T w e n t y S i d e d
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| Yes, there are barrels. Yes, you can smash them. Yes, they sometimes have stuff in them. This is the natural order of things, after all. |
I’m not sure why the genre died when it did. Real-time-strategy games rose up alongside Diablo clones hack-n-slashers. They flourished together, and then RTS matured and HnS languished.
(The previous paragraph is the one that will incite annoyed comments from people who point at some game I’ve overlooked that came out a few years ago and that single-handedly undermines my assertion that HnS games have withered on the vine, and that makes me an ignorant fool! I know this. I wrote it anyway.)
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My first impressions of the game were unfavorable, and it took me a while to “get” Kivi’s Underworld. These games usually entice binge gaming, with the player staying up until half past crap-it’s-not-even-worth-going-to-bed-at-this-point. These games usually focus on the collecting, sorting, storing, selling, buying, and equipping of magical items. These games usually have complex(ish) leveling systems that encourage you to abandon your character and start over once you figure things out and realize you’ve botched your character.
Contrasting paragraph: Kivi lends itself to lunchtime-sized rounds. The rummage sale inventory system is dumped in favor of keeping the action going. The leveling system is simple and straightforward.
Kivi bills itself as a “Unique 3D casual, action adventure RPG”. I would say that the word “casual” is so loaded it could puke on your shoes, spend a night in the drunk tank, and and still be unfit to drive in the morning. I would say it’s not “casual” in the Peggle sense of the word, but more “casual” in the “wearing jeans to the office on Fridays” sense of the word.
I’ll get into the gameplay and premise in another post. Naturally, being an indie game there is a demo, in case you want to play along at home. Mac users can come too.
