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As I first lay eyes on the game's intro, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Arkadian Warriors.At first glance the graphics appear childlike - a soft representation of the usual action role-playing game standard I have come to know, and even manages to project that kind of Chibi appeal one might find if they hit up the same sort of epic with a shrink ray. Even in what might be considered a bite-size version of the genre, a grand adventure can be found within.

Artemis granted the Lion, the Dragon and the Phoenix a great gift - the form of man as a reward for service. But the Gorgon has returned and is after the Goddess. It is incumbent upon you, one of the great warriors, to save the Goddess and the town. In the form of a human warrior, you will fight your way past legions of monsters - periodically changing to you alter ego, to defeat the evil Gorgon.

The game starts with you choosing an avatar. The basics are before you in the form of Warrior, Archer and Sorceress. They all cater to the different styles one would choose for your standard hack and slash. The standard sword equipped to Warrior/Lion, bow to Archer/Dragon and wand to Sorceress/Phoenix - in case anyone was playing hooky during RPG 101.

Further basics fall under the pros and cons of each class: Warrior is easier in the beginning but is a pin cushion later due to his close proximity to the enemy; because the archer stays distant he can gain a higher monster kill streak without danger,; and the sorceress is the most challenging because her health is limited but is the best end game due to the powerful skills she will learn.

Even though inclination is to choose the archer, I went with warrior because I was eager for some monster slaying and wanted to destroy this great evil everyone had mentioned. I was surprised, to say the least, that when I started to move my character. I was able to control the camera angle with the push of a control stick! I even had the option of top down nostalgia if I so chose. With my new found camera controls in one hand and my blade of malicious slaughter in my other, I was on my happily on my way.

My first quest was found within the hub that was the main town. The quest design parallels the familiar feeling of character selection. Townspeople are in need of any obscure number of dropped treasures, dead creatures, or insert "dungeon-crawling/fed-ex quest" here. The dialogue between them is short and to the point. A portal opens, and the questing begins.

The dungeons are randomly generated as to increase replay value and multiple visits for leveling up. They are built from simple building blocks, such as a cave, scarier cave, courtyard, scarier courtyard, etc. Don't get me wrong: Though they might not necessarily win points for originality, they definitely aren't an eye sore and accomplish the aesthetic look they set out to, which is to set a mood for questing. There are a wide variety of these building block sets to round out the multiple quests set out to complete You'll have a ton of scattered debris and objects to bash your way through, as well as creature types associated with each terrain with their own special powers and abilities. The secret rooms I felt weren't as, well, "secret" as they should have been. There is greater loot to be found, but they all fall safely within the standard of a lit up neon advertisement for treasure in a savage pitch-black non-commercial cavern.

The music that accompanies the settings is much in the same vein — not trying to ratchet up the bar for quality, but not falling desperately short either. A nice touch is the dynamic manner: The music changes pace as the battle starts to ignite and eventually gets into the full swing of things; then dies back down when everything else in the room has as well.

One final positive in the titles favor, or so I though, is the multiplayer function. In keeping with the theme — that of downsizing the big RPG experience — you cannot have a full group or raid-party storm through and make a mockery of your quests, but you can enjoy it more intimately with a friend. Unfortunately, the title is so new to Arcade I couldn't find anyone to play with. When I did actually find someone, they thought it wise to leave me halfway, which quickly turned my hope of reliving memories of hours spent dungeon diving with a buddy to a distant memory, turning a positive to a negative. .

With so many basics being met, then treated to small little aesthetics improvements to sweeten the deal - such as the small ways the characters move - I found the game does a great job for a hack and slash RPG. For me, the game was simply too easy and nearly any complaint I have is related to this one point.

The game is too easy. It's enjoyable, but the challenge level is non-existent. The alter ego transformations that can be undergone when you've accumulated enough damage are complete powerhouses. I felt that a much longer time was necessary for the destruction they cause, or at least one transformation per dungeon. They make an otherwise easy game easier and give nothing back other than maybe a little too much mindless killing.

This is stacked on top of bizarre changes in monsters strength with each handful of dungeons rather then escalating with each one, falling more along the lines of dramatic increase instead of a staircase of consistency. You may question whether you will be leveling too fast and then met with greater resistance in an instant. Though, the monsters strength never becomes an issue, due in large part to the game's weirdest design decision.

Far along in the games content, I was fully aware I had not even come within a stone's throw of death's presence. So with a fresh thought of curiosity, I prepared myself for the guaranteed consequence of what happens when you walk right up monster alley wearing a fresh suit of meat and little else. The guaranteed consequence was death, but what angered me was the lack of noticeable consequence. That is to say, there were none. This is one basic principle they missing in the design. No loss of experience, no expulsion from the area, no loss in progress of any sort. You are revived in an instant where you once stood to confuse and ultimately finish the foe. This, to me, is rather foolish, as dying should always incur rather noticeable negative consequence. Coming back from the dead is not something one shrugs off, even in a fantasy setting, and continues on their way with. A light experience is one thing, but ignoring a basic gaming rule for better (?) gameplay seems inexcusable and ultimately a poor choice. At least have the devil that killed you turn around and call your father a hamster while you realize how dead you currently are for the love of penalty!

When you fail to incorporate boundaries to your experience, you make no sense of immanency, you eventually perpetuate boredom by having no consequences for your actions and, in turn, make any sense of achievement seem lost. Don't the monster attacks just seem like incredible illusions if what they are trying to accomplish is null and void? Why do the monsters get up in the morning and work toward such murderous goals if their prey can resurrect and belittle their work. Are they comfortable with this existence?

If possessing enough potions with the leanest of difficulty curves already makes you look like a tonic addict, there should be included what the frugal shopper would call a potion-preserving method by being a trooper and taking the damage and just dying instead. I found myself contemplating the philosophical aspects of this fantasy world where death is allowed but wondered why everyone was in such high complaint of this evil Gorgon killing everyone when they could just get up immediately after and have a quick gnash at a food cart with someone who had just been tormented by a gigantic boar, sharing with one another just how much fun they had dying that day.

Despite this weird "dying" fad, which might not quite have caught on in Arkadia yet, and its non-existent difficulty curve, the game still presents itself in a different shade of beauty. Arkadian Warriors clearly follows the RPG rule book to the letter. It meets every standard for action RPGs and in some ways - like with camera control - truly excels. The game never steers from the basics to try and create a new norm, but it never has to. The entertainment value is not only high but welcomed and the genre is a needed addition to Xbox Live Arcade. The title brings hope that you won't have to come up with a wildly innovative idea to succeed — just one that polishes fun the right way. Anyone with a yearning for some classic dungeon crawling with or without a friend or anyone wanting to pour some easy downtime into a fun RPG - your choice is simple. Just don't expect Death to show up at the party.