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3DSDS

Japan eShop Round-Up (08/24/2011)

by Danny Bivens - August 24, 2011, 5:32 am EDT
Total comments: 1

Find out about more games that you won't get on the eShop in your territory!

The Japan eShop has had another minimalist week with only a handful of titles releasing today. Here's what is available to 3DS owners this week:

3DS Downloadable Titles

Nikori no Puzzle Slitherlink – 500 yen

Virtual Console

Heracles no Eikou: Ugokidashita Kamigami (Glory of Heracles) – 400 yen

Video Content

Apart from the usual daily updates on Itsu no Ma ni Terebi and the updates on Nintendo Video, things are uneventful in terms of video content. This is the second week in a row that the eShop features absolutely no new video content. Of course, gamers in Japan shouldn't complain too much as there is still a multiplicity of video content available when compared to other territories.

Software Impressions

This week, I decided to purchase Hercales no Eikou, the latest Virtual Console RPG that came out this week. I didn't get to put a ton of time into the game, but I played enough to where I could get the hang of the game. First off, there is almost no chance that this game will see the light of day outside of Japan. Considering that this series has only left Japanese shores once for a DS outing, don't hold your breath for a localization of this on Nintendo's eShop service.

As for the game itself, it was the fourth title in Heracles no Eikou series and was originally released in Japan in 1992. It is a turn-based RPG that is somewhat reminiscent of the older Dragon Quest titles. The story focuses on Heracles as he comes down from amongst the gods in Mount Olympus to try to bring peace to the world below which is growing crazier and crazier with the “Devil King” stirring up trouble. With the name Heracles being way too conspicuous, Zeus sends Heracles down below with an alternative name (this is how you name your character) to pounce away at evil.

The game mechanics are pretty simple. Pressing the B button brings up your menu from where you can do numerous things, such as check out the level of your character, access items and so on. The sprite work in the game is pretty well done for an early Game Boy title. The artwork during the battles, on the other hand, aren't extremely flashy, but they get the job done. Like the old Dragon Quest titles, it focuses on the enemies you are fighting and is very minimalist and doesn't have too many animations. Again, it gets the job done. Early on, your character is extremely weak, and I found myself getting destroyed by enemies that were outside of the first town! Obviously, putting more time into the game would help to avoid these kind of poundings, but with the grinding nature that this game more than likely has, it will take some patience to progress.

Heracles no Eikou is one of the few RPGs that you will find on the 3DS, period, at this point. When it comes to the eShop, however, a game like Card Hero just seems like such a better option as it features better visuals and a more updated and modern battle system. Purchasing either game isn't going to break the bank (Card Hero is 600 yen while Heracles is 400), but a game like Card Hero seems like a smarter purchase if you have that option. For those of you outside of Japan, I'm sorry, because deciding between these two RPGs is unfortunately never going to be a problem for you.

Talkback

famicomplicatedJames Charlton, Associate Editor (Japan)August 24, 2011

Danny, I think you're single-handedly keeping the eShop alive!


The best thing on the Japan eShop for me is the full episodes of Game Centre CX.
I just watched the Super Mario Bros 3 one which is split into three 20-minute sections, very cool.

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