48 Hours Contest 2007 Overview
A feature by Aethereal
Catacombs
Catacombs is about a dude who enters some sort of dream world that is made up of various dungeons. The story is there just to be there, as it largely consists of 4-5 text boxes before and after each chapter (there are four, each one consisting of one dungeon) and a couple of notes found on the floor in each dungeon. Catacombs is really about the gameplay; it's kind of a Roguelike (it uses different structuring but it's the same concept) with enemies wandering around the map for you to encounter. The random generation is very good, although it can leave you a bit gimped on skills and equipment. The battles, initially, are very difficult because your accuracy is poop, the enemies hit hard, and you can't run (and I'm the type who tends to conserve items - hint hint). If you can persevere, however, you'll be able to collect some equipment and then the battles become much more manageable. All in all, this is a solid 48-hour entry despite the bland battles.
A Child's Story
This will be short. A Child's Story ranks up there with Magnus and Ashs.rpg as one of the worst OHR games I have ever played. The one part about this game that is not total trash is the graphics, and that's debatable. The game, if you can even call it that, consists of two maps with lame battles against shadows, followed by a totally lame boss fight against a giant mushroom that doesn't disappear. That's right, if you kill the boss, he's still standing there on the map blocking your path. There's absolutely no story whatsoever (except for two textboxes before the boss fight) and the spelling and writing make me wonder how old this game's creator is. Stay away from this at all costs; this is certainly the worst 48-hour game I've played and one of the worst ever.
Prince of Dreams
A fairly average entry, Prince of Dreams has you enter a fairy tale-like dream world while you sleep in the real world, complete with a princess and a talking dinosaur. The game is primarily story-driven, although it does have one dungeon. The best part of the game is by far the scripting used for the cutscenes; it is well above average and fairly animated. Everything else is sub-par at best, especially the gameplay; the battles are pretty boring and there's a bug with the first form of the final boss (you are supposed to lose, but it's not very hard to beat him, and doing so causes the game to lock up). The graphics in the first half are bright and cheery, and bland in the second half (although they do fit the mood quite well). The enemies you fight look like variations on the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts (I think...it's been a long while since I played that). The story is a fairy tale-esque rescue the princess story that has you defeating enemies by making them happy. All in all, not that great; it reminds me a lot of Chenzi's Brick Road from a few years ago except worse.
Duck's Little Adventure
Yet another game in the long list of OHR games that should be avoided. Duck's Little Adventure has absolutely no value to it whatsoever; it's a boring romp through a forest maze in search of a bunch of buttons that open up the exit when they're all pressed. That's it. There are no battles, and the game takes about 5 minutes to complete. The graphics are bland, the story is lame, and the game is a real bore to play. Do yourself a huge favor and don't play this unless you're judging the contest or something. I want my five minutes back.
Final Fantasy VII OHR
A rather brief OHR venture covering the final three boss battles of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII OHR is worth playing through once for the amusement factor. That's really all the game has to its name; the graphics are bland, the battles are boring (although at least the Jenova-Synthesis battle is harder than the one in the real game...) and the game is awfully short; you can finish it in under ten minutes. The game is quite amusing, however, as the dialogue is quite...different, shall we say. If you've played Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria, think of the dog houses in the bonus dungeon and you'll sort of get the idea. Some of the dialogue is funny, although Sephiroth's name is frequently misspelled (is this intentional? Once in a while it is spelled correctly...). Basically, go ahead and play this once, because it only takes a few minutes and it's pretty amusing; just keep in mind the game has absolutely no value beyond that.
Remi and the Pastel Sword
Perhaps the most impressive entry of the bunch, Remi and the Pastel Sword is a game that pits you against a bunch of starry-eyed ghosts and obstacles as you try and kill the ghosts using your sword. Fighting is pretty much identical to A Link to the Past and for the most part is pretty good; there are a few hit detection problems here and there but nothing too serious (hint: hit the ghosts from above or the left side). The story is cute and well-written but generally disposable; this game is all about the action and the Zelda battle engine, and it does those things quite well. Basically, this game is the requisite "Moogle1's Awesome Scripting Display" game of the group, only it's not made by Moogle. Anyway, it's certainly worth playing through just to experience the engine; nothing else about the game (except the music, especially the level 2 music from Rescue Rangers!) is noteworthy.
