Reviews

Another day, another RPG. Remaking old classic RPGs for the current hand-held generation has become the popular trend recently, and who can complain if the modern version reminds us why these games were loved in the first place? Dragon Quest is the latest to get the up-to-date treatment with The Hand of the Heavenly Bride, a remake of the Japanese SNES adventure, which sadly never received a European or American release. With several Dragon Quest games already available on the DS, here's hoping The Hand of the Heavenly Bride is one to remember and worth the long wait.

You begin the adventure as a little boy, following your father. It's not long before you are off on your own adventures, fighting, finding friends and enemies, and making life-changing decisions as the adventure spans generations. The story is very deep and involving, with a lot of drama and many twists. The human aspect is touching and you'll quickly learn to care about the characters involved.

As stories go, this is one of the most absorbing on the DS, with so much to do and take in. One quest might see you taking on a castle full of ghosts, while the next quest will involve seeking a stolen magical flute in a world of Fairies. With the different variety, you'll be curious as to where the adventure will take you next and it's certainly a ride worth taking. The choices you make will affect the path and the outcome of the story, so prepare yourself for some important decision making.

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A shocking, but surprisingly welcome aspect of Heavenly Bride is its total lack of touch screen and stylus play. The game is played using only the D-Pad and buttons, although the stylus enthusiasts will be put off by the lack of innovation, in fact the game works better without it. Controlling is very simple using the D-Pad, taking away the touch screen also takes away the fiddly gameplay and brings back that old school hand-held feeling.

In true DS style, the game uses both screens. When roaming the world the top screen displays a map, highlighting visited areas for simplicity. In towns and dungeons both screens are used for the game world, and looking at the top shows you the areas you are approaching. Holding the Left and Right trigger buttons rotates the 3D world to uncover hidden doors and paths. The execution of camera rotation and dual screen play is brilliantly done and adds grandeur to the gorgeous 3D environments.

Unlike most contemporary RPGs, Heavenly Bride avoids real time battling and opts for good old fashioned turn based instead, and just like most RPGS the battles are random and frequent. Walking across the map with destination in sight will be hampered by several unavoidable fights. While this may prove to be annoying to some, the fact is it's essential for levelling up. When you encounter a boss battle that's too tough to beat, you'll soon be looking for those random encounters to gain the XP and strength - progression is impossible without it. Saying the battles are a hindrance is far from the truth, as they are as perfect as turn based battling can be.