The Dark Spire

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:49 am

Continuing with the old school DS RPG thing, The Dark Spire just came out and is getting very nice reviews:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/973/973757p1.html

http://www.gamepro.com/article/revie...he-dark-spire/

http://www.playmagazine.com/?fuseact...contentid=1656

http://www.destructoid.com/destructoid- ... 8154.phtml

Apparently developers at Success decided that Etrian Odyssey wasn't Wizardry enough, so here comes the Dark Spire. Brutal, obscure, tedious, whatever words you like to use. Can't wait for my copy to show up!

I kinda figure anyone who needed to know about this game, already did, but just in case...

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 4:43 am

Yeah, got this one preordered already...looking forward to it

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:44 am

Scenario writer: Stephen King?

Post by **Ghegs** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:45 am

I've pre-ordered a copy as well. The gritty graphics appeal to me much more than Etrian Odyssey's colorful bubblegum cuteness.

Mortificator · Post by **Mortificator** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:05 am

Ed Oscuro wrote:Scenario writer: Stephen King?

Other upcoming games: The Sit, Lot's Salon, Spleens in Lemuria, and THAT.

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:55 pm

Yes, already pre-ordered

EDIT: I am truly surprised by IGN's review.

(I always thought everything I play gets shitty reviews...)

Post by **undamned** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 4:26 pm

Awesome. Brings me back to the days when I played the shareware game of "Ancients: Death Watch."
-ud

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:08 pm

its a j-rpg?

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:39 pm

It's Japanese made but plays like traditional Wizardry I in style.

kozo · Post by **kozo** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:16 pm

I played the import a while back and loved it. The chiptune and wireframe graphics are great, but the 'arrange' mode is just as cool, with it's kind of gothic rock music and woodblock illustration style (like Over Zenith kinda.)

Good on Atlus for releasing it here!

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:57 pm

This should be really nice, I really loved the two Etrian games.

LaserGun · Post by **LaserGun** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:39 pm

It's pretty good -- nice presentation and stuff. Classic mode looks and sounds nice, playing this just makes me crave for an old-style Megaten game for the DS D:

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:29 am

Yeah, as much as I'm excited for Devil Survivor, I'd have rather seen a repackaging (and translation) of SMT 1 & 2 on the DS, or perhaps a new SMT in the style of 1 & 2?

My copy still hasn't arrived, but amazon says it has shipped. Yay!

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:33 am

Since I'm a sucker for games like this, I preordered it. Got my copy in the mail today but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I flipped through the manual real quick (I know, who does that anymore?

) and it looks a LOT like Wizardry 1. The classes are pretty much the same, the story is effectively the same, the mechanics look pretty similar...

This is all well and good for the most part, but I remember a lot of frustrating times playing Wizardry 1. I'm sure I'll have a love/hate relationship with this game too.

robthebanks · Post by **robthebanks** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:37 pm

I'm stoked on this... I love the option to change the graphics to classic style.

robthebanks · Post by **robthebanks** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:42 pm

Sorry to double post...

But does anyone know where I could find a guide for this game? I'm really enjoying it, but its hard and I could use some tips.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:50 pm

How far are you into it? I can probably help out if it's related to game mechanics or the first 3 floors or so.

robthebanks · Post by **robthebanks** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:11 pm

Still on the first three floors, but I'm dying a lot. I generally use the pre-made chars until they die, then I use some characters I made to get enough loot to revive them. Leveling seems to take a long time, not sure if I haven't level'd up yet, or if I'm just not assigning points. How long until I get spells? What does praying do? Any other general strats or tips for the noob?

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:25 pm

Well for one, the game lets you save whenever the hell you want to so you might as well save pretty often and reload if you lose a character. The game is actually not super hard though so chances are if you are dieing a lot, you are missing some important element of the game.

Leveling does not take that long, especially at the beginning. You need to go to the guild and select Learn to spend your EP. You can spend it on gaining levels (increase your class level) or on learning skills, or improving stats.

You start the game with spells for anyone who is a Mage or Priest. You will learn one new spell every time you level up that class. You will get access to a new tier of spells every other level (I think).

Praying swings your affiliation between Order or Chaos. I'm not sure exactly what that does yet.

Basic beginners guide is to just start off making your own set of 4 characters, one of each of Warrior/Thief/Mage/Priest. Reroll your stats until they are really good since stats are the hardest thing to build up in the game. Give your priest the cure spell and your mage the Sleep spell. Then you should be good to go.

Sleep is an extremely good spell, BTW, as it has a very low failure rate and anything that is asleep takes critical damage and doesn't even wake up when you hit it. The first level Mage attack spell is actually really terrible though so don't bother with it.

