3D Dot Game Heroes looks delightfully familiar

by Griffin McElroy on Oct 1st 2009 3:00PM

If the frequent comparisons between From Software's upcoming blocky adventure title 3D Dot Game Heroes and The Legend of Zelda have been completely lost on you, then apparently you haven't seen the gameplay videos. The game does more than slyly reference the mainstays of Miyamoto's Triforce-hunting classic; it more or less recreates them. We're definitely not saying that's a bad thing -- we're just worried that Nintendo will eventually catch wise, and somehow prevent this charming little game from ever making it westward.

Check after the jump for three gameplay clips; the first showing off the game's best Zelda impression; the second just how gargantuan the player's sword can become; and the third suggesting the perils of playing through the game as the vertigo-plagued hero from Spelunker.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Source

Tags: 3d-dot-game-heroes, from-software, spelunker, video, zelda

Reader Comments (79)

except that totally looks like the hero from dragon warrior 1.

Yeah that's what I thought

Hahahaha, that's totally old school Zelda. I love it!!!

parody is allowed by most law.

This isn't parody though, this is a clear violation of copyright law. Good luck trying to play this off as parody. If they released it on the Wii there'd be an easier way to do that, but how is this parody? It's not even funny or not put out to show you "oh look at how Zelda is like this, isn't that interesting and educational?" No, this is just, flat out, copyright violation.

@Saturn2888

Oh, I see your argument... I guess you'll be the head lawyer when Shigeru Miyamoto sues Media Molecule for "stealing" the platforming genre, or Bungie sues Insanity Ward because CoD steals from Halo or even (or should I say "especially") when Sony sues Visceral Games because Dante's Inferno is very obviously stealing from the God of War series?

@Ben: I hope you did what I think I saw that you did there.
.__________.

agree with poster 3. it is called parody.

Hope this comes to the States. Seems pretty cool. I love the graphics.

I was actually really excited for this, but I can't help but be seriously disappointed now. This isn't inspiration, this is outright plagiarism.

I think you need to relearn your definitions. Also, Weird Al wants to have a word with you about parodies...

I dunno, man.

"A parody... in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation"

"Plagiarism... is the 'use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.'"

Honestly, if there was some form of mockery or "humorous mimicry" present in those clips, it's nearly lost on me.

Yes, because clearly swords that fill almost an entire 180 degree arc and solid snake style exclamation points over the enemies heads are intended to be taken totally seriously.

Having seen it in motion, I now expect a game poking a ton of fun at multiple titans of the industry.

I truly do not see how copying a bunch of gameplay mechanics is "parody".

Indeed, this is clearly not a parody. The game does not seem to use Zelda like mechanics to make any sort of comment or statement about either the genre or the Zelda games. The best you could say is that it's a pastiche, but even that seems like stretching it. I haven't seen any new ideas or gameplay mechanics in any of the available gameplay videos.

Even without a lawsuit, making an update of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is just lazy gamedesign. I hope From Software still manages to somehow differentiate its game enough to make it worthwile, because the art style is unquestionably awesome.

Clearly, many people have not experienced the complete rip-offery that is Golden Axe Warrior on the Sega Master System.

Everyone, go play it. Sega didn't get smacked with copyright infringement then.

what no love for europe.you all talk about games comming to the us but never europ

way to meny americans i see?

I hope this comes to North America. I'm in Love With This already

Can We Have It Plz ?

The scuttlebutt on the internet is that Atlus may publish the game in the US some time after the Japanese launch. It's unconfirmed though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up.

I can't wait for that. I'm importing this game on day one.

Is it possible for something to look amazing, yet disappointing at the same exact time?

Also, why are the swords so huge?

On that note, why anything?

well @Doreo it is a Japanese game after all...

As since it's made in Japan, the huge swords are to compensate for... um...

huge enemies, I suppose.

