The Dark Spire: Staying Too True to the Old School

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The Dark Spire Some of my earliest -- and favorite -- gaming memories involve the role-playing adventures of the '80s, games such as The Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, and Wizardry. My memories of playing The Bard's Tale on my Mom's Apple IIGS, mapping Mangar's Tower on a pad of graph paper while stealing a glimpse of my middle school crush as she walked by my house on her way to visit a friend after school, are fond indeed.

I miss those days.

Two years ago, Etrian Odyssey stoked those memories. The game's design, a purposefully throwback approach, was a delight, and I spent many commutes to work and late nights in my recliner exploring the labyrinth. The same sense of glee accompanied the game's second outing. Mega Man 9 and 1942: Joint Strike hit my retro sweetspot as well. (I apparently enjoy living in the past; I even wrote this commentary with the swingin' sounds of Les Brown and the Band of Renown in the background.)

The Dark Spire grabbed my interest late last year. This DS dungeon crawl is so retro that you can even switch between a "modern" presentation and a distinct retro look, wire-frame walls and all. I admire the intent behind The Dark Spire, but the game's far too clumsy; Etrian Odyssey pairs the punishing gameplay of the old days with elegant design, but The Dark Spire leaves me feeling like a flailing goblin grunt. It does little to stoke my retro game cravings -- indeed, the game's left my nostalgia boner limp.

I've spent more than 50 hours with this game since purchasing it in April, and I'm still stuck on the dungeon's third level. I've never experienced this much trouble with an RPG before. Granted, it doesn't give you many clues, just like RPGs of the past (the puzzles require a great deal of patience and trial and error, since the meager clues aren't much help). I also don't mind the large areas of magical darkness, teleport puzzles, and pits. But I shouldn't spend as much time fighting the interface as I do fighting the monsters (was my beloved The Bard's Tale this clunky?). And if my characters can learn a navigation skill, why do I still need to use a spell to locate my party on a map?

No wonder people sitting next to me on the Bay Area Rapid Transit train move to another seat when I play this game....

After my experience with The Dark Spire, I wonder what I (and gamers in general) want from retro games. Do we crave the memorable but flawed games of the past? (I still play games such as LucasArts' X-Wing series, so maybe I do want those old games.) Do we want a modern take on an old friend (such as Galaga Legions)? Or do we want something that takes the best aspects of both -- a game that's elegant and fun and also hits that ol' retro sweetspot.

Or are we looking for something a bit more ethereal: our childhoods.

Tags: Wizardry, Mega Man 9, The Dark Spire, The Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, Etrian Odyssey, Etrian Odyssey II, Galaga Legions, Star Wars: X-Wing, battlefield 1942

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Greg Ford

June 10, 2009

Wait, 50 hours and still on the third dungeon? You, sir, are a glutton for punishment. At what point do you give? Nice piece, though. I think you suggested what we are looking for: a game that's elegant and fun that also hits the retro sweetspot. Makes me think of Punch-Out!! and Space Invaders Extreme, both excellent games.

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Toby Davis

I know I look for in retro are the games I want to play and loved back when i was growing up. Maybe a new sleeker version of it with a great twist.

Jeff Buczek

Been waiting for some good hands-on impression. Thanks. Looks right up my Atlus alley. Still trudging thru the first Etrian (with Etrian 2 pacing impatiently in the wings), but I think I'll grab this on amazon for $22 before it does the usual OOP thing.

ah. Out of print. Always seems to be with these types of games, no?

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

I LOVED Bard's Tale as a kid. I played all three (but not the modern revamp that came out a few years ago). I did the tedious graph-paper thing (damn teleporters...). My fondest memory from the series: level grinding in the room that had 99 Berserkers, 99 Berserkers, 99 Berserkers, and 99 Berserkers. Go in there, cast and blast, and level up. It was beautiful.

Jonathan Simpson

I have been playing this as well and like it quite a bit. I'm sorry the poster is having a hard time of things, but if he played this game the same way he played the RPGs of his youth, I really don't see how it could take more than 25 hours or so to be done with the third floor. I can see a youngster being completely off put by the game, but an old hand shouldn't have such troubles! Perhaps Etrian Odyssey gave him a false sense of security :) It is very important to check every wall for secret doors the first time to pass through any square. And if you do get stuck, well, that's what gamefaqs is for! I'm about 25 hours in and exploring the 4th floor. I like it and wanted to put in a good word for it, but it is quite different from Etrian Odyssey. The Dark Spire is much closer to the original wizardry games. It does, however, have an automap. That alone eases things considerably.

Jason Wilson

Jonathan! Thank you for the comment! I don't use gamefaqs or any other online cheats. I didn't have time in the '80s, so I don't feel right using them now. I just grind/experiment until I figure it out (hence, the number of hours that I've put in). And here's the sad thing: I'm going to keep playing until I beat it because I'm a completist! Oh, the horror!!!

Spencer Gregory

June 11, 2009

What do I want from retro games? In most cases, I'm looking for faithful ports of the original. I'm a lapsed gamer, who didn't get around to beating many of the NES/SNES era classics when they were new. I think it's important to be familiar with the "source material" of a re-release before moving on to the upgrade. Because of this, the Virtual Console is perfect for my needs. VC games offer nearly the same experience as the first time, except for a different controller. That's all I could ask for while driving through my aged back catalog.

Gord Cooper

I'll tell you this man - I'm ~40 hours in, and the 4th floor is an unforgiving mistress. Some of the puzzles are obtuse to the point that you need to have a knowledge of literary culture outside the game entirely just to make heads or tails of them. Also, if you plan on getting your multiclasses - good luck! I tailored a character specifically to become a Paladin, only to find that the Pal was the FINAL character class you unlocked through a series of side quests, which get progressively more difficult to discern inasmuch as what is expected of you. The game is great though - where I would say that Etrian was a very nice nod to the Wizardry games, I would go as far as to say that Dark Spire is a sequel to them, warts and all. Enjoyable, if you can appreciate the punishment that these games lay on the player. I hope you keep it up, it is pretty fantastic.

Glad to see you aren't giving up Jason! So far the second floor is the one which I had the most trouble on. There was one event that doesn't occur until you leave the dungeon and come back to a previously visited square. I had explored everywhere and was at a loss. So, I checked gamefaqs and probably saved an hour or two :) So the moral is that when stuck, methodically retrace all your steps.

[quote]I'll tell you this man - I'm ~40 hours in, and the 4th floor is an unforgiving mistress. Some of the puzzles are obtuse to the point that you need to have a knowledge of literary culture outside the game entirely just to make heads or tails of them.[/quote] Ah, Gord -- I just reached the fourth floor! Crap!

Mohammad AlHuraiz

November 03, 2009

[quote]After my experience with The Dark Spire, I wonder what I (and gamers in general) want from retro games. Do we crave the memorable but flawed games of the past? (I still play games such as LucasArts' X-Wing series, so maybe I do want those old games.) Do we want a modern take on an old friend (such as Galaga Legions)? Or do we want something that takes the best aspects of both -- a game that's elegant and fun and also hits that ol' retro sweetspot.[/quote] I just want more dungeon crawlers on my DS with sadistic bastardry as sick humor