Tower of Souls, by Parys Technografx,
$19.95
Reviewed November 2002
On the eve of the EverQuest and Ages of
Empire releases, Tower of Souls has made its way to the Pocket
PC. The strategy gamers are jumping for joy! If you’ve
played the Tower of Souls on the Amiga you now have a newer
and more portable device on which to play the game. If you
are new to the game, you should expect a Diablo-like dungeon
RPG that’s full of secret rooms, treasures, monsters
and much more. The only thing that may be standing in your
way to find the final crystal is…reading the game manual.
As an RPG with some dungeon adventure ingredients,
Tower of Souls spares no effort in creating vast dungeon
areas to explore, attributes for your hero to advance and
countless number of items to collect. The main quest is to
search for the powerful crystals that have protected the
Realm of the Tower of Souls for millenniums but are now in
the hands of the invading Demon Lords keeping their portals
open. You must find all 3 Nydus Crystals and kill Baalhathhrok
to end the reign of evil. You will journey through the dungeons
fighting some usual fiends like Skeletons, Demon Spawn, Dragons
and some unique monsters such as Clops, Gobbites, Gergs and
more. All the while, you must avoid the traps like the floor
spikes, whirlwinds, falling Blocks and more. There are plenty
of weapons, armor, herbs and other items scattered throughout
the dungeon. Your hero can either hack his way through or
cast spells to clear the path, in the meantime using the
alchemy lab to create potions on the spot.
With the multi-aspect game play comes a
unique game engine and interface that you simply have to
spend time to learn. From how to pick locks to how to heal
yourself, from large collection of herbs and the potions
to the magic power they produce, Tower of Souls has its own
system which is complicated for a new player. Without the
help of pop-up windows or the luxury of walkthrough training
courses like big screen games, Tower of Souls relies on you
to read the entire game manual which is very well written.
Once you learn how to do everything in the game, the game
controls become a joy to use. Even the annoying gargoyle
asking for money each time you save will seem like a clever
challenge carefully placed there.
The graphics are very sharp with
diabloic style. The dungeons environment is dark yet it’s
very easy to see everything. Tower of Souls has a large
number of dungeon maps, each area has a different color
theme, different traps and different monsters. Even the
smallest items on a large dungeon floor or a small window
cell will not escape if you pay attention. The player stats/items
window and the alchemy lab window are very clear to see
and easy to use, once you’ve learned how. The player
movement and the map scrolling are extremely smooth. Though
not spectacular, the special effects like explosions and
lightning are very well placed and sharp to see.
The sound effects are plentiful helping
to create the dungeon environment. They also help with the
game play by playing certain sound FX when you perform certain
actions. Even though the game officially supports ARM, MIPS
and SH3, I had no trouble running the ARM version on the
new ViewSonic V35 with XScale processor.
Finally one of the classic RPG-dungeons
and dragons game is available for the Pocket PC! The large
maps scale and long game play hours will satisfy the demanding
gamers of this genre. Whether you are a hack and slice
type or a spell bookworm, Tower of Souls feeds you with
plenty of action, sharp images and smooth movements. So
what are you waiting for? Your sword is getting rusty in
your attic.
Playing Hints and Tips
Never leave anything unchecked, including
skeletons on the floor, shinny spots on the walkway, unusual
candleholders and so on.. …When you fight a monster
with your sword, get close to it. Turn off the fountains. |
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ARM /
XScale |
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