I've seen fan art of old video games done in this style, and always thought it would be cool to see a game done this way.. Looks amazing.. but yeah its so Zelda.

like this?

http://8-bit-painter.deviantart.com/art/3-d-Pixelated-Paratroopa-56493874
http://8-bit-painter.deviantart.com/art/3D-Pixelated-Underworld-Goomba-37165432

probably compensating for something.

personally, I like the style. The game looks like it's played from a professional camera angle, and the 8bit looks awesome.

i get to play a sweet pixelized (in a loose sense. love the style) old school LOZ type game on my ps3? whats not to fuckin love?

The PS3 part. It's not that I don't like the PS3, actually quite the contrary, but I don't have the money to buy one, even if it's used. College wears you wallet down, especially when you have to pay for it yourself.

The main character looks more like coming from Knightmare...

This would be cool if it wasn't so much as a blatant ripoff of Zelda, cause even do it probably is more in the lines of parody it still feels like a ripoff imo.

Well I gotta be honest. That looks delightful.

Yes it looks like Zelda...which is sorts the gift n the curse for this game :( Sux we won't b seein it for our system. But u gotta admit...that water looks fukin georgous!

Now just add the awesome music and you've got a new Zelda right here.

That sword is huuuuuuuge.

I know right... I mean, I also have a huge sword but honestly... You can't go swinging such an instrument around like that, you'll poke someone's eye out. I've learned from experience, I'm talking Final Fantasy VII Aerith/Sephiroth type of experience.

thats what she said

That's right, Elvis, that's a big sword!

Man, I guess that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but that's pretty brazen.

heh, I love how how THIS game is "charming", but Dante's Inferno is ZOMG GOD OF WAR LOLOLOL

The difference being that this is playing on the nostalgia of those old retro games like Zelda, it's almost supposed to be a spoof. Where as Dante's Inferno is just outright copying gameplay elements from a competitor.

I think my immediate response was to be appalled by the glaring similarities this blatantly shares with Zelda ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoFYEtj2tDw) fire mountain, geruda desert, those Amos statues, the tectites, the scene of the master sword in the pedestal, the boomerang weapon, the hookshot, the wall-bomb function, the scrolling screen layout, the attacking cuckoos, etc)

That isn't to say it can't be a good game despite these similarities. I think it has the capacity to be charming on its own merits.

But I don't think I'm the only one when I say that I have qualms about supporting such a game based on the principle that doing so would equate to condoning borderline plagiarism of another company's property.

I love zelda, and we know Nintendo isn't crazy enough to do a zelda game that looks this amazing, so I'll be happy to settle for someone ripping off zelda. This is awesome. I don't know why people are hating on this. It looks incredible. Super nostalgia overload but in HD!

All it's missing is some decent music (ambient sounds in a game built entirely out of cubes? It just doesn't work).

And then I watched the third video and found there to be music!

If you read a little more about this title you will see that it is actually a great story that starts out in the top-down 2D fashion of the old Dragon Warrior games. With a dragon slain and the world saved, the people of this great land grow bored and unhappy with their 2D world. Wanting to bring happiness back to his people, the King decides to transform the world into 3D, and that is where the quest begins. It is an homage to the good old days of 2D adventuring. The music, too, is a mix of old and new and sounds utterly brilliant despite the obvious similarities to both Zelda music and Dragon Warrior music. Hear 4 tracks on the official site:

http://www.3d-heroes.net/

(Track 4 is my fav currently.)

Zelda rip-off...? Digimon, King of Fighters, Every 2d platformer after mario, any wacky KART RACER, Uncharted and Splinter cell are all "Rip-offs" of Pokemon, Street Fighter, SMB, Mario Kart, Tomb Raider and Syphon Filter by that logic.

I'm still excited for it none the less.

Why would Nintendo let them release it in Japan then? It comes out on Nov. 5th there. Supposedly FROM SOFTWARE handed out promo copies to different NA and EU publishers recently. Now there's the rumor going on that ATLUS and Ignition are "fighting" over NA publishing rights. Hopefully this is true. Heck, if games like the incomparable Demon's Souls and the gorgeous and atmospheric Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon can make it to the states, this can too!!

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3D Dot Game Heroes looks delightfully familiar

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