Sands of Destruction is the first handheld RPG of 2010. Imagine a world plagued by natural disasters where the only way to save the world is to destroy it. Sands of Destruction Review It's got an engagingly original story, but this throwback to bygone console role-playing games botches the gameplay fundamentals. There's a good amount of variety to the environments you'll explore on your journey, from pristine cities with flowing rivers to quaint autumnal villages. What Gamespot Users have to say about Sands of Destruction Rating: 9 Destroy the World in this fun RPG with a colorful cast of characters and areas that will have you coming back for more. Sands of Destruction starts off with a unique storyline, interesting world, and solid animation. Most players will probably complete Sands of Destruction in about two dozen hours. Sands of Destruction isn't the best anime or even a great anime which is why I know most of you haven't heard of it. The world may be in need of destroying, but it still has some beautiful places to visit. By Carolyn Petit on … Sands of Destruction is a solid RPG with a good battle system that is fun to use – once you get it all figured out. The cast of characters is memorable, particularly Taupy, a tough-talking bounty hunter whose gruff demeanor contrasts humorously with his adorable teddy-bear appearance. You are not the savior of the world. The game's score is nearly perfect, creating an … After discovering that he carries within him a powerfully destructive force he can't seem to control, he falls in with a group called the World Annihilation Front that is dedicated not to saving the world but to destroying it. Go out and try a few episodes to see for yourself. The story and somewhat fiddly style of play go hand-in-hand, so players need to have an appetite - and patience - for both. Unfortunately, the gameplay makes it difficult to maintain that interest. 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Sands of Destruction is not a bad game at all, and its combat flaws are not game-breaking, though they may demand copious grinding to overcome. of Players - 1 Genre - RPG (Japanese RPG) Vexx's classification - A JRPG where you try to destroy the world...OOOOOO Time played - About 24-26 hours 'We are gonna destroy the world!' Yet another engaging DS Japanese RPG. For instance, a standoff against waves of feral guards is presented as desperate and hard fought, but in fact, it couldn't be easier for your party to wipe out their opponents. The only very minor downside with the music is that, at default levels (which are adjustable in the options menu), they tend to fight with the frequent voice work for center stage. There's a morale system at work, which influences how many battle points each character has, and those battle points determine how many actions a character can take each time his or her turn rolls around. Things aren't as they appear, of course, and some things change along the way. By It also will take some experimentation to get familiar with the flow of battle, the types of attacks at each character's disposal, and how your choice of attack leads to a specific follow-up attack. In many places, you can rotate the camera around to get a better view of your surroundings, which is helpful. There are no choices to make along the way and only one ending, so it doesn't have much replay value. There's no denying that Nintendo's DS system has seen quite a few Japanese RPG releases over the years and is … This game was a mixed bag. There's a map on the top screen, but that doesn't mean the mazes are easy. 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The music is amazing and I agree wholeheartedly on the 3D visuals, but it doesn't take away from the game too much. Morte, the front's feisty female representative, believes that the world is too corrupt to be saved and that the only hope for humanity lies in its destruction. They just make the game feel old, even while it tries to innovate in other areas. Sands of Destruction is a solid RPG with a good battle system that is fun to use – once you get it all figured out. Unfortunately, not for the better. Once you've poured enough points into a character's flurry attacks, he or she becomes capable of chaining them together, unleashing a stream of hits that's frequently enough to kill an opponent many times over. Review Sands of Destruction. Sands of Destruction boasts what some believe to be an impressive development team, but evidently their minds have grown tired and dull if their latest game is any indication. Finding your way through the mazes sometimes requires some switch triggering or experimentation with magic portals, and more often than not, there's no discernible logic to the solution. Ah well, at least I’m only out $20 (although it’s now $29.99 at Rightstuf) , which is better than the $49.98 MSRP or even the $39.99 price tag at Amazon.com . While not the strongest JRPG on the DS, Sands of Destruction is still a decent play and I hope that some of its ideas turn up in other adventures. Sands of Destruction is a new role-playing game for the DS that unabashedly models itself after the console RPGs of yesteryear. Great review Corbie and I am enjoying this game a lot right now. Anime Review: Sands of Destruction. For instance, the camera likes to pull in on the characters at key moments for dramatic effect, but this has the downside of making the characters look blocky and featureless. Sands of Destruction, unfortunately, is a sad Giving a game a low score is