Ever Oasis (Nintendo 3DS)

I love this game. I lost it, so now I have it again.

I'm about seven hours in on my play through and what a great game! It got an awful write up from Kotaku that it definitely doesn't deserve. This game is a finely tuned balance between town (oasis) management and exploration. The pacing of the game is perfect for making sure that these two elements work well together. You can't focus on one more than the other since the game regularly links the oasis building element to the exploration paths. It's so seamlessly combined that neither ever feels like it's taking priority.Presentation of this game is gorgeous. I think it's the best looking game I've played on 3DS and the art style is refreshing compared to the well trodden RPG paths before it. The soundtrack is in line with triple A titles and is very pleasing to the ears even though you will quickly get used to the same pieces.Gameplay itself is deceptively complex. Although the battle system is simple in many ways (hit it until it's dead) it also includes weapon types that favour certain monsters so selecting different units with a strength as your player character in the heat of battle means you can more quickly deal out the damage. Likewise, you'll get used to the same types of attacks from the enemies but skilfully timed dodges are still very satisfying.When you couple this the need to farm certain types of items from certain enemies (to restock your oasis), the layers of complexity soon add up to draw you in.It's one of those games where there's always something you need to do next and 'just one more day' or 'I'll just do this... then stop' are lies you're going to keep telling yourself. I really hope this becomes a mainstay franchise, it would be criminal if the almost neglectful marketing of this game means it doesn't end up in more hands.

Developed by the team behind the excellent Majora's Mask port and the director of Secret of Mana I was excited for the potential this game had. Without question it was going to be something different and I had to try it on that basis alone, however the questions was how successful it would be in implementing its ideas.First off the good:The graphics are great, very charming, colourful and well-designged.There isn't really anything else like this I'm aware of- a combination of Zelda, RPG and Harvest Moon.It can be very addictive as you build and build your Oasis.The combat is great and challenging enemies never really becomes a chore. You will dodge, roll, hack and slash in real time and it's great fun!Now the downsides:The only real issue with combat comes when you are fighting two very powerful enemies at once and due to the lock on system you can't see one or the other. This can lead to you being wiped out through no fault of your own as you will never have the chance to dodge the attack. More often than not though, you'll have a lot of fun with the 3D Zelda-type combat here.The story is a weak point here. The progression is very linear. The game is at it's best when you have several quests to choose from at once and different areas to explore. Problem is these are few and far between as usually you are boxed into where you have to go and when by the story and structure of the game.Then worst problem the game has is that you have a party of three at any one time. Each character can have a different ability required to ovvercome certain obstacles in the game. It's not uncommon at all to get to an obstacle in a dungeon and have to warp back to the oasis to change characters, return back, only to come accross another obstacle that you need to go back and change your party for. This is very frustrating and the biggest issue with the game.Also, I wish the game world had been larger. It's a decent size but I'm certain the 3DS could have done and has done much larger.I can recommend this only to people who have finished the bigger, better action-adventure and/or RPG's on the 3DS (go get Xenoblade Chronicles well before you get this) and are looking for something to occupy their time in a fun way.

I didn't know what to expect when buying this game but I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I haven't put it down all week!The main story involves building an oasis to stop the spread of chaos through the land. You do this by exploring the world, meeting people, battling monsters, solving puzzles and collecting items to strengthen your oasis.The main gameplay exploring dungeons and solving puzzles reminded me a lot of Zelda games needing to use different characters unique abilities to progress through.In addition to this there are many side quests that you can do at your leisure to help the residents of your oasis. I've completed the main storyline but there still seems to be many hours of gameplay left to fully complete the game.The graphics are great with lots of different characters to befriend. There are a couple of repetitive cut scenes when you level up your oasis but you can skip them if you don't want to watch the same thing again and again.Overall if you like adventure RPGs I would definitely recommend giving this game a go.

Haven't played a ds game this good in years! By far the best 3ds game ever made, I was so excited to play as an 18 year old and feel as entertained playing my 3ds as I did playing my ds lite when I was 7 years old. It's not too hard, the story moves at a good pace and there is still stuff left to do once you complete the game, I also love the artwork, music and how colourful it is.

Birthday gift that worked out well