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Crescent Dream vs. RedMaverickZero
Crescent Dream If Fenrir Lunaris saw this... He would laugh. Furries are funny to add.
AdrianX
Download: 1.77 MB
V.S.
RedMaverickZero
Play Time: 1 hours and minutes
Review # 19 for RedMaverickZero If Fenrir Lunaris saw this... He would laugh. Furries are funny to add.
Them's Fightin' Words
    Very rarely do you see a game worth your time. Very rarely do you see a game with enough graphical detail to make your jaw drop in awe. Very rarely do you see anything so crisp and fresh as.... Crescent Dream. This game is so beautiful and so alive it really drags you into the character's perspective. Overall, I'd say this game could rival some of the more popular OHR games. And here is why...

Graphics
    I have no idea where the heck AdrianX learned to draw so well. I mean, first of all, his maptiles,walkabouts, and all OHR programmed graphics are astounding. Then he does these super sweet backdrops that look like real anime! That was some of the most impressive work of graphical detail I have ever seen in a game.

The hero graphics were great. There was a black outline which I consider a little difficult to do and preportion. But for some reason, lots of people lately are doing it and doing it well. The battle graphics rocked.... I could end it just like that, but I can't. The main character swung his sword and the positioning of the weapon to the hero graphics were so precise, it looked like he whipped it out of his big red cloak and slashed his foes. Everything was shaded and everything. Which shows that this dude pays close attention to every single detail. Including the maptiles. One simply awesome thing I noticed was right when I entered the world map, a large flock of birds flew by. With shadows underneath them. That was so great... I loved that just about as much as the rest of the graphics in this game.

Walkabouts weren't too shabby. For the most part, they were excellent. But the only real complaint I have about them is for the main characters. When he would walk south or north, his hair kinda waddled around. Like shaking from side to side. This was kinda dissapointing to see for such a great game elsewhere throughout. But the other qualities of the game completely made me forget it. Also, the graphical detail applied with the walkabouts made some awesome cutscenes. I mean, this is how real emotion is played out people. Through story and graphical detail. When the character was sad, a little sad bubble popped up over his head. When he was happy, a happy face in a thought bubble. The walkabouts were detailed to the absolute extreme. Heck, in some scenes, the main character winked. WINKED! That was great as hell. I don't even know if I see professional games nowadays having people wink. The cutscenes were the best part of the game in my opinion and the graphics backed them up 100%.

 
Storyline
    The game focuses on the main character. Adrian. He is what people call, a trainee. His master, a big "purple wolf" named Master Lykan has been training him to be the princess' gaurd so that he can continue the tradition of his brother's rituals. His sister Fhae, however seems to think that their brother is still alive and struggles to realize that Adrian is the one who is trying to pass his test to become the gaurd, instead of realizing that their brother is trully gone. Very detailed and thought out. And on top of that, towards the end of the demo you see two things that appear. One Adrian sees, the other just the player sees. The winged one says some weird names that somehow makes Adrian feel a tad bit worried. But what I don't get is, was it a dream or just he didn't mention it to anyone? And the blonde guy that floated out of the sky. Whoa... That was cool. He is obviouslly part of a great threat trying to stop Adrian from becoming a potential "threat".

Not many games have a thought out storyline. Heck, not many games have a storyline at all. Such as Kill the Seagulls, where it's poorly made all the way around. However, this is not Kill the Seagulls. This... is a master piece. The story is so crisp and unique in so many ways. It really makes you want to know just what is gonna happen next to these characters. And it's so cool to see this in a game. Like the first time I played Final Fantasy 7 (Age:11) and I saw Aries die for the first time. I admit, I was sad. Seeing a character with so much life just die. It made me feel Cloud's anger. This game has that same appeal I'd say.

 
Gameplay
    For the small amount of gameplay, there really was a lot to do. First of all, the beginning of the game had to establish the character personality and then from there you had to get him from Point A to Point B. Basically, from the cliff to the town. Fighting and learning along the way. When you reach the town you learn even more. And on top of that you get to do something real neat in my opinon. The main character's sister Fhae is making some fish stew stuff. You have to gather all the ingriedents to help her make it. Sounds kinda lame at first. But at the same time it's a very helpful thing. It teaches the player to look around the towns later to come and find items and information only those crazy NPC townspeople would know.

