Hey gang, Valkor here. And we’re in some crazy times with this Covid-19 virus going around plus being quarantined. But there’s enough that you can do indoors that will keep you busy for the duration–especially if you’re a gamer. And if you’re looking for some fire 2D action, with a sweet Metroidvania style format, then I recommend checking out 3000th Duel.
In 3000th Duel, you play a lone swordsman who wakes up with no memory and wearing a mysterious mask. Your aim is to fight your way through this strange world, hoping to piece together your lost memories. Not only that, but there’s an upsurge of monsters happening in the area with unknown origins why it is happening. But while the enemies are amassing in numbers, our hero isn’t ill-equipped; you start with a sword but as you further explore the land, you’ll unlock new weapons, new abilities, and you’re capable of leveling up through karma that you get when you take out monsters. Other RPG elements will aid in your journey such as finding treasure chests that contain new weapons, accessories, food, or potions that will boost your strength, knock out a curse, or cure you if you’re poisoned. There’s also objects littered about that will give you new skills or boost the ones you already have. There’s also a skill tree involved, which you gain points as you level up, helping you build up your offensive and defensive capabilities.
Each area you enter has its own set of monsters plus a giant boss that you must defeat; to get past any boss, you’ll need to figure out its pattern, which isn’t too complicated of a task. You just have to be careful, as the lower the enemy’s health gets, that more desperate its attacks will be. Then there are a few puzzles you’ll need to figure out, which aren’t that hard. The only real difficulty you’ll face is the levels as they get harder to explore to further in you go.
I’ve read a couple of reviews that compare 3000th Duel to Dark Souls, and I just don’t see it. 3000th Duel isn’t a control tosser such as a Dark or Demon Souls; it plays out more like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (even the music sounds similar), which isn’t a bad thing. And I’ll tell you all about it in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
3000th Duel is the most refreshing action/RPG platformer I’ve played in some time. It already gets plus points for using the Metroidvania style format, and it’s a lot of fun. The controls are a little quirky on the jumps, but everything else plays smooth like butter; using the dash/dodge button is a dream as the character slides and glides through enemies and much of their attacks with the swiftness. There’s never a point where the game is annoying and you’ll be attacking, dashing, jumping/double-jumping your way with ease. The graphics are pretty sweet, and the bosses (whether big, small or way too huge) are a hoot to play through. Again, once you figure out their attack patterns (which isn’t all that difficult), then they’re easy to drop. 3000th Duel is a simple game, not all that difficult but definitely worth checking out as, for me, it was a fun romp from start to end.
The Bad:
This isn't a hard negative towards the game, and I shouldn't even title this section with “The Bad” since it really isn't; other than switching up weapons I found I could play through 3000th Duel hardly using any of the Occult skills, except maybe Contract of Tearing and Violet Scripture (healing). Nothing against the game itself, but for me, the hacking and slashing works great.
The Ugly:
N/A
3000th Duel is available now, which I’m currently playing on the Nintendo Switch. However, you can also find it on STEAM. I hope it gets a wider release on other formats because it’s such an awesome and fun game to play! If you own a Switch or STEAM and looking for some sweet, Metroidvania, 2D action, then this is the one to check out. I highly recommend it. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving 3000th Duel a 4.5!
