fixed some inconsistencies that could occur in a particular game mode.
- Fixed a soft lock in Level 7.
- Replaced the exploding jellyfish in an alloy cave with enemies that don't sometimes have a stroke and print script errors when particular items are obtained.
2/6/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug that caused potions to heal for far less than they should.
- Shops will no longer sell elixers when you already have a potion.
- In a certain mode, stats should be more balanced, rather than always weighted towards speed and away from defense.
- Shops will no longer sell elixers when you already have a potion.
- In a certain mode, stats should be more balanced, rather than always weighted towards speed and away from defense.
2/4/20
Changelog
- Fixed a critical bug which caused the ending to fail to play if you dealt the final blow to the final boss with an ice projectile
- Removed an Armos that inadvertently wound up in the Lost Hills in a past update.
- Removed an Armos that inadvertently wound up in the Lost Hills in a past update.
2/3/20
Changelog
- Transition from the Northern Sea to a slow swim area will no longer cause you to rebound out or move in strange directions.
- A softlock that could occur in the push block alloy room has been fixed.
- A rare softlock that could occur in Level 1 under special circumstances has been fixed.
- Level 3's boss now has a long delay following it's vulnerability period where it has no hitbox and cannot attack.
- Level 4's boss's projectiles now properly deal damage.
- The Ward Spell has a pickup message now.
- The tablet in L3 now properly freezes action.
- An odd bug that caused floor tiles to be pushable in one screen under specific circumstances has been corrected.
- Misc misaligns fixed.
- Two script errors were fixed.
- A softlock that could occur in the push block alloy room has been fixed.
- A rare softlock that could occur in Level 1 under special circumstances has been fixed.
- Level 3's boss now has a long delay following it's vulnerability period where it has no hitbox and cannot attack.
- Level 4's boss's projectiles now properly deal damage.
- The Ward Spell has a pickup message now.
- The tablet in L3 now properly freezes action.
- An odd bug that caused floor tiles to be pushable in one screen under specific circumstances has been corrected.
- Misc misaligns fixed.
- Two script errors were fixed.
1/31/20
Changelog
- Moving in and out of water should no longer have an annoying delay.
- Fixed a few places where you could get yourself stuck with item usage.
- Abei no longer hints at melee weapon upgrades before you can reach them.
- Wand should knock enemies back in the proper direction now.
- Fires should no longer fail to burn groups of bushes or coral.
- Shop items you've already purchased no longer display for one frame on screen entry.
- The grave scene will no longer play if you failed to view it before completing level four and returning to the shrine.
- A few misc script errors were fixed, for those of you who play with the console open.
- Fixed a few places where you could get yourself stuck with item usage.
- Abei no longer hints at melee weapon upgrades before you can reach them.
- Wand should knock enemies back in the proper direction now.
- Fires should no longer fail to burn groups of bushes or coral.
- Shop items you've already purchased no longer display for one frame on screen entry.
- The grave scene will no longer play if you failed to view it before completing level four and returning to the shrine.
- A few misc script errors were fixed, for those of you who play with the console open.
1/28/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug with the Lost Hills.
- Fixed a minor sequence break in Level 2.
- Splitting jellyfish will now be stunned after splitting if stunned while split.
- Splitting jellyfish now drop bombs much more frequently.
- The smallest splitting jellyfish are now killed by the boomerang and hookshot.
- The Level 3 boss has been nerfed; summons die in one hit and drop more arrows, spikes come up less frequently on normal or below, and the homing swarms now wait before homing.
- Minor change made to shop dialogue.
- Fixed a minor sequence break in Level 2.
- Splitting jellyfish will now be stunned after splitting if stunned while split.
- Splitting jellyfish now drop bombs much more frequently.
- The smallest splitting jellyfish are now killed by the boomerang and hookshot.
- The Level 3 boss has been nerfed; summons die in one hit and drop more arrows, spikes come up less frequently on normal or below, and the homing swarms now wait before homing.
- Minor change made to shop dialogue.