To make the list thing even better. AdrianX put some great plotscripting in with it too. For instance, when you have to get to the egg at the top of the mountain. This little boy tells you to look up the cliff. The camera goes up and you see the egg. A great way of displaying a direction to go. And also, when Adrian climbs the cliff wall, he is climbing. That is pretty dang neat if ya ask me. Overall, this game had a lot to do and a lot of fun loving adventure to add to it.
 
  Battle
    Whoa boy. These were thought out as much as everything else was. And what makes it all better. They were balanced. I love seeing things balanced and working smooth and this game does it. I love that. On top of that, the battles are pretty fun, rather than a stepping stone to the next area. The graphics and the sensational backdrops add to this.

The few enimies you fight in the game were slimes and bees. And then even ole Master Lykan. Master Lykan is pretty much what I would call the boss of the demo. Because, well, he's tough! And what's great is you don't get a game over if you lose. You get dropped to 1 HP and then you heal and try again. And what makes that even better. There is different dialogue which makes it even funnier. As said, the battles are balanced. Every enemy appears to have an even amount of HP that appears a mediocre threat to the player at the beginning but after about 10 minutes of playing it's all a breeze.

 
  Map Design
    Every map was very well thought out. The very first area where Adrian saw the cloudless sky the map looked just like it. A long path pointed to the vast sky. And the town was super detailed. The graphics backed all this up to the extreme too. They were very thought out because when you go to look for the stuff in the list everything is scattered around the town so perfectally. Every single item was well hidden too. The weeds used for the stew were very nicely hidden in the backyard of a specific horse. As Shadowiii said in the review of Mr.Triangle's Maze Madness, that the maps were very well designed and thought out. I'd say, this game is right up there with my maze game. Except... without the puzzles and switches and all that stuff. But all the same, the maps were awesome.
 
  Balance
    Not many games I have reviewed lately have gotten good marks in balance. To me, balance is the most key essential part of a game. Without it the game does not run smooth and the player is left with a feeling of grief. To me, without balance, I feel like I am wasting my time. Because the balance is not just enimies. It's the balance of character stats, of map design. Of everything. It's like the summing up of the entire review so to speak. And this game delivers in this area. One of the more balanced games I have played in a very long time. Everything falls into place and works out just the way a game should. Nice and smooth. This is a very fun game and all the elements of the game balance it out and make it so much better.  
Music
    BAMs don't play on my computer so I cannot judge this area...


 
Enjoyment
    As stated in the storyline section, this game really pulls you into the game. Wanting to know how the character is feeling from certain events. Will everything work out for Adrian? That's the question I asked myself after maybe 30 minutes of the 1 hour of gameplay. I got really into the game. And I don't even think some of the games on the OHR today can do that. Heck, I haven't played a PS2, GameCube, XBox, or GBA game that has brought me so close to the character's personality in such a long time. I personally think this is the most enjoyable and fun loving game you can find for the OHR. Everything made this possible too. The graphics, story, and everything mounted up to this. I loved it. And if ya download it, you will see what I mean for sure.

 
Final Blows
    I really hope this game doesn't end up like Time Files and never get finished right when it starts to get good. Because this game kicks Time Files in the ass. And I liked that game too. I guess for the conclusion though, I will give some helpful advice to the author. Keep up the good work. It's really paying off. Heck, you've gotten two or more reviews in less than a month since the game has been posted. And that's an honor in itself. Not many decent games even get reviews the first week they are posted up. But, I know lots of people may hate this if they get as into the story as I did. Try and keep the game as suspensful as possible. The game is very fresh and spoiling the story will spoil the game. Everything else is done to a professional level and if you show this to a company later on, if you wanted to pursue a career in game making professionally. Then this game would clinch the job. But please, keep the story secret. I know I wonna be suprised later on when this is finished.

Holy crap! Isn't that beautiful?!

Holy crap! Isn't that beautiful?!
Final Scores
Graphics: 10/10.0
Can anyone say beautiful anymore than this game can with it's graphics? I think not.
Storyline: 10/10.0
I loved the story. The character personalities were so very well established too. Good job.
Gameplay: 9.5/10.0
If one hour of gameplay has this much... Think how much the WHOLE game will have?!
Music: 1/10.0
I cannot judge this... so the score will not be touched.
Enjoyment: 10/10.0
This game has a good replayablity and will keep you guessing until the cows come again.
Overall Grade: A+
Final Thoughts
    James Paige would be proud... If you don't download this game then, you will miss perphaps the greatest game on CP or made on the OHR.  


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