Them's Fightin'
Words |
|
|
In the beginning, God created life and a home for all life to prosper. And with a bite of an apple, society gained infinite knowledge. With that knowledge grew greed, ambitions, and ill will. Society has sinned. Leaving the surface, God lifted Eden high into the sky, where society had to earn their place in Eden, to live amongst God. But society was greedy. Society divided into species of their own and discriminated and warred against other species to prove their worth as an attempt to join Eden. However, all was futile. Thus, the construction of Babel had begun—a path where all could join Eden. And as society climbed their way to the top, God lost all power and was no longer able to decide the fates of man. And although God could not stop society’s journey, none could journey to the top of the tower. And through the years, monsters slowly infested Babel, and the journey to the top was the last hope for all…
“2200 – Our Story Begins”
To many of you, the story thus far (which, by the way, is merely the introduction) may seem like just another RPG that heavily focuses on biblical reference, and you are right. But this game is different from the rest. In the beginning, you select four of eight characters, each with a different story and different purpose to reaching Eden. Picking different characters would, more or less, affect the overall story. So even if you are one of those people who despise this genre, it is something that is worth the look.
|
Graphics |
|
|
Grandtrain has his own unique style that is well above many other OHR games out there, and it compliments the mood of the game quite well. The darkness of the tiles, cracks in the floors, and all the little details add to the ominous milieu that the story revolves around, and the hero graphics also matches with the environment. Although, some backdrops and monsters seem quite bland, it is hardly noticed and still works well with the details of everything else.
|
|
Storyline |
|
|
As mentioned before, you pick four different heroes to start your journey, each with distinct abilities and a background that adds great depth to the story. And, sure, the story may just seem like you're climbing a tower to reach the top, there are many twists and unexpected turns that would change the whole experience. Selecting different characters also gives more variety, and, by no means, does this leave you bored and unentertained.
|
|
Gameplay |
|
|
The gameplay for Babel is definately something different. In addition with the variety of characters to choose from, Babel has many mini-games, vast dungeons, and a unique battle system to keep players hooked.
|
|
|
Battle |
|
|
In the beginning, battles just consists of holding the space bar until all the enemies are dead. Later on, different attacks are learned, and those learned abilities must be used. This creates some level of strategy. You want to use attacks, but you don't want to waste your AP. The battles are made so that you want to conserve your abilities, but still be able to use them to kill off the monsters (which are quite tough, even for later on in the game). Because of this, battles can be enjoyed.
|
|
|
Map Design |
|
|
Even though Babel is just one big dungeon, there is variety to it. Each area looks like it wasn't just thrown together like it was a chore. It also wasn't put together to look like some pointless maze.
|
|
|
Balance |
|
|
The difficulty of the battles vary depending on which character you choose. Initially, none of your characters will have any spells or attacks, so choosing someone with high strength would be easiar to start with. But then again, one of the weaker characters might have spells that are much more useful than the brute force other the strong characters.
But regardless of the characters you choose, each battle is long and difficult. If your HP didn't heal after every battle, you'd be dead by the second fight. The boss battle is even harder. Just holding the spacebar isn't going to cut it. The attacks in the game are extremely necessary, which makes the battles a little more entertaining.
|
|
Music |
|
|
There isn't any. So even if your computer doesn't play BAMs, you're not missing out on anything at all.
|
|
Enjoyment |
|
|
There seems to be so much to do in such a short game, you'll want to play it over and over again. You can try out different combinations of characters, play the mini-games, or keep on beating up those baddies. Although, leveling up in the beginning was rather tedious, but after a little bit of leveling up, you'll really get into the game.
|
|
Final Blows |
|
|
All OHRers should take a look at this game. It has a great story, great gameplay, and it doesn't have much bugs to hinder you. Play it for inspiration, or play it for enjoyment, just go play it already. Though the idea of using biblical reference in an RPG is becoming more and more cliched, Babel is sure to bring something different and quite tasteful.
|
Choose your heroes... create their destiny |
Final Scores
|
Graphics: 8.5/10.0 |
A unique style, and very well put together. Although some monsters and backdrops are plain, it's quite impressive overall.
|
Storyline: 9/10.0
|
Very impressive. Well thought out; well written. |
Gameplay: 9.5/10.0 |
Battles are boring in the beginning, but everything else in this game just makes that hardly noticable. Many mini-games, and challenging battles to keep you wanting more.
|
Music: 1/10.0
|
N/A |
Enjoyment: 10/10.0
|
Great stuff. We want more. |
Overall Grade:
A |
|
Final Thoughts |
|
|
Even if you don't like the idea of using biblical references for an RPG, gamers alike will surely enjoy this. Something all OHRers should have in their collection. Now, just go bug Grandtrain to continue it. |
|
|