1/26/20
Changelog
- Abei no longer gives hints for shrines you've already cleared.
- Changed minimaps to be consistent; a grid is now displayed for any OW or cave screen.
- Fixed minor problem with overhead transparency in the Shrine door.
- Minor walkability error fixed.
- Misc typo fixes.
- Lut is now properly credited.
- Removed an unused song that was accidentally included in the download folder.
- Changed minimaps to be consistent; a grid is now displayed for any OW or cave screen.
- Fixed minor problem with overhead transparency in the Shrine door.
- Minor walkability error fixed.
- Misc typo fixes.
- Lut is now properly credited.
- Removed an unused song that was accidentally included in the download folder.
1/25/20
Changelog
- Fixed a bug that could cause the bridge to the boss room in L2 to be solid.
- Fixed a bug that could cause Lynel drops to become unonbtainable.
- Fixed some solidity issues in Suspended Reef.
- Fixed a misalign in L6.
- Fixed a bug that allowed you to walk out of bounds on one screen.
- Recolored an oddly-colored seafoam on one screen.
- Made Abei's hint to L2's location a little more clear.
- Various typo corrections.
- Fixed a bug that could cause Lynel drops to become unonbtainable.
- Fixed some solidity issues in Suspended Reef.
- Fixed a misalign in L6.
- Fixed a bug that allowed you to walk out of bounds on one screen.
- Recolored an oddly-colored seafoam on one screen.
- Made Abei's hint to L2's location a little more clear.
- Various typo corrections.
Story
Two hundred years have passed since the ocean waters entombed Hyrule, the final victim of the mad Gerudo king. Distrust spreads through the public, as rumors of the rise of a new Gerudo king spread. A curse rises from the ocean waters, with thick smoke choking any who would seek to dive to the ruins of Hyrule below and strange creatures stalking the towns at night. After receiving a call for help intended for his late mother, the young Zora prince Kell travels to the Northern Sea to help. With the Zora's Sapphire to protect him, he descends below the waves, seeking answers and a means to dispel the curse. But things are not as they seem, and he quickly finds himself entangled in an ancient conflict far different from what he was expecting.
Tips & Cheats
- Bombable walls are a fairly frequent occurrence. Their locations are often hinted by the map, room layout, or general dungeon flow.
- There are no walk-through walls, and you are never expected to bomb off the map.
- Explore the world carefully; each dungeon item opens the way to least two heart containers and one magical alloy.
- Sneaking past Lynels, or just running, may be more viable than fighting them early on. If you decided to fight, there's no shame in kiting them into a more manageable arena.
Credits
A full list of credits can be viewed upon clearing the quest.
However, I wish to recognize a few people who greatly contributed here. Moosh's help cannot be understated. He provided the Hookshot 2 tileset upon which this quest was built and created all the dungeon palettes and several overworld palettes for me, based off my sometimes difficult descriptions. He also made sprites for the main characters and offered several ideas which ended up becoming incorporated into the quest. In a similar vein, Aevin contributed several ideas to the quest, as well as the subscreen and underwater overlay effects. At several points along the way, he also served as a well of emotional support to help pull me through this process. Finally, I'd like to thank Zoria for running the contest which spawned this quest in the first place, as well as all the other contest entrants, whose work helped inspire and motivate me these last few months.
However, I wish to recognize a few people who greatly contributed here. Moosh's help cannot be understated. He provided the Hookshot 2 tileset upon which this quest was built and created all the dungeon palettes and several overworld palettes for me, based off my sometimes difficult descriptions. He also made sprites for the main characters and offered several ideas which ended up becoming incorporated into the quest. In a similar vein, Aevin contributed several ideas to the quest, as well as the subscreen and underwater overlay effects. At several points along the way, he also served as a well of emotional support to help pull me through this process. Finally, I'd like to thank Zoria for running the contest which spawned this quest in the first place, as well as all the other contest entrants, whose work helped inspire and motivate me these last few months.
