![]() ![]() The inactive members build up readiness at different rates, and some (or all!) may be called to assist in a pinch. While only three party members will be initially available, the team soon grows to six, and then nine-three on the front line and six in reserve. Besides being highly functional, they give battles a bit of a “slot machine” feeling-a free action is never guaranteed, so when one pops up it’s like winning a small jackpot.ħ th Dragon III also offers a new take on team structure. Characters will launch free attacks before enemies can act, spent magic points will be regained in the middle of a battle, dead characters will be brought back to life, and so on-there are a slew of effects, each with their own trigger. ![]() Every character has at least a few, and they become huge advantages if invested in. Every type of character has some innovative interpretation, and I loved exploring the practical applications.Īdded to the mix are a great number of skills that are passive or automatic. Players can choose to focus on either side of their personality, or mix it up as they see fit. The God Hand is another interesting class, focusing on hand-to-hand attacks while also being a healer. He or she may seem like a standard sword-user, but the class is able to choose between single or dual-wield, and can also shift between sheathed and unsheathed stances. Creating this sort of complexity is a difficult thing and few dungeon crawlers get it right, but Sega not only has it dialed in, they add dimensions I’ve never seen.ħth Dragon offers eight and a half (yes, a half) different classes, and each one feels fresh and different. However, the focus isn’t on the frequency of random encounters, but in how the skills of the characters work and play off of each other. Once a group of three has been composed, some story kicks things off and gets the player into dungeons where there’s a heavy focus on turn-based, menu-driven combat. Like many of its contemporaries, players are able to create their own party, customizing both appearance and class. Sega’s 7th Dragon III: Code VFD made me sit up and pay attention.Īlthough I wouldn’t call it a strict dungeon crawler since it’s got too much story and too varied a world for such pat classification, 7th Dragon has much in common with the genre. So, when I come across a title that not only delivers several new ideas but also nails them, I sit up and pay attention. Of course that’s not to say a game has to be unique to be good, but it takes more than a quirky art style or slight twist to catch my attention. I see many of the same things over and over and over again-the same ideas, the same mechanics, the same tricks. WTF Eight and a half classes? Why not nine?!?Īs a critic, I play a lot of games. LOW Getting stuck at the instant-death dragon for way too long. HIGH Outstanding combat and character designs. ![]()
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