Posted 06 August 2012 - 12:58 PM
This game actually feels like a Zelda game. I've recently finished playing The Legend of Zelda: Return of the Hylian, which using Zelda graphics and a Zelda combat system, didn't quite feel like a Zelda game.
Mystery of Solarus DX feels like one. Remember in ALttP where you shot the eye of a statue to cause things to change? It happens a lot more in this game, where if you see a statue, common instinct is to try shooting it in the eye just to see what happens. There's puzzles abound, some spanning multiple rooms (although there's no scrolling effect between each one). See the trailer. You see the scene where Link is pushing that one block towards a Bubble trapped by pots? That block has to be pushed through a door and across "two screens" to get to its final position. These are tough-ish puzzles. They're fun to do and not tedious. Unlike Parallel Worlds, few puzzles rely on strange gimmicks like using the knock back effect of a bomb blast to propel you across a chasm. The thought underlying them is quite clear.
Remember how I said in a previous post that there's a bakery in town? There's a lot more healing items in this game. Sure, there's your fairies, but there's no net to catch them. You just catch em by walking into them or swinging your sword, and if you've got an empty bottle, you can keep it, and if you don't, you instantly use it. The baked goods from the bakery are also healing items, and the apples from ALttP make a come back as healing items. All can be used just like you would a red potion. (I haven't yet come across a potion shop, though).
There are new monsters but they usually act like other monsters you've seen before. The bug knights act just like regular knights for example, albeit without the knight sound effects. It's where the bosses come in that the game shines. There's completely new bosses in this game. That huge butterfly boss from the trailer is one of them. They are, as far as I can remember, massive and each require great skill and determination to defeat... especially the second boss, which is a huge spike in difficulty compared to the first and third.
The game is somewhat linear, but there is some element of exploration. For example, if you see a chest in a dungeon, it isn't always possible to get to it on your first run through the dungeon. Sometimes, you have to come back later. And if you can, try visiting Ancient Hyrule Castle before the "Main Villain" makes his appearance. It's kind of amusing to see what they've done to the place and there's a funny scene to be had if you can sneak up behind the knight at the south-east corner of the castle. Unfortunately or possibly fortunately, they've managed to somehow work in forced stealth sections similar to the ones in Wind Waker; the black knights cannot be killed, as far as I can tell, and will arrest you the moment they see you or if you get too close.
So far, I haven't seen any new items save for the healing French pastries, a bar of gold and an Edelweiss flower with some really strange properties.
I'm having lots of fun playing the game, anyway. It really builds on and runs with ALttP. This is, what I imagine, the Satellaview Ancient Tablets game must have been like.