Eddy
Posted 24 October 2020 - 04:40 PM
This was an absolutely amazing experience of a quest and I had a real blast from beginning to end. This is a really unique and interesting take on Z1 and honestly it's so very different I tend to forget I'm even playing a Z1 remake! I don't have too much to say so I'll keep this review short, but generally everything about this quest was really damn good. The dungeons were all unique in their own ways (my favourites are probably the Armos dungeon and the Keep of Flames), the overworld was really fun to navigate through and it was generally an enjoyable experience. The story kept me intrigued throughout and that ending was really something else, would've never expected such a thing like that lmao.
I don't have too many negatives, but I feel the Northern Sea was a bit on the underwhelming side, though I can't really fault you much for that given the fact that it is an ocean and all. I do feel that maybe having a few more smaller islands here and there other than the ones that already exist can help a bit more with the empty space, but that's a minor nitpick at this point. The difficulty was generally fine and scaled nicely, though I feel the beginning portion of the quest was a bit on the difficult side compared to the rest of the quest (for reference, I played on Normal). For example, I found the 1st boss to be the hardest boss in the game. Though after the first two dungeons or so, I didn't feel there were any more problems with the difficulty, so that's fine from then. And one more thing that comes to mind is while the Tower dungeon was cool and enjoyable to go through, I kind of felt it was a little out of place with everything else. I think it might have been better if it had its own theme rather than a collection of all the previous dungeons to make it a more unique and complex dungeon, since as it is I find it to be quite forgettable and a little rushed, which I imagine might have been due to time constraints. Though I will say somebody's been playing a lot of Celeste, and I approve of those moments between floors
I did come across a few weird things, some of which I told you directly already. Two other things I found can be found here.
Overall this was a fantastic quest and I enjoyed every bit of it. Maybe I'll replay it again with the special thing I unlocked, but for now I got other quests to play through since I'm quite behind on things lol. Easy 5/5 from me, great job!
I don't have too many negatives, but I feel the Northern Sea was a bit on the underwhelming side, though I can't really fault you much for that given the fact that it is an ocean and all. I do feel that maybe having a few more smaller islands here and there other than the ones that already exist can help a bit more with the empty space, but that's a minor nitpick at this point. The difficulty was generally fine and scaled nicely, though I feel the beginning portion of the quest was a bit on the difficult side compared to the rest of the quest (for reference, I played on Normal). For example, I found the 1st boss to be the hardest boss in the game. Though after the first two dungeons or so, I didn't feel there were any more problems with the difficulty, so that's fine from then. And one more thing that comes to mind is while the Tower dungeon was cool and enjoyable to go through, I kind of felt it was a little out of place with everything else. I think it might have been better if it had its own theme rather than a collection of all the previous dungeons to make it a more unique and complex dungeon, since as it is I find it to be quite forgettable and a little rushed, which I imagine might have been due to time constraints. Though I will say somebody's been playing a lot of Celeste, and I approve of those moments between floors
I did come across a few weird things, some of which I told you directly already. Two other things I found can be found here.
Overall this was a fantastic quest and I enjoyed every bit of it. Maybe I'll replay it again with the special thing I unlocked, but for now I got other quests to play through since I'm quite behind on things lol. Easy 5/5 from me, great job!
- Russ likes this
Mani Kanina
Posted 28 September 2020 - 11:11 AM
A pretty good quest with lots of strong points. There is plenty of nice looking and creative areas to explore here and worth taking for a spin.
The main flaws of it is a lack of polish and a difficulty curve that is a little bit everywhere at times. Both of these make sense in the context of it being a contest entry, so hopefully they will be resolved in future updates once the contest is over.
There's lots to enjoy in the quest so I do recommend people take it for a spin, but it is a bit on the hard side when it comes to combat encounters and certain puzzles. But there are many unique areas to see and explore as well as plenty of puzzle gimmicks and creative boss fights. I am struggling with coming up with things to say about it though, so I guess I'll keep it short. Oh and there is some teen romance going on here if you're into that.
