On paper, 3D Dot Game Heroes appears to be a slavish, perhaps overly worshipful retro tribute. Players follow the same archetypal trajectory as in Zelda, venturing from a quaint village at the behest of a king to save the land from a dark villain. Dungeons are crawled, keys are turned, weapons are upgraded and legendary magical items are gathered.
The game kicks off with a royal decree. The king of Dotnia, a feudal land straight out of an old NES game, isn’t happy with the bland, 2-D realm he reigns over. So, with a snap of his fingers, he issues the order and presto — everything he surveys expands into the third dimension.
Players interact with the game world exactly as they’d expect to. A mash of the button extends a sword forward. Only in 3D Dot Game Heroes, the sword that players wield is massive — when fully powered up, the flash of steel can extend from one end of the level to the other.
Resource for those interested in Alternate Reality Gaming, players' and puppetmasters. It is also intended as a gateway to be used in introducing neophytes to this unique genre of gaming. Unfiction offers information about past, current, and upcoming campaigns; tools and resources to use in playing or creating campaigns; articles, editorials, and interviews about the genre; and a forum section for discussion of the site, genre, and game play.