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Sands of Destruction
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Imageepoch
Genre: RPG
Release Date: January 12, 2010
Platform: Nintendo DS
ESRB: T - Teen
Reviewer: Eric
Sega will never give up. The latest title to feature the Sega brand name on
it is on the Nintendo DS. Sands of Destruction is an old school role play game,
in the likes of Phantasy Star and Shinning Force. Sands of Destruction might not
have the same flare as those two franchises use to have but at least we got a
solid RPG on our hands.
The game takes place in a fictional world ruled by Ferals (bear-like
creatures(?)). The humans are living as slaves but there are some who are trying
to make a difference in a group known as the World Annihilation Front. Instead
of trying to make a real difference the World Annihilation Front is actually
trying to destroy the world so the Ferals would be no more.
Story wise I think Sands of Destruction has a unique aspect to it. How many role
playing games have you played where you went on a quest to destroy the world? It
sounds stupid but after a few hours into it you will start to see the
originality in Sands of Destruction, even though the story seems stupid when you
throw in some of these characters.
Speaking of characters the cast is slightly boring. Our main hero Kyrie has the
power of destruction, something two organizations want. Kyrie is really boring
and doesn’t really get interesting until half way through the game. We at least
have loud mouth, World Annihilation Front member Morte Asherah. Morte adds in
some dark humor to things and is always busting Kyrie’s chomps, something I love
reading when it happens. Imageepoch did a nice job with the dialogue between
these characters especially.
Out of the four other characters the only one that stands out, more than Kyrie
and Morte, is Taupy Toplan. Taupy is a teddy bear with guns and super sweet
moves. He doesn’t really have the best dialogue at times but when he first
enters the screen, the bottom screen, you will raise your fist and yell “it’s a
mother fucking teddy bear!” Nice job on putting out a game with a teddy bear
Sega, nice job.
The battle system is turn-based, my favorite type of role playing game. Instead
of picking between fight, item, magic, and so forth, Sands of Destruction used
the fighting game style of system. It is a cool concept that other RPGs have
used recently. This type of gameplay for the battles will keep you interested,
plus you can add in more strategy on what attacks you want to use next.
There are a lot of different moves to use in Sands of Destruction but you have
to be in certain positions to use them. Every time you level up you will get CP
points to upgrade your attacks. As much as I updated some of these attacks I
never seemed to use some of my new attacks I earned. I appreciate Imageepoch
adding in these elements to the game but it doesn’t seem to matter, leveling up
and learning new attacks/skills.
With this game you will have to open up the game manual. You know that thing
that comes inside of the case? After reading that bad boy I got a better idea on
what to do but then it all went to hell later on. When you think you have an
idea on what really is going on with the battle system as a whole something goes
wrong. I think I pulled off slightly over a dozen full combos during gameplay,
which is sad since some boss battles took me much longer than they should have.
A tutorial would have been nice in the game.
Sands of Destruction has some impressive graphics for an RPG on the Nintendo DS.
Everything is really detailed in towns and caves. You will never enter an area
and think you were already there. That award has to go to the bosses. I shit you
not the first two boss battles are the same goddamn thing. The names are
different so you know that the first boss is dead and the second one is
different and a different type of worm. Different type of worms with the same
color makes sense.
About 75 percent of the game lets you move the camera around. When Sands of
Destruction forces the camera to move on you there are some problems. It isn’t
bad enough to pass on the game but there are some camera angles that Imageepoch
should have changed before the games release.
My biggest problem with the game is the last part I want to discuss. The music
in this game is disappointing. There must be at least 3 to 5 tracks that fill
the entire game. That battle music annoys the hell out of me! The only saving
grace here has to be the spoken dialogue. A good amount of the dialogue from the
characters is spoken, crystal clear.
Final Verdict
For a game to see so many delays and finally come out at the beginning of the
New Year, Sands of Destruction is my favorite RPG on the Nintendo DS in 2010. Of
course that could change but honestly this is a pretty good game. It does have
its fair share of problems but I think in the long run fans of the genre should
give this one a shot for its storyline.
Rating Breakdown
Gameplay: 8 out of 10
+ Easy to pick up and the storyline is interesting.
- Boring characters and the forced camera angles are a drag.
Also how the hell does the battle system work?
Graphics: 8 out of 10
+ Very detailed and good looking.
- Enemy models don’t change too much.
Audio: 4 out of 10
+ The spoken dialogue in the game is well done.
- The game soundtrack is small and dull.
Replay Value: 7 out of 10
+Sands of Destruction’s story should have you coming back for
more.
- There really isn’t too much extra to do in the game after
your first play through.
Overall
6.75 out of 10
Sands of Destruction Trailer
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