The main flaws of it is a lack of polish and a difficulty curve that is a little bit everywhere at times. Both of these make sense in the context of it being a contest entry, so hopefully they will be resolved in future updates once the contest is over.
There's lots to enjoy in the quest so I do recommend people take it for a spin, but it is a bit on the hard side when it comes to combat encounters and certain puzzles. But there are many unique areas to see and explore as well as plenty of puzzle gimmicks and creative boss fights. I am struggling with coming up with things to say about it though, so I guess I'll keep it short. Oh and there is some teen romance going on here if you're into that.
xanadude
Edited 15 March 2020 - 03:14 AM
This quest, despite it's quirks, was quite a blast.
It's fun mix of new and old Zelda elements came together into a game that was fun all of the way through. Before I dive deeper into the review, I finished the game off on Easy with 99 deaths and a 98% completion rate (I missed an item that I nabbed after I beat the game). I also finished with a 13 hour run time, but I'd average that the quest would run you anywhere between 8-15 hours, depending on your knack for Zelda games and full completion. I do have to recommend playing this game on the Easy difficulty though, as it was a far more balanced experience to the NES-like difficulty of Normal mode.
The first thing that really stuck out to me where the graphics. Man, while not being the most high fidelity game on the database, it sure used it's tiles and limitations to their full potential. The game was a treat to look at, and felt very Zelda all the way through despite the many convention's Russ decides to subvert. Speaking of, the plot was pretty compelling. It utilizes elements from the Zelda canon in a unique way that, while text heavy at many points (with that high pitched text noise highlighting the problem), draws you in in a way not many quests in the database do. The cutscenes are pretty decent as well, showcasing some pretty witty dialogue in the later half of the game. It's re-contextualization of Zelda tropes also carries over to the gameplay. While being advertised as an NES-like, the game chooses to carry over only certain aspects from the NES era of Zelda, with the rest being brand new gimmicks and mechanics for you to really bite your teeth into. But, this is where my core frustations (and high praise) stem from.
Let's start with one of my favorite part about this game: the items. Certain items have become so second nature to PureZC frequents that they become groan inducing. The stepladder, in an unrelated but also semi-related tangent, fucking blows. I think it's dumb. Not as a mechanic or as an item, but just the fact that it's just... a ladder. To me, I'd wish there was a substitution in some way that makes it fun. I rolled my eyes when I got the stepladder and skipped it's item introduction, but when I walked over a hole in the floor it just... didn't work. You have to actually extend the stepladder in this quest, and it's this magnificent revelation that opens up so many areas and possibilities in the overworld because instead of it being this simple bridge, it becomes a portable platform that allows you to navigate the game world in new and unique ways. And it's like that with every item. A boring candle and a simple bow are just not those things in this game. You also use many items in tandem with each other, creating a strong arsenal of weapons and items. There is also a boomerang. The music is also dope, with the score being Famitracker remixes of some classic video game tunes ranging from Final Fantasy to Kirby. It gave me a VVVVVV vibe and I don't really know why? Not a complaint though, it is an excellent game.
The world is simply enamoring. The quest is clever with it's two overworld system, Wind Waker-esque as you explore a flooded Hyrule that is a new spin on the classic Zelda 1 map. The access points and explorable nature between the two worlds creates an excellent dichotomy that makes each one have memorable and interesting locations. Exploring a mainly underwater land is something exciting and fresh, and sprite effects are always a treat to look at. It's something fresh and new that makes an almost 35 year old world feel exciting again. Which is why it's a shame that this game also decides to trap itself in retro Zelda conventions that don't belong in a game that wants to be something more than a retro throwback.
