It (unfortunately) seems like Beyond the Labyrinth, one of the most stunning 3DS games we have seen so far, might not even make it to America. It has been talked about as slow paced, taking dungeon crawling back to it's roots, in a bad way.
And, sure enough, Beyond the Labyrinth is incredibly slow-paced. The first-person RPG has had a modest resurgence in Japan in the wake of Etrian Odyssey's success, but Labyrinth feels decidedly old-school compared to the Etrian's series relatively snappy pace. Your party moves at a sluggish pace, with each step from one grid space to the next taking several seconds to complete. On the plus side, you can move at diagonal angles, but that's just as pokey.
Combat plays out in real-time, without a transition to a separate battle screen. The enemies in the TGS demo are simple and stupid and pose little threat, but one assumes that they quickly ramp up in ferocity and intelligence as the game progresses. You can move to evade foes, and the battle system is unconventional (which is where the tri-Ace influence comes into play).
It's unfortunate, because otherwise Beyond the Labyrinth would probably appeal to hardcore American RPG fans. Its deliberate pace and sumptuous graphics are very much in line with the tastes of old-fashioned CRPG addicts. It's hard to imagine grizzled grognards taking much satisfaction in wandering through a hostile dungeon with a little girl tagging along beside them -- or wanting to spend much time gaming on a 3DS for that matter.[/p]
Source from 1up.com
I don't mind slow paced dungeon crawlers, but the rest of America/Europe might. I really do hope this gets localized.
And, sure enough, Beyond the Labyrinth is incredibly slow-paced. The first-person RPG has had a modest resurgence in Japan in the wake of Etrian Odyssey's success, but Labyrinth feels decidedly old-school compared to the Etrian's series relatively snappy pace. Your party moves at a sluggish pace, with each step from one grid space to the next taking several seconds to complete. On the plus side, you can move at diagonal angles, but that's just as pokey.
Combat plays out in real-time, without a transition to a separate battle screen. The enemies in the TGS demo are simple and stupid and pose little threat, but one assumes that they quickly ramp up in ferocity and intelligence as the game progresses. You can move to evade foes, and the battle system is unconventional (which is where the tri-Ace influence comes into play).
It's unfortunate, because otherwise Beyond the Labyrinth would probably appeal to hardcore American RPG fans. Its deliberate pace and sumptuous graphics are very much in line with the tastes of old-fashioned CRPG addicts. It's hard to imagine grizzled grognards taking much satisfaction in wandering through a hostile dungeon with a little girl tagging along beside them -- or wanting to spend much time gaming on a 3DS for that matter.[/p]
I don't mind slow paced dungeon crawlers, but the rest of America/Europe might. I really do hope this gets localized.