Topic: RFN RetroActive #28: Pandora's Tower

[Evan_B]

But the second set of dungeons has you move through I'm completely different ways and uses differen puzzles with drastically different effects on how you progress.

I noticed the similarities only on the fourth or fifth Dungeon, only because their central puzzle room had distinctive achitecture. I never felt like I was playing the same game twice, but to each his own.

[K-S-O]

After finishing the game, I have to share my thoughts for this feature.  The gameplay in the towers seems like a simple hack-and-slash game at first but the the chain mechanics adds a bit of depth to the combat.  It helps that the Wii controls for the chain work really well. There iss also some time management involved in the towers which gives me Majora's Mask vibes.  I love Majora's Mask so this mechanic works for me.  Another interesting part of the game is taking care of the girl at the hub stage, which contributes to the game's time management that I enjoy.  The game did get repetitive but I did play through it for an hour per day so I didn't get burned out on it.[/size] The boss fights were cool because they reminded me of bosses in an Ys game.  As a matter of fact, playing through the game made me think that I was playing a Falcom game.  In retrospect, that is probably why I enjoyed the game as much as I did.  Looking up the development history of Ganbarion, I found that they worked on various One Piece games as well as the Jump Superstars series.  The fact that they were able to break away from licensed games and succeed at making something new makes me look forward to what this developer can do in the future.[/color]

[themightyme]

Hey Guys,

I am one of the Co-Founders of Operation Rainfall, and I would just like to say that it makes me really happy to hear some of you and your listeners are enjoying Pandora's Tower.  Through the process of campaigning for these games we would receive constant complaints about this game's inclusion amongst the other 2.  We even saw articles referring to it as the weakest link.  So it is great to hear some people talk about it in a mostly positive light.

Pandora's Tower was perhaps the hardest of the 3 to campaign for as there just simply wasn't enough information. In fact, much of the information that was available contradicted what little else was there.  Around the time the game launched in Europe we initiated a Pandora's Tower month (we did the same for the Last Story) in order to raise awareness of why we thought the game looked so promising.

-Tyson

I thought I would include some links to some of the coverage we provided if any of you or your listeners would be interested.

http://operationrainfall.com/press-release-operation-rainfall-to-promote-pandoras-tower-month/

a 3 part article/roundtable series I wrote/hosted
http://operationrainfall.com/whypandora1/
http://operationrainfall.com/whypandora/
http://operationrainfall.com/whypandora3/

http://operationrainfall.com/why-pandoras-tower/

a series that another member did about the music (btw, most of it is quite famous classical music)
http://operationrainfall.com/pandoras-tower-music-origins-part-1/
http://operationrainfall.com/pandoras-tower-musical-origins-part-ii/
http://operationrainfall.com/pandoras-tower-musica-origins-part-iii/

a video explanation of the game we made before any of us had played it
http://operationrainfall.com/what-is-pandoras-tower/

http://operationrainfall.com/evolution-music-pandoras-tower/

an article/roundtable we did about how the game could have been made available (we did a whole series of these for the last story)
http://operationrainfall.com/pondering-pandora/

P.S. - Pandora's Tower actually had the msot interesting aspect of our mail in campaign... we sent meat, such as beef jerky to Nintendo.

P.P.S. - Is it just me, or did they put an exceptional amount of detail into Elena's mouth and tongue, which just made the feeding scenes more powerful.  They also did a great job animating her trembling fingers and worrisome eyes. I felt these touches really made me feel attached to the character in a way I have rarely been before.

[Gwellin]

Pandora's Tower does have the feel of a 3D Castlevania.

To give the context for Jonny, after he quoted me in the podcast: My biggest experience with Castlevania is Super IV and Symphony of the Night, so I was paying Pandora's Tower a compliment. While I have played one or two of the N64 Castlevania games, I don't remember much about them (subconsiously?). I was referencing the chain/whip style combat, swinging around with the chain, and the RPG elements similar to SotN. So basically it's a good 2D Castlevania, done in 3D.

[pokepal148]

P.S. - Pandora's Tower actually had the most interesting aspect of our mail in campaign... we sent meat, such as beef jerky to Nintendo.

wow seriously, nice

[Enner]

I didn't plan to spend six and half more hours in the game to unlock the final red doors and all the endings. It just sort of happened.


On the red doors in the Dawn Tower and Dusk Tower: only materials there. Wasn't worth the trouble of suffering through the lock-up glitch for the better part of an hour.


On unlocking the endings: The endings are based on the affinity meter and there's a great guide on GameFAQs that describes the thresholds ( [size=78%]http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/620591-pandoras-tower/faqs/66051[/size] ).
Basically, you can gift item such as beast fangs or strange grains repeatedly to tank the affinity between Aeron and Elena. Dropping affinity is extremely quick while raising affinity is extremely slow. So if you want to experience the five different endings yourself, it is easier to go high before you go low.


As for the endings themselves...


