2/2

Crawling, Zelda Style
Dungeon crawling is thankfully a bit more straightforward. Cladun is classic ‘Zelda’ style, as the main character combines 2D brains, brawn and magic to conquer dungeon levels. Defeat a level, open up a new one. That simple. There’s also wireless and random dungeons, features I couldn’t successfully tackle being a pre-release review.

In typical NIS fashion, there’s no plot here. Nor any attempt to make one. Characters literally plop down in a mystery world in search of some notion of treasure. Interact with other characters that happen to be there. Which leads to more characters. Eventually, nearly all characters can be added to the aforementioned Magic Circle, expanding game play options and possibilities. A character creation feature plus job switch ability adds further life to Cladun. These two features equate to near-endless character upgrade, configuration capabilities.

Finally and perhaps saving the best for the last, Cladun’s 8-bit graphics, audio, feel and humor is no less than awesome. Mirroring Badman, Cladun’s pixelated monsters are – dare I say – "adorable," ditto the character animations. Moreover and once you encounter ‘Bob’ – imagine 8-bit Bob Ross with a disco feel – all main characters become graphically customizable. Bob’s counterparts – Puddin’, Souma, Coco, Sunday, etc. – are all equally ridiculous…but also quite playable within the game’s engine.

If there’s a beef to be had, the 8-bit dungeons do lend themselves to be a tad cheap at times. The inability to be precise (due to environmental blockiness) often equates to stepping on items unintentionally, also miscalculating movements (most notably jumps, projectile avoidance). Combined, these faux pas produce a fair number of unwanted deaths and dungeon repeats.

Still, the dungeons – all challenging, appropriate for character levels at first encounter – almost never give off a "cheat" vibe. Related – and while unwanted deaths do occur fairly regularly, characters do, however, level up (albeit at a limited rate) upon death. Last, beating dungeons in record times equates to ‘fame’ status, a title that unlocks the ability to purchase better items and artifacts.

‘Cladun – This is an RPG’ is a simultaneously robust and clever, 8-bit homage, one well suited for the PSP. While the game’s Magic Circle system sports a semi-steep learning curve, the barrier of entry is worth the return on investment. Retro gamers will celebrate ‘Cladun,’ likewise RPG veterans looking for a different twist on the Dungeon Crawling genre. NIS might be marching to their own drum, but the beat is sound.

Reviewed by Paul Stuart | 09.09.10

		spot-on, 8-bit homage in-depth ‘Magic Circle’ system robust gameplay possibilities
		moderate learning curve occasional ‘cheap’ hits plot? what plot?

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