Ah Izuna. This is one game where it's hard for me to give non-biased impressions. I like a good challenge. Ikaruga, Viewtiful Joe, and TRauma Center are some of my favorite games. All three, of course, have one thing in common...they are NOT easy but with the right amount of play (And in VJ's case, style) it can become easier to manage. That's how I feel about Izuna as of my 3 hours with the game.
SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO GO IN COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED!
I've cleared 2 dungeons (They are most definitely revisitable) and what I've discovered so far is that item management is your bes tfriend in the world! Deciding what to keep on hand and what to ditch as you travel further and further down is most vital when you do not have the right item needed to return to town. It is a pain in the ass when your weaponry breaks on you...particulary the Cat Claws but that has way more to do with certain Izuna thoughts than gameplay ;x
The game is difficult. There's a catch though. The game is, to an extent, only as hard as you make it. You can run around to regain health or use your, pretty damn limited early on, healing items to take some of the sting away. Moving to heal has a bit of a drawback though...the enemies move in time with you. When you move, so do they. You can, however, thankfully see them on your map if they're getting too close and you need to change your tactic.
Thinking of that lovely map, I love the always seeable map! Damn thing's a godsend. The map will show you where you have been on the floor you're on, enemies (Which appaear as red dots), items (Appearing as blue dots), and the stairs which take you to the next levle down (Shown as a little triangle). The same screen (Top screen) is also used to show your health, spirit energy, and a few other btis of info I've forgotten ;x
Be warned, when you enter a dungeon you are stuck in there until you either reach a point wher eyou are returned to town or you have a town warp talisman. The dungeons are randomly generated (Which I confirmed to be pretty damn random through a few deaths heh...I admit it ;x) and are fairly large in size. It is possible to clear all the enemies on a single floor so before you go to the next floor you can run around and regain your health.
Combat's pretty straightfoward. It's turn based in essence, though you'll think it's realtime when it isn't (Though it just may be...but I always get to decide what to do once I'm fighting so I will say turn bsed with a real time feel to it). Items playing anice role in your combat as your weaponry is far and few between.
On the whole I am enjoying my time with Izuna so far, quite a bit actually. It's fairly quick paced, a challenge, but most importantly, it's just fun...even if I'm not a 100% sure why it is it just is!I say if you're into the whole dungeon crawling scene and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was a letdown? Go for it. But again be warned...pansies need not apply to this game. Do not be afraid to die over, and over, and over again depending on your gaming skill level/how much you are into grinding. On that note I should mention that if you take the time? You can damn near become an overpowered freak. (Not unlike another Atlus published handheld title I recently discovered after wondering about it isnce its release...Summon Knight: Swordcraft Story.....damn I love Atlus) So there you have it. If you want me to go into more detail on something just ask and I hope that these impressions were competent enough to understand heh ;o
Topic: Official Izuna thread (Read 6674 times)
