MCAlliance Reviews: 8-Bit Adventure

Blast from the Past:

Reviewed by KrakkenFish

Remember the age old pixelated retro games? The kind which you always had on your Christmas list for months? Well those games were what defined gaming and otherwise altered the future for all console games. And that’s what makes Linkruler’s 8-Bit Adventure so refreshing.

There’s a lot to say about this RPG adventure map. As a reboot, it revisits all your favourite pastime characters from Mario to Zelda. Immediately you can see their return in stunning fashion. To start off, your character is sucked into a new TV you bought at a garage sale. You have to play through the various levels and stages in order to get out. Although this isn’t exactly what you can call a proper story, but for a map like this, it doesn’t really matter. Like the Dropper, the main emphasis is on the game, not the plot. Honestly it wouldn’t have mattered if 8-Bit Adventure didn’t have a story at all. The gameplay was just so enjoyable.

As a puzzle map, it does a great job getting the player’s brain cells working. It does a great job pitting players up against real challenges. You’ll find various different kinds of puzzles ranging from parkour to mazes. This is definitely a map which will keep your mind running. Puzzles always had a new twist to it and that always made a new task seem different and special.

All these elements add up to make a fun and challenging map, but it eventually begins to lose some logic. Puzzles in the map were, well, unnecessarily overused. So overused in fact, that puzzles turned into sweat jobs, and counting all the bugs, it’s hard to say whether a puzzle was glitched up or just plain difficult. Although I said before that I loved the idea of new, different types of puzzle genres, I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t know how to solve it. Puzzles should be simple enough for people to understand, but some puzzles in 8-Bit Adventure were overwhelmed with so much confusion.

Pace was another issue entirely. Of all the levels in 8-Bit Adventure, the first level, Mario was by far my favourite. It wasn’t exactly a challenge and it had no puzzle element, but my experience in that level was the most enjoyable. However, things went downhill from there on out. The next two levels lost their 8-Bit feel and gameplay became extremely monotonous. The Legend of Zelda map and puzzles didn’t even feel like anything from the actual Legend of Zelda series. Parkour in a Sonic map also lacked logic, since all Sonic does is run extremely fast on solid ground.

Layout and mechanics were also a problem. Everything required manual effort like setting spawn points for example. Spawn points were so far away from each other, it’s so easy to get lost and not know where you’re supposed to be going. The layout of the entire map itself was like a maze already. You can already imagine how confusing it is. Getting from place to place was almost impossible. Frustration is inevitable, but getting lost is unbearable. Multiplayer didn’t work too well and even with all the bug fixes, the map still felt half finished.

If there was any map which needed to be worked on more, it would be 8-Bit Adventure. But there’s still hope for all these bugs to be fixed. And with recent fixes by the mapmaker himself, this map should be set to be much more improved in the future to come.

Presentation:

Contrary to the faulty mechanics, the presentation in 8-Bit Adventure was legendary. It had some of the best set pieces I had ever seen. It was as if 8-Bit retro games and the Matrix made a baby. It was something I had never seen before. It was extremely appealing to the eye and it sets the perfect atmosphere of being inside a television. Getting into minecarts to get to the next destination was all the more satisfying. I loved rewatching all my favourite pastime characters one last time.

I may have mentioned this before, but minecraft isn’t just a platform, but a giant canvas. A canvas so big that any creative mind and being could create something amazing out of the imagination of their minds. In this sense, Linkruler has crafted a masterpiece, let alone a fun and challenging adventure map. With such vibrant colours and resource packs, all you can do is stare in awe.

8-Bit Adventure’s presentation managed to hit a home run all the way out of the playing field across the parking lot, smashing right into the Dropper’s face. The presentation was that good. It really did test the Dropper franchise’s legacy. However, 8-Bit Adventure would have done better if it could have made interior spaces more spectacular.

But overall, 8-Bit Adventure has won my heart.

The Verdict:

I wished that there could be more side missions, replayable levels, mini games perhaps. As a reboot RPG adventure map, 8-Bit Adventure has shot beyond what is sky’s limit. And even with the bugs, glitches and faulty mechanics, it can still be fun to play. In fact, I’m praying for a sequel map where everything can be improved and more retro games can be included like Metal Gear or Pokemon. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find Solid Snake or Pikachu in the next instalment.

+Challenging and fun

+Great reboot of retro games

+Beautifully crafted landscapes

- Confusing layout and bad mechanics

- Frustrating at times

- Inconsistent pace

Do you agree with our verdict? What adventure map do you want us to review next? Be sure to post your suggestions in the comments below. For more on adventure maps and news, lick that subscribe button and join the MCAlliance.

Good