The first noticeable hiccup in this department is the game's choice of not allowing the space bar map in the overworld. The world is easily memorable, but it's hard to keep track of every single location you've been to. Granted, it is a mechanic that can be over relied on as a crutch to lazily approach exploration, as opposed to forcing the player to familiarize them selves with the game world. Where this logic falls flat is that the game also expects you to use this as a tool in dungeons to figure out where to go. You can't have your cake and eat it too, so it's either you abandon the mechanic to keep it retro or let it be to allow players to orient themselves in places other than dungeons. Anyways, the space bar map in dungeons is also used to find bomb-able walls. The game, most of the time, doesn't make you think to hard about where to bomb walls. But sometimes you are required to have and immense leap of judgement on where to go. Some walls I just never would have thought were bomb-able if I hadn't exhausted all other options (the final dungeon having one so baffling I don't know how I found it). It's easy to lose track of all the stair warps as well, with some dungeons going crazy with the mechanic (Level 3 and ESPECIALLY 7 come to mind). This carries over to the overworld as well, but it isn't as guilty of this crime as the dungeons are, except for the stone tablets which are always A. permanently marked off when found and B. marked off before you buy the map (bug?).
Where the game flourishes are the dungeons. Despite those grievances and some that I'll address later, the game is fantastic with it's theming and scripted gimmicks. Some more than others, but still some great puzzles. The gimmicks in Levels 2, 4, 6, and 8 especially are grand, with the highlight being Level 2. One of my favorite dungeons I've ever had to crawl. Every dungeon was guilty of having a great flow, coming to a sudden halt right at the end when there is one last thing you need to do but can't figure out how to orient yourself or how to do it, and then sticking the landing with a cool boss. Except for Level 5, which has this asinine gimmick in the final room that made me laugh with frustration. A weird sentence, I know. Some puzzles require a leap of logic, specifically a gimmick you need to accidentally figure out in Level 3 and a puzzle in Level 7 that I would've never had figured out the solution if not for skimming a playthrough to figure it out.
Overall, despite my grievances, this is quite the game. It has this undeniable charm and irresistible quality to it that made me keep going back and pushing through. I implore any one to look through it's flaws and play it through to the end, because this is one you won't wanna miss. My technical rating is a 4.5/5, but because I enjoyed myself so much, I'll give it five stars. My favorite from Russ, by far, and some good Zelda fun.
It's fun mix of new and old Zelda elements came together into a game that was fun all of the way through. Before I dive deeper into the review, I finished the game off on Easy with 99 deaths and a 98% completion rate (I missed an item that I nabbed after I beat the game). I also finished with a 13 hour run time, but I'd average that the quest would run you anywhere between 8-15 hours, depending on your knack for Zelda games and full completion. I do have to recommend playing this game on the Easy difficulty though, as it was a far more balanced experience to the NES-like difficulty of Normal mode.
The first thing that really stuck out to me where the graphics. Man, while not being the most high fidelity game on the database, it sure used it's tiles and limitations to their full potential. The game was a treat to look at, and felt very Zelda all the way through despite the many convention's Russ decides to subvert. Speaking of, the plot was pretty compelling. It utilizes elements from the Zelda canon in a unique way that, while text heavy at many points (with that high pitched text noise highlighting the problem), draws you in in a way not many quests in the database do. The cutscenes are pretty decent as well, showcasing some pretty witty dialogue in the later half of the game. It's re-contextualization of Zelda tropes also carries over to the gameplay. While being advertised as an NES-like, the game chooses to carry over only certain aspects from the NES era of Zelda, with the rest being brand new gimmicks and mechanics for you to really bite your teeth into. But, this is where my core frustations (and high praise) stem from.
Let's start with one of my favorite part about this game: the items. Certain items have become so second nature to PureZC frequents that they become groan inducing. The stepladder, in an unrelated but also semi-related tangent, fucking blows. I think it's dumb. Not as a mechanic or as an item, but just the fact that it's just... a ladder. To me, I'd wish there was a substitution in some way that makes it fun. I rolled my eyes when I got the stepladder and skipped it's item introduction, but when I walked over a hole in the floor it just... didn't work. You have to actually extend the stepladder in this quest, and it's this magnificent revelation that opens up so many areas and possibilities in the overworld because instead of it being this simple bridge, it becomes a portable platform that allows you to navigate the game world in new and unique ways. And it's like that with every item. A boring candle and a simple bow are just not those things in this game. You also use many items in tandem with each other, creating a strong arsenal of weapons and items. There is also a boomerang. The music is also dope, with the score being Famitracker remixes of some classic video game tunes ranging from Final Fantasy to Kirby. It gave me a VVVVVV vibe and I don't really know why? Not a complaint though, it is an excellent game.