always sad, especially when it's a game with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, this effort at recreating the magic of many classic console RPGs is not very successful. See, instead of trying to save the world, your supposed ultimate goal is to destroy it, because things are apparently that bad. At a certain point, though, any confusion you might have experienced becomes moot. Loot Box Spending And Problematic Gambling Linked, Researchers Say, Friday's Best Deals: The Last Of Us Part 2, NordVPN, Xbox Spring Sale, And More. Mike Moehnke Code: Kirin Administrators. The story unfolds too slowly for my tastes (especially at the poorly paced beginning), but the narrative is interesting and the strong voice work draws you in deeper than you might expect. Review … This makes even most boss encounters laughably easy. There's no option to speed them up, which means you can either endure them at their set pace or skip them altogether, missing much of the story that is the only reason to play this game. You may spend a lot of time running in circles, using trial and error until you stumble on the solution. Sands of Destruction is ambitious. Sands of Destruction - Staff Review. But those random battles have got to go. The problem is that neither the game nor the accompanying manual make it terribly clear what influences a character's morale, so you may find yourself with fewer battle points than you should normally have and no clue as to what to do about it. It tried to meld together voice acting, an interesting storyline, good gameplay… Sadly, it hits some of these goals and falls very very short on the others. This intense game puts gamers in control of an intriguing cast of characters including the crusading Morte Ashera as well as Kyrie Illunis, who unknowingly holds the key to global destruction. The world they live in is primarily ruled by beastmen, and humans play the role of the disenfranchised minority. Destruction is too good for this game. Sands of Destruction (ワールド・デストラクション～導かれし意思～, Wārudo Desutorakushon ~Michibikareshi Ishi~, "World Destruction: Guided Wills") is a role-playing video game developed by imageepoch and published by Sega for the Nintendo DS.It was released in Japan in 2008, and in North America in 2010. On the other hand, the use of 2D sprites in the 3D environments doesn't always work well. Sands of Destruction is a decent-looking game. The characters are playful, and active. To make matters worse, you'll be interrupted by these dreadfully dull encounters with frustrating frequency. Music and sounds in Sands of Destruction fare better than the visuals. Tags: funimation, review, sega, twitter The content of this piece was written on a viewing of the first episode of Sands of Destruction on February 3, 2010. And the tale puts a fun twist on the age-old save-the-world concept, sprinkling enough surprises throughout to keep it interesting to the end. It's got an engagingly original story, but this throwback to bygone console role-playing games botches the gameplay fundamentals. While I won't go so far as to say it's a must-buy title, it certainly provides players with a wonderful story, fairly high production values, a fluid battle system, big boss fights, and an … May it meet with the Academy's approval. It certainly helps bring the story to life, but the quality is inconsistent, with some actors delivering their lines with enthusiasm while others sound wooden. All this publication's reviews Imagine that and you have Sands of Destruction (World Destruction: Guided Wills in its Japanese release), SEGA's latest RPG… While more recent games in the genre typically eschew certain once-common elements, like random encounters and turn-based combat, Sands of Destruction embraces them. For Sands of Destruction on the DS, a reader review titled "". However, whereas most heroes in his position are destined to save the world, Kyrie's fate seems quite different. The world presented in the game is an interesting one, and its flaws should not prevent an audience prepared for some frustration from having a good time with it. When I first heard of the FUNimation anime title Sands of Destruction, I thought to myself, “This will be an interesting series to watch.” Little did I know that the anime is based on a 2010 Nintendo DS role-playing game published by SEGA. The combat becomes uninvolving, and the story is sapped of drama. As you make your way through the game's many forests, towers and other hostile environments, you'll be interrupted after every few steps by an encounter with monsters. GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. A quick tutorial early on could have done wonders to clear up any confusion. In the early part of the game, the turn-based battle system just seems a bit baffling. Kyrie has his misgivings about this, but he is swept along on a journey that reveals much about the world and about Kyrie himself. Sands of Destruction was not only one of the worst animes I’ve seen in a long time, but it managed to make the storytelling in the video game look GOOD by comparison. There’s not much replay value here, the game becomes too easy for players who have any idea what’s up, dungeon navigation cries out for a joystick, and the The most noteworthy aspect of the sound design is the extensive voice acting, which proves to be a mixed blessing. on January 25, 2010 at 6:15PM PST. Don't mess with an eyepatch-wearing bounty hunter, even if he does look like a teddy bear. Man, I was really pumped for Sands of Destruction