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Cthulhu Saves the World
PC (Steam)
Cthulhu Saves the Turn-Based RPG Genre
4/5 stars
For all the ultra-violent, hyper-realistic, overindulgence of Moe games out there, sometimes you just want to go old school. And, thanks to the fine folks at Zeboyd Games, you can relive that first RPG experience and throw in an excellent dose of humor and general craziness to go with it. Although I have yet to experience the original Breath of Death VII, I am more than looking forward to it (even if it's a bit more unpolished) now that I have experience Cthulhu Saves the World. A nice bit of nostalgia coupled with an inspired storyline (ripped out of one of my favorite mythos) is a recipe for success.
Presentation:
An 8-bit game in an HD era might turn off some people. Those people are idiots. Cthulhu is an excellent game that is equal parts homage and ingenuity. The homage part comes in the look: it evokes fond memories of the early Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy games (before they turned less than inspired themselves). You have your party of people who follow you around, battles where the enemies face you head on and midi themes for the various towns and dungeons you visit. It's all very retro and it works so well. I think a certain subset of people are way too invested in how graphics look in modern games. I love a good-looking game like anyone else, but I also like games that I actually want to play. This is the main attraction here - love of classic RPGs and just overall enjoyment of the game itself.
Story:
In a nice twist on the classic "hero" journey - Cthulhu (one of the elder gods in the H.P. Lovecraft mythos) has arisen and plans to bring madness to the world... but, unfortunately for him, he's shrunken down to mere human size and, in order to regain his power, must become a hero. To destroy the world... he must save the world! The great thing about the story is how they throw in a lot of references to the Lovecraft's many stories: from Innsmouth to Miskatonia to Dunwich - being a fan of horror and Lovecraft - it was nice to see these themes show up. Many of the other elder gods are presented in the forms of mini-bosses and some of the lesser beings show up as common enemies. Of course, you also get some nice followers to go along with you: a young woman obsessed with the sea (and in love with Cthulhu), a goth Necromancer (good at spells), a talking sword, an extra-terrestrial cat-like being, a dodgy old cleric and a freakin' dragon. Granted, I pretty much stuck with just a handful of characters (by the time the old man and dragon came around, I was already set - so I never used them). The only downfall is that most characters are given very little development - it's not a terrible detriment given the scope of the game, but if you want some deep development, don't expect much.
Gameplay:
Like a typical old-school RPG, battles are turn-based with higher agility giving you better attack speed - strength gives your attacks more damage - magic gives you stronger spells - Vitality makes you stronger vs. physical attacks while Will does the same for magic attacks. You also have HP and MP you can upgrade. The interesting thing as you level is that you have two choices every time you hit the next level: usually the stats are between raising your HP and MP or raising your various other stats. You also gain abilities and spells - these are also split up - usually between a very strong attack that hits one enemy (or enemy group) or a slightly weaker version of the same spell that hits every enemy. Likewise healing and stat-boosting spells can affect either one ally or all allies to a lesser extents. It gives the game a bit of variety and is a nice touch.
The battle system is also different and steamlined to make the game flow a bit faster. Each battle is "timed" in the fact that the longer things go, the stronger the enemies get. If you go too long, you will die as even the weakest of enemies can turn into beasts after a few rounds (and bosses get really terrible). Each time you defeat your enemies, you regain full health and part of your MP (you gain more MP the sooner you finish each battle). Each save spot also refills you to full HP and MP - and these are located just before most boss battles. You can also sleep at Inns (many of which are free). The random battles are also limited - each dungeon (and even the overworld) has a set amount of battles before they run out (unless you choose to battle with an in-game option). If you manage to go to a higher-level dungeon too early - you will die. But I think the battles were spaced out well, as I didn't have too much trouble ( a few bosses were terrible - but a little extra leveling helped).
The armor and weapons can be found in treasure chests or bought and raise various stats or gives you a magic boost. You only get one weapon per character and one set of armor too - not that varied, but the rest of the game makes up. The items are pretty much limited to Potions (which function both in healing and reviving characters) and 1-Ups (which let you replay a battle if you happen to lose). You can't buy either item in store - you can only find them in dungeons, meaning some strategy does have to go into using them. All in all, the game is nice mix of the classic RPG genre while putting a new twist on classic elements that makes it feel fresh.
Overall:
Those looking for a classic experience in an HD world should check this out. As the game doesn't cost much (and next to nothing when it's on sale) - it's a no-brainer. The game isn't exactly long - it can be passed in 10-12 hours easy - faster if you skip the optional dungeons - the bonus levels can add more (though I haven't checked many of them out yet) band for your buck. All in all - this is a great game for fans of the Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy series who wants to re-capture that spirit.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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