The Dark Spire

[MrPopo]

Man, the school doesn't get that much older than this. Remember Wizardry on the NES? The joy of rolling your stats and spells/level and every monster dropping a trapped chest? That's what we've got here. There are a couple of concessions to the fact that the DS is slightly more powerful than the NES. You can actually call up the auto-map instead of having to use the graph paper (though you still need a spell to figure out where you are on the map), and they have help text for every item and spell. No more cursing the fact that you lost your manual and have no idea what the pseudo-latin is supposed to be.

But otherwise, it's a trip back to the days of AD&D rules. AC that goes negative, 1 = miss, 20 = hit, and all weapon damage in terms of XdY + Z. The only thing that concerns me is that the game is on the short end. There's only 8 floors (7 plus basement) plus a postgame floor, and after 12 hours I'm on the 5th. I'm not even dual-classed yet, though I'm racking up more experience now that I hit level 10 on my two warriors. That extra hit does wonders.

Oh, and Classic Mode all the way.

[chipperkwah]

A good friend of mine just got this game and is loving it, might be a bit too old school for me but I can see where the appeal comes from.

[brickiemart]

I got this about two weeks ago and really dig it. Going through old D&D rules again was great, this is a call back to when RPGs were not user-friendly. I tend to stay in standard mode because I like the arwork and design; surprising for me though I did spend a lot of time in classic. My one fault is that the music is not that great. It's passable, but for a game that comes included with a soundtrack cd I expected it to be more rockin'.

@MrPopo: Is it true that the number of HP you get when you level up is random? My first leveling for my party resulted in some big HP increases, but every level after that was so-so. I read that saving before a level-up is smart I assumed that that is why.

[MrPopo]

So according to the wiki (http://thedarkspire.wikidot.com/) under mechanics, when you level up they reroll your HP. So for example, let's say you just hit level 3 on your warrior. You roll 3d10 with a vitality modifier on each roll. This total is your new HP. However, if this total is less than or equal to your current HP you instead gain 1 HP.

[brickiemart]

Guess I got lucky on those first levels, thanks for the research!

[MrPopo]

Just a word of caution. The difference between the monsters on floor 5 and the monsters on floor 6 is night and day. Be prepared to get your ass completely handed to you.

[brickiemart]

The game seems designed to make you humble in battles. Meaning, when I think I am tough enough to roam around on a floor without too much worry, one random encounter (usually with an effect spell like sleep) turns my characters into helpless sheep. I have learned to save often, thanks for the heads up though I'm not that far yet.

[MrEco]

I haven't gotten this game yet but daaaaamn! The art style looks amazing! I would honestly get the game just for that. However being and old school dungeon crawl/RPG is a big bonus!

[MrPopo]

So I beat Tyrhung last night. But I don't have the energy to go through the postgame floor. I'll get to that another day. Too bad Class of Heroes won't arrive for another month. I just beat Ur-Child on Etrian Odyssey 2. Maybe I'll bust out Wizardry or Shining in the Darkness to get my dungeon crawler fix.

[blaix]

I'm playing through Etrian Odyssey II right now and it's my first experience with an old school, dungeon crawler RPG. I'm loving it. Dark Spire has caught my eye since it looks to be in the same vein, yet even more old school. Definitely want to try it.