UnEpic

Editor's Notes

Wii U version reviewed. 'UnEpic' is also available on the PC.

Introduction

The gaming landscape was once filled with beloved platformers and classic role-playing titles. While would-be million seller games rarely embrace those legacies, the indie scene is an ever-growing proving ground for both throwbacks and experimental titles. Enter 'UnEpic' on the Wii U. With 'UnEpic,' an indie Spanish developer and EnjoyUp Games seeks to channel those days of yore with a mix of hardcore NES-style platforming and role playing elements while refining them with more up to date features, and an unexpected protagonist. Now it's time to see how this promising mix bears out.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

It's fair to say that I spent a large part of my pre-teen years actively involved in one role playing tabletop game or another. Weekends were consumed rolling dice, exploring dungeons, and fighting countless beasts; all in the name of high adventure; whether it was the latest 'AD&D', 'Call of Cthulu', or 'Gamma World', my imagination has never been more active. I often look back on those experiences, nearly 30 years in the past, and fondly reflect at how enjoyable they were. Although I may have replaced dice and hand-drawn dungeon maps with a console controller and 55" HDTV, those memories of my youth may never be replicated. 'UnEpic' for the Wii U makes an attempt to alter that notion.

The premise of 'UnEpic' is simple enough, and oddly reflects my childhood fantasy: while enjoying a game of 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons', the main playable character – Daniel – is swept away to a fantasy world similarly rendered to the game he was just playing. Like Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court', Daniel must quickly adapt to his dark and foreboding surroundings, the inhabitants within, and the journey he is to undertake if he has any hope of making it back to his world . . . back to his time. But where Twain's protagonist may have been out of his element, Daniel has never felt more at home.

'UnEpic' is a 2D, side scrolling, Metroidvania-style dungeon crawl with a passing resemblance to some of the earlier Castlevania titles. The unexplored corridors appear to go on forever, and you're never certain as to where they will lead. Trying to navigate through the labyrinth-like structure often has you guessing which path to take, consequently causing you to repeat sections of the dungeon you've already explored. There are numerous side-quests that keep you busy throughout the game, most of which involve fetch missions. Thankfully, 'UnEpic' does a nice job of keeping track of each quest, what remains to be gathered, and how close you are to completing it.

There is an entire room dedicated to pathway gates that accommodate for a quick- travel system. The trick, however, is locating the corresponding gates throughout the dungeon in order to make them accessible later in the game. Finding them can be difficult but, ultimately, is part of the challenge of 'UnEpic'. Along your way you encounter a variety of dungeon dwellers – snakes, bats, spiders – as well as some of the more fearsome, two-legged variety. Each new section of the dungeon is guarded by impressively large and diverse boss monsters that, when defeated, will drop the key necessary to unlock yet another area of the castle. The formula is somewhat repetitive, yet oddly addictive.

Like any dungeon crawl, where there are unexplored rooms and corridors, there is loot to be pilfered; and there is no shortage of loot in 'UnEpic'. Whether gold coins and rough-cut diamonds, weapons and armor, potions and scrolls, adding to your stash is almost as common as fighting the next goblin or venomous snake. Keeping track of all that loot and making it useful could have been an exercise in frustration; however, 'UnEpic' for the Wii U utilizes the gamepad in a most effective manner. Much like playing 'UnEpic' on the PC, you are able to assign a number of hot keys to the gamepad. Using the left or right bumpers, in conjunction with one of the face buttons, you can assign 12 items however you see fit. Add to this an additional 18 hot keys that use the gamepad's touch-screen functionality, and you are able to quickly equip your character with a variety of useful tools to help you along your way.