The world is simply enamoring. The quest is clever with it's two overworld system, Wind Waker-esque as you explore a flooded Hyrule that is a new spin on the classic Zelda 1 map. The access points and explorable nature between the two worlds creates an excellent dichotomy that makes each one have memorable and interesting locations. Exploring a mainly underwater land is something exciting and fresh, and sprite effects are always a treat to look at. It's something fresh and new that makes an almost 35 year old world feel exciting again. Which is why it's a shame that this game also decides to trap itself in retro Zelda conventions that don't belong in a game that wants to be something more than a retro throwback.
The first noticeable hiccup in this department is the game's choice of not allowing the space bar map in the overworld. The world is easily memorable, but it's hard to keep track of every single location you've been to. Granted, it is a mechanic that can be over relied on as a crutch to lazily approach exploration, as opposed to forcing the player to familiarize them selves with the game world. Where this logic falls flat is that the game also expects you to use this as a tool in dungeons to figure out where to go. You can't have your cake and eat it too, so it's either you abandon the mechanic to keep it retro or let it be to allow players to orient themselves in places other than dungeons. Anyways, the space bar map in dungeons is also used to find bomb-able walls. The game, most of the time, doesn't make you think to hard about where to bomb walls. But sometimes you are required to have and immense leap of judgement on where to go. Some walls I just never would have thought were bomb-able if I hadn't exhausted all other options (the final dungeon having one so baffling I don't know how I found it). It's easy to lose track of all the stair warps as well, with some dungeons going crazy with the mechanic (Level 3 and ESPECIALLY 7 come to mind). This carries over to the overworld as well, but it isn't as guilty of this crime as the dungeons are, except for the stone tablets which are always A. permanently marked off when found and B. marked off before you buy the map (bug?).
Where the game flourishes are the dungeons. Despite those grievances and some that I'll address later, the game is fantastic with it's theming and scripted gimmicks. Some more than others, but still some great puzzles. The gimmicks in Levels 2, 4, 6, and 8 especially are grand, with the highlight being Level 2. One of my favorite dungeons I've ever had to crawl. Every dungeon was guilty of having a great flow, coming to a sudden halt right at the end when there is one last thing you need to do but can't figure out how to orient yourself or how to do it, and then sticking the landing with a cool boss. Except for Level 5, which has this asinine gimmick in the final room that made me laugh with frustration. A weird sentence, I know. Some puzzles require a leap of logic, specifically a gimmick you need to accidentally figure out in Level 3 and a puzzle in Level 7 that I would've never had figured out the solution if not for skimming a playthrough to figure it out.
Overall, despite my grievances, this is quite the game. It has this undeniable charm and irresistible quality to it that made me keep going back and pushing through. I implore any one to look through it's flaws and play it through to the end, because this is one you won't wanna miss. My technical rating is a 4.5/5, but because I enjoyed myself so much, I'll give it five stars. My favorite from Russ, by far, and some good Zelda fun.
- Useless Old Man Wisdom and Russ like this
Joelmacool
Posted 23 February 2020 - 10:31 AM
I really did love this quest. I'm not really good at making review (nor am I bothered to make one now), so I'm just going to leave the link for my play-through of the quest.
- Russ likes this
Banana Pudding
Posted 05 April 2023 - 06:53 PM
I demoed this game for about 20 minutes and it right away is obviously a professional level creation. Top notch quality, reminds me of Final Fantasy in many ways. I can't continue because of time constraints but this shouldn't be freeware. I am willing to bet you are a professional game designer.
- Russ likes this
Depths Of MaliceStarted by phatjak69 , 25 Jan 2020 |
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