For several months now, I have been wishing monsters were real. That way, I could run outside for a few hours to slay some monsters and strengthen my coffers. As you all know, it is hard to run around and do stuff (like go to graduate school and purchase fun stuff) when the moneybag is, well, empty. Perhaps this all has to do with my love for role-playing games: just run around a dungeon or field for an hour or so, and you can afford almost everything you need. Maybe that will stop our current economic crisis? You hear that scientists? Create bio-monsters! You know, create monsters that drop money. And stuff. Lives would be saved; people would have jobs and money. It is a win-win situation. With that in mind, get your sword/dagger/bow/staff and magic ready as I introduce you to the Master of the Monster Lair. So, shall we enter the dungeon together?
Master of the Monster Lair centers around Owen, a 12-year-old boy who is initially looking for work. Just like our own economic condition, no one is hiring in his small little town. Then Owen stumbles across a talking shovel and is now the Dungeon Digger. From that day forward, he starts building a dungeon for tourists to travel through. Tourists, you ask? Well, blame it on the money-crazed mayor who keeps trying to stimulate the village‘s economy and troubles that are caused by trying to convince people to visit. Eventually, Owen is joined by his friendly pet slime Gloop and his friend Kate. The plot is not particularly deep, but it is full of light-hearted fun.
The gameplay is a creative take on dungeon crawling. Think of Rogue/Angband/Mines of Moria and their variants; the point of those games was to go as deep as possible while obtaining worthwhile loot before your character dies. All other RPGs borrow elements of those games, predominately in the grind element. In this sense, Monster Lair is a solid dungeon crawler. Monsters are fought from the first-person perspective (a very traditional one in RPGs and is one that can be seen in the Eye of the Beholder triology, Wizardry series, and Might and Magic series), and the game uses a turn-based system. It is actually rather engaging because the camera will zoom in on the monster a character attacks.
Just like most RPGs, every few steps taken, you’ll fight monsters — up to three at once. Which monster dies last influences the loot obtained. Fight a full group, and you’re practically guaranteed an item, and you might luck out and obtain something. However, fighting one-on-one allows Gloop to have a greater chance to mimic an enemy. Mimicry allows Gloop to temporarily learn new attacks, equip armor and weapons, and learn spells (permanently). It also is the only way to improve Gloop’s stats. Owen and Kate, on the other hand, increase their stats by cooking and eating meals and learn spells by purchasing them at the magic shop. Obviously, different meals increase different stats. Spook tarts increase wisdom, while crow legs increase agility. Want Owen to be a fighter, eat boar ribs and other similar type meals. Need to turn Kate into a tank? Have her eat dry slime meals to increase her constitution. Very few games give you complete control over your characters’ development and do it well. It definitely is much more involving (and stressful) than games that let you decide which skills you use to improve a character’s stats. And to find those ingredients, you’ll hunt different monsters.
But wait! Owen needs to construct the dungeon before monsters turn it into their new home. This is where things are different from other dungeon crawlers. You can dig out hallways as long as you like. However, no one will live there except wild animals unless rooms are in place. Place furniture (rooms) in the empty spots, and monsters will live there. No other requirements are necessary. Rooms and halls go wherever you want them to go, period. You have complete control over the layout of the dungeon, a silent wish many a gamer has had during some games.
Anyway, different rooms attract different monsters, obviously. A fireplace will attract fire-based monsters, while a feed room will attract boars and bats. Cellars attract hobgoblins, and gardens attract female cat monsters and malevolent plants. Furthermore, each level of the dungeon has different requirements for convincing the boss monster to live there. For example, the second floor has the requirement of creating a cellar-like feel. Another level has you creating your own “volcano” using the fireplaces. Another has you creating an indoor “river.” And then when the requirement(s) is (are) met, defeat the boss and you can then go to the next level, arranging rooms for the next level. That is what makes the game so rewarding: focusing your creativity while giving you free range while seeing those monsters in their rooms and destroying them to obtain loot. It is tirelessly fun.
Even though both screens are used, the game has one little flaw: no touchscreen usage. As I admitted in a previous review, solid gameplay trumps gimmicky touchscreen; this is the one game I can easily imagine it being used. What is that usage, you ask? Simple: I want to be able to make notes on the bottom screen on where rooms belong and how they all connect together. This would make planning the design of the dungeon much easier and allow those who like to plan ahead to fully digest where everything should go. The second issue I have is the redundant auto-map on the top screen. Yes, I can quickly imagine the reason why the developers did this. It’s where the gamer’s attention is so let’s not break his/her concentration. However, why do I need it when the big, overall layout is right in front of me on the bottom screen? Although it does not bother me, it makes me wonder just the same. Thankfully, neither of those complaints are game breaking but are more just minor annoyances.
Graphically, the game is rather vanilla. Characters’ portraits do not change or gesture, which to some people might give a clip art feel. Yet, there is no denying how bright and colorful everything is in the game. The town’s windmill continuously turns, the way rooms looks and the feel it gives, the backgrounds during the battles, and the overall charm that just sucks you in. And the best part of the graphics are the ways the different monsters are animated. It is just incredible how perfectly they move and the different mannerisms of each monster. The downside to the game’s engine is that it recycles monsters by changing their colors (a habit that continues to this day) and the graininess of the game. As previously written, the game is nice to look at and does not hurt anyone’s eyes, but does not push the power of the Nintendo DS. Furthermore, when hit, Owen and friends’ arms/slime do not appear on screen in a defensive manner. While it is forgivable on the DS due to space constraints, it would not be so forgivable if this were on different platforms such as the PlayStation 2 (or PS3) or Game Cube. Thus, I will ask you a very important question. What is more important: graphics or quality of gameplay?
Sound wise, the game is rather average. The traditional hack ’n’ slash sound effects are used. It is not anything we all have not heard before — but it is solid. The music is rather pleasant to listen to. There are different exploration songs to unlock as the plot unfolds. The combat music pumps up the action a bit. Yet, by far, the best song is the boss battle music. It is intense and fast paced. It helped keep the tension high as I attempted to take down each floor’s boss.
In the end, Master of the Monster Lair is a very solid RPG for the DS. There is so much to do that this is one of those games that will keep anyone busy well past the traveling time of a trip. (Well, if you can do stuff while traveling, unlike me.) If you can find other people who own the game, you can exchange dungeons. This is the only time that I truly wish the Internet capabilities of the DS were utilized. I would have eventually broken down and bought the accessory to take it online using my computer.
Thus, let me make one thing clear despite all the criticism: I love this game. For some odd reason, I find myself glued to my DS for hours on end until my eyes hurt. The only other game that has done this to me was Civilization III. I quickly and easily recommend this game to RPG fans looking for something new to play. While this game is not for everyone, it definitely deserves a look. So go out there and figure out if it is right for you! A hundred and twenty five dentists out of five recommend it for your health! OK, maybe not, but check it out, and you will understand why I enjoyed this game so much.