Ending B is similar to Ending A but has completely different dialogue in the cut scenes of the end game. Zeron introduces herself and overpowers Elena in to silence before the final fight. While Ending A has Aeron and Elena sacrificing themselves to stop Zeron, bury the towers, and heal the Scar, Ending B has Elena sacrificing herself alone while Mavda uses the Oraclos chain to bury Zeron and heal the Scar while leaving the towers intact.


Ending D is attained by having the affinity meter at or near its lowest level. At that point, the ending is triggered upon giving Elena the ninth master flesh. The curse goes berserk and transforms Elena even though she just recently ate the master flesh. Unable to bear it anymore, Elena asks Aeron to kill her. The player has to pull the B trigger. There is no credits scroll and there is a short epilogue saying the curse has become rampant across the land and how Mavda continues to lead cursed people to the towers. Nothing really special here, though the B trigger sequence milks the moment with appropriate music.


Ending C is perhaps the most interesting ending of the game. A silent, weaker Zeron surfaces in the Observatory's fountain area and Aeron must stop her. Upon defeating this Zeron, the Elyrian army bursts through the door and seize Aeron and Elena. The soldiers were accompanied by Mavda and it seems Elena was in the know. The Elyrian army, under advisement from Mavda, allows Elena to attain the Zeron form and recruits/conscripts Aeron who is the only one who can handle Elena. A sad and defeated Aeron commands an army of Elena and the servant beasts of the thirteen towers to conquer Athos (Aeron's mother country) and other lands for the glory of the Elyria. There is no credits roll for Ending C, but there is an awesome image of Aeron's and Elena's beast army that I can't help but think is bad ass. Of course, I feel sad for Aeron who can't even look at Elena in her cursed form.


I've played a lot of this game and even have 100% of the lore. However, the completion rating on the save file only reads 89%. I'm guessing the weapon upgrade levels or the Observatory decorations fill in those last percentages. I won't be going after those as grinding the necessary materials and currency is just too much.

[MukiDA]

I think the most important thing of note is that horrible, horrible feeling you get when you ride the timer too far for the first time, and you have to go deep into your home's basement to find the what's left of that poor girl's humanity.


Much like slamming into a wall with Kat and working overnight in StyleSavvy, it changed by behavior in meat acquisition with no real gameplay benefit.

[Enner]

On the final two endings:

Ending A is the bittersweet end where Elena and Aeron plunge in to the scar to heal it with the Oraclos chain. Mavda lives on to tell the tale as the continent continues to be engulfed in war. Noticeably different in this ending from Ending B is Zeron's strong attraction towards Aeron and Elena trying to resist Zeron's control. This was the first ending I got; between Zeron's actions and the exposition dumps, I was confused and underwhelmed with what was happening to the story's climax. I imagine I would have felt the same with any of the endings other than Ending S. Speaking of which....

Ending S is quite the doozy. Everything is explained! Aeron is a descendant of Zeron. Zeron grief for Rueban is why Elena was cursed. Zeron was pregnant during the Vestra's Experiment Zero ritual a half a millennium ago. The burial of the Thirteen Towers and the healing of the Scar leads to peace. So much crazy stuff happening even as the credits are rolling. In contrast to Ending C's villainous turn, Mavda in Ending S is Aeron's ally as she atones for the mistakes of her people, the Vestra. It's interesting how the story manages to be able to portray Mavda as both foe and friend.

The lengths the story goes in explaining itself in Ending S is what I desired after seeing Ending A. While I enjoyed seeing Ending S, I can't help but see the delivery of the literally last-minute revelations as being silly.


Final thoughts:
I enjoyed my journey through Pandora's Tower. Reflecting on my experience and the 6.5 - 8.0 reviews I've read, I find myself in agreement with the reviews. The combat is a simple affair with no crazy combo strings to consider. The chain adds some no-brainer combat options such as binds and throwing. The environment and navigation puzzles are good and make good use of the chain. Each of the six pairs of towers has you doing something different with the chain to solve a puzzle and they strike a nice balance between being clever and accessible. The boss fights are wonderful encounters that do right by the combat puzzles of Zelda games. The time limit isn't obtrusive and adds the right amount of urgency to the player's action. Inane as it can be, I really got a kick out of the relationship and affinity systems.


The game would have benefited from some more development time or polish. I feel that the game lacks that extra something that makes for a tighter, more cohesive experience (to be fair, most games don't have that extra something). Maybe the combat could have had more depth? Maybe the story's pacing could have been better? Maybe the five dark side towers were a bit too much? Maybe there could have been more to the relationship and affinity systems?


Having read the Iwata Asks on the game, I recall that Ganbarion has some struggles with making the game. Ganbarion has mostly worked on licensed fighting games in the past so Pandora's Tower is one of their few (if not their first) original titles. While some Ganbarion's One Piece games were action-adventure games, the genre is still somewhat new for the developer. Under's Nintendo's guidance, Ganbarion has made a great effort and a good game in Pandora's Tower. Hopefully, the two will collaborate in the future.

[Enner]

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pandora-s-Tower-for-Wii/Iwata-Asks-Pandora-s-Tower-for-Wii/1-The-Jump-Super-Stars-Connection/1-The-Jump-Super-Stars-Connection-205394.html

The Iwata Asks interview in English for those curious.