Also make sure you go to the Guild and select Info as it gives you the quest list, which will give you some extra gold and EP to work with.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:05 pm

Gwyrgyn Blood> Great post! Still pissed my copy hasn't arrived yet. You said something about gaining a spell every time you gain a level; but what if you have access to more than one tier of spells? Do you gain one from each tier, or do you still just learn one?

Actually, having seen the spell list, that might be a silly question. The spell list seemed pretty thin.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:16 am

You learn one spell per level period, so if you have more than one tier open then you have to choose! There are something like 3-4 spells per tier, occasionally the choice is difficult to make but there are some spells which aren't really very useful. Most of the Mage's 'reduce AC by #' spells are worthless since the Priest gets spells that mass reduce AC anyway, for example.

Skyknight · Post by **Skyknight** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:07 am

Also, once you get two classes to level 10 or better, and fulfill certain stat requirements, you can access an advanced class that lets you use the equipment of both component classes without ill effects:

Samurai (warrior/mage)
Paladin (warrior/priest)
Ninja (warrior/thief)
Druid (mage/priest)
Wizard (mage/thief)
Ranger (priest/thief)

Also, each of these composites has its own unique quality that they can learn. Ninja, for example, can gain a chance to instantly kill a foe, while rangers can lessen the likelihood of getting ambushed and improve your chances of running away.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:27 pm

Just got the game yesterday and put in three hours without even blinking. Overall it seems like a great package for those of us who still enjoy this sort of thing. Early on at least it IS easier than Wizardry, which is worth noting since that means you probably won't die instantly unless you haven't a clue how to play a game like this. Not to say I haven't gotten in some bad situations yet, but in all these cases I was pushing my luck.

Anyway, I'm digging it. I've been excited about this release for a couple months, and it seems it is everything it promised to be.

robthebanks · Post by **robthebanks** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:59 pm

Alright, I'm about 5 hours in... Really enjoying this game, although I seem to be a bit stuck on this puzzle I've stumbled upon. I'm still only on the second floor. Some questions:

Whats the point of getting skills like dancing, singing, painting or knitting?

Also, does anyone have any tips for gambling? I want to beat that quest but I've tried so many times but can't seem to win. I also gave my mage the gambling skill but still to no avail.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:22 am

Gambling> I think it is all about save & reload. I read about someone winning the gambling quest, and it seems to be how they did it.

I'm over 7 hours in now and loving it, but the game is exhausting. A dungeon run is typically over an hour long right now!

I'm going the slow road with heroic formation and a completely beefed warrior up in front. It makes the battles slow, but I feel like my dungeon runs are longer. Can't wait to either multi-class someone or get some better equipment for the thief or priest.

Still tons of unanswered questions about the game; the programmers seemed to have purposely left it like this.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:35 am

Has anyone found where the group of Grave Robbers are? It's the really early on quest but I'm clueless as to where to find them. I'm almost sure it's some place I've already been but man is it a lot of effort to recover the whole first two floors. :I

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:25 am

Man, Amazon is killing me here, still waiting...

Game sounds great from all the talk anyway. Carry on.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:29 pm

Amazon really IS killing you. I had to wait a while to, but the game (for the right people) is amazingly addictive. I've entirely reverted to wire-frame mode, which at first I felt was just a gimmick, but now I am enjoying more than modern. The game doles out its rewards at an amazingly slow (but satisfying) pace, such that actually completing a task or mostly clearing a floor feels like a huge accomplishment. For instance, I'm 11 hours in, and my characters are still only around level 6/7 and I've only just cleared out the first floor with parts of the 2nd and basement done. That's a pretty slow moving game! I love it!

Also, the puzzles are well thought out without being stupidly obscure/obtuse; often with a good sense of humor too. I've been on a really great video game run that started last year with Persona 4 (still unfinished), Yakuza 2, Dragon Quest 4 and 5, and now this. The fact that a game like this stands up says something for its overall quality and the addictive power of the good old dungeon crawler.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:31 pm

Gwyrgyn Blood wrote:Has anyone found where the group of Grave Robbers are? It's the really early on quest but I'm clueless as to where to find them. I'm almost sure it's some place I've already been but man is it a lot of effort to recover the whole first two floors. :I

They're on the first floor, but you need to get to the area they are in from the second floor.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1107/floor1.jpg

(don't look if you don't want it spoiled.)

PS I'm glad I started searching EVERY wall for secret doors as a habit. Perhaps that's why my playtime is rather high.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:54 pm

Oh damn it, I killed them ages ago, didn't realize that's who they were. I've got like 99% of floors 1-3 filled in already which is why I was getting annoyed about finding them.

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The Dark Spire

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