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jp's Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs (DS)

[February 1, 2021 03:49:11 PM]

I've finished the first two levels (with no interest in exploring the rest of the game) and I was surprised by the game. I wasn't really sure what to expect - I wasn't sure if the game was an action-focused fighting game or something else entirely. It's both more sophisticated and simpler than I expected. So, it is a fighting game - you wander around a top-down/semi-isometric map, run into dinosaurs and fight them. You need you collect a target number of eggs as well as find a target number of fossil parts. Once this is done you can move on to the next level.

However, there are a bunch of different dinosaur types with basic stats - attack, defense, and one more (actions?). As you get eggs you spend them to unlock bonuses (pips) that go to one o the three basic stats. Each dino has 5(?) locations to unlock (I only got up to three unlocked). You can re-spec the dino at any time - applying the pips to different stats. More attack means you do more damage, more defense means you heal more, and I never tried the third one. The re-speccing (or upgrading) happens in a cave - which you have to mosey on over two so I wasn't to keen on experimenting. The cave also lets you change your dino's cosmetic appearance! (colors, patterns, "ornaments" like horns). New options are unlocked as you level up...

So, the whole upgrading, re-speccing and stuff is interesting - though there doesn't seem to be that much depth to it (but hey, I think this is a kids game as far as target audience).

Combat is interesting too! As you play you unlock different attacks that appear on each stat slot. I only unlocked 2 attack and one defense... I couldn't really tell the difference between each of the attacks. But attacks do more damage and defense does damage and then you also heal! I think the 3rd stat lets you do more than one attack/turn.

There's also the efficacy of each attack - to attack you have a limited time to "draw" (follow the pattern/lines on screen) a dino-themed shape. Veer outside of the line and you get a penalty, and there's a time limit as well. If you do well you get a bonus to the damage you do!

I think there might be more stuff under the hood (some sense of best attacks against certain targets? Initiative/who goes first?) but I didn't try experimenting. THe difficulty was way too easy for me - though I guess it ramps up with future dinos doing more damage?