after I heard all the people who were working on it. If you watch this, it will make you want to beg for more, but don't let this, or any other review from turning you off or stopping you from watching it. There was a period, during mid-to-late Nineties, when you couldn’t swing a stick in a Babbage’s without knocking over a shelf full of Japanese RPGs. The main character has a mission to destroy the world and carries a black sphere with the power to do it. Like so many RPG heroes before him, Kyrie's modest upbringing gives him no clue as to the lofty destiny that awaits him. While there are some fearsome and memorable boss designs, in each area you'll mostly fight monsters that are just palette swaps for the same few types of monsters you've fought elsewhere. This is especially aggravating when you're in the midst of one of the numerous mazes you must navigate on your journey. SoD is a playable JRPG, but only recommendable to the most tolerant or starved JRPG fans. Sands of Destruction, unfortunately, is … You'll likely reach this point relatively early on, and from then on, the overwhelming majority of battles can be quickly won with a few presses of the Y button, requiring no thought or consideration on your part whatsoever. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You would think this would be a big deal, but oddly enough its publisher, Sega, who is a large company in its own right has been decidedly mum on the title. Andrew Peggs May 2, 2012 Movies & TV, Reviews. Sands of Destruction offers standard, turn-based battling, a linear, well-told story, and lots of data and attributes around each character that can be endlessly tweaked. With positives landing in the story, character, visual, battle, and audio categories, Sands of Destruction is a good experience overall, though it’s not the messiah that some were hoping for. While it tells an interesting tale, glaring problems with the combat, along with dungeons and puzzles that are more frequently frustrating than satisfying, prevent Sands of Destruction from replicating the captivating gameplay of its most fondly remembered forebears. SEGA® and FUNimation® bring you an anime based on the RPG of the same name. News reports describe the Sands of Destruction game's original concept being very dark, with a bleak plotline involving feral Beast-Men rounding up humans in concentration camps, to be eaten as cattle. Hide similar threads Similar threads with keywords - Destruction, Review, Sands Sands of Destruction stuck on loading screen chrabia , Jan 16, 2012 , in forum: NDS - … I bought it out of impulse and then the reviews came in by websites and they tore it apart. Sands of Destruction. Review by Carl Kimlinger, Feb 8th 2010. It was during this time that a lot of great, genre-defining games, like Final Fantasy VIII, Legend of Dragoon and Vagrant Story were released, but for every Chrono Trigger, there were a dozen As you fight, you earn customization points that you can spend on your character's attacks to make them stronger or more accurate. Sands of Destruction has the tell-tale signs of a traditional JRPG, but begins with a complete twist to the classic boy-turned-hero story. Sands of Destruction has all the tools to make it a great JRPG, especially with its complex dungeon mazes, but it unfortunately falls flat due to the simple gameplay and boring characters. Even considering its unusual and interesting story, there's just too much wrong with this game to overlook. Vexx's Sands of Destruction Review Platform - DS No. The upgrade system also takes a while to get your head around, but you’ll appreciate how it allows you to guide the evolution of your party. And there isn't much variety to the monsters you face throughout the game. Sands of Destruction, an epic RPG created by the all-star Japanese developers at ImageEpoc, takes you through an epic adventure in a world surrounded by a sea of sand. Storyline – 7/10 Where do I start… the game starts off with … For Your Consideration, this review is posted. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. February 2010 edited February 2010 in Latest Updates. With so many excellent RPGs available for the DS, there's not much reason to spend your time with this one. There is never a dull moment of prediction when watching Sands of Destruction. The musical score, in particular, is quite good; it does a great job of bringing out the feel of a scene or a fight. Fearing a significant loss of market share by getting a mature rating, the game's setting was dialed way down, back to typical cliché levels. Carolyn Petit There's nothing rewarding about solving a maze when the answer doesn't even make sense, and the fact that you're slowed down tremendously by all the battles you have to fight (or run away from) just makes these sequences that much more of an ordeal. Read reviews on Sands of Destruction on Crunchyroll. The game info for Sands of Destruction on Sega’s website lists an “unconventional storyline” as one of the game’s impressive features. The central figure of the game is a young man named Kyrie. Sands of Destruction Publisher: Sega Developer: Image Epoch Genre: Turn Based RPG Release Date: 01/13/2010. Interesting story puts a twist on genre formula, Combat is slightly confusing early on, wildly unbalanced later, Voice acting sometimes slows storytelling down. To Read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY wholeheartedly on the solution play go hand-in-hand, so it n't! 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