Quantcast
Channel: Video Game News, Reviews, Game Trailers - BNBGAMING » Wii & Wii U Reviews
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

Review: Pandora’s Tower (Wii)

0
0

Pandora's Tower - Wii

Can You Break the Curse?

European Wii owners have had it lucky lately. With the release of Xenoblade Chronicles last summer, and The Last Story at the end of February, it’s like a gift from the gods that we should be blessed with Pandora’s Tower, yet another action-RPG to sink our teeth into. After all, these titles have been the subject of the intense Operation Rainfall campaign in the United States, where even now, the release of Pandora’s Tower isn’t confirmed.

But does Pandora’s Tower live up to all the fuss and excitement that surrounds it? In short, it doesn’t. While it’s nice to see the Wii receive another core experience in its twilight years (something that is far too uncommon nowadays), Pandora’s Tower lacks the same magic that the previous two games in the RPG trio have.

That’s not to say that Pandora’s Tower is a bad game; it sports impressive visuals and, although I wasn’t a fan of the overall presentation, it will likely resonate with JRPG fanatics, even if it is a bit slow-paced. What really lets the game down, however, are a few gameplay elements that could have been better implemented, the guilty party here being the combat. It’s a focal point of the game but it as if it were included as an afterthought – it lacks the challenge of Ninja Gaiden and the enjoyment of Devil May Cry.

Pandora's Tower Review

It’s a classic case of style over substance. Pandora’s Tower follows the story of Aeron and Elena, the latter of which has been subjected to a terrible curse that is gradually transforming her into a demonic beast. The only cure: Aeron must enter thirteen dreaded towers and procure some fresh meat from a selection of vile monsters. Only by eating the meat of “master” beasts can the curse be lifted, while the flesh of lesser creatures will only stall the transformation process. It’s a race against time, and one that conjures up memories of Link rushing to save Termina from the fall of the moon in Majora’s Mask.

But you never feel pressed for time, or rather the game doesn’t give off that impression. A small gauge in the bottom left of the screen informs you of how much time remains before the dreaded curse takes its toll, and while it is very possible that you’ll be really up against the clock at certain points, the overall pacing of the game just never gives off a real sense of urgency.

This is mostly down to the way in which the story is told and partly has to do with how the game is structured. Pandora’s Tower has some of the most gorgeous cinematics seen to date on Wii, but in typical JRPG style, they tend to be unnecessarily long. Countless times throughout the game, Aeron and Elena will stand there, staring into each other’s eyes, endlessly repeating their names. Are we supposed to feel the love between these two individuals? Very little screen time is given to building up their relationship in a meaningful way. The game gives you the option to engage in some generic chit chat with Elena or give her a gift that could probably be put to better use elsewhere, but surely you should get out there, slaying beasts and getting the much-needed beast flesh?

Pandora's Tower Elena (Wii)

Regardless of how long you actually spend sitting through the numerous, needless cutscenes and dialogue sections, as a player you’re likely to have little to any vested interest in Elena to actually want to save her in the first place. Interacting with other characters isn’t much better either; Mavda, a weird spiritual hag of sorts, usually tells you what you already knew when supposedly answering your questions. It’s a shame, because Pandora’s Tower is a game that looks great, but this lack of depth makes it feel shallow.

Hack ‘n’ Slash, Rinse ‘n’ Repeat

The gameplay in Pandora’s Tower borrows many elements from other titles and, for the most part, implements them well. For example, in true RPG fashion, you collect materials along the way with which you upgrade your weapons. However, this is a little limited in comparison to something like Monster Hunter Tri. You see, Pandora’s Tower has some great game environments; each tower has a unique feel and presents different challenges, but they’re incredibly linear and don’t really promote the idea of exploring. Rather than look for something, simply waiting to come across it is both easier and quicker.

Aeron has a magical chain at his disposal that works very much like a hybrid of the whip and clawshot from Skyward Sword. In fact, the chain is a fun tool that is also vital to your quest – you can use it to bind enemies and tear flesh from their torsos (something which is done by yanking the Wiimote and, boy, does it feel satisfying in an ever-so-twisted way). However, it does feel a bit fiddly in some instances – aiming your chain is done using the Wiimote’s pointer and holding the B button will prompt a zoomed-in pop-up to appear. While this is a neat feature, it doesn’t really have much purpose – why would you need to zoom in on an enemy right next to you?

Pandora's Tower Wii Review

The chain may have a few shortcomings, but the biggest issue is found with the main attacking weapons you use in the game. Hacking and slashing enemies isn’t an especially engaging experience because they hardly react to your brutal onslaught. They never flinch, nor do they get stunned – meaning that as you attack, you’re always open to return attacks. It’s clear that this was done in order to make players use the chain – it can bind enemies and even be used to fling them around – but using it effectively in combat is hindered by its slow nature.

As a result, combat feels unnecessarily slow and clunky. Given that it is such a core part of the game, it’s a real let-down and detracts from what it otherwise a pretty solid experience. Exploring the towers and using the chain to manipulate switches and swing across chasms like Indiana Jones brings a welcome bout of excitement to the action RPG genre.

The Final Verdict

Pandora’s Tower is a bit of a mixed bag. It has many great aspects: the beautiful scenery, the innovative ways in which the chain weapon is used, and the game environments. But despite all these wonderful things, Pandora’s Tower also has its fair share of flaws. The game centres on two key themes: the urgency to rescue Elena from the dreaded curse and the combat against vicious beasts that comes as a result of that. However, neither of these are implemented effectively, resulting in a game that lacks the appropriate pace and feel. European Wii owners are lucky to have something new to play – but unless you’re a fan of the genre, Pandora’s Tower may not provide the epic experience you’ve been dying to get your hands on.

-

Click here to learn more about how we review our games.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images