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RTTP: 3D Dot Game Heroes, why no sequel?

ReaperXL7

Member
So I recently started up 3D Dot Game heroes again, and remembering how awesome I feel that the overall game is, I got to thinking. Why has there not been even a hint at a sequel?

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Now I'm not sure what kind of fanbase the game has on Gaf, I was not on Gaf yet when the game came out, so for those of you who are unaware 3D dot game heroes is an action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Studio and published by From Software in Japan, Atlus in North America and by SouthPeak Games in Europe. The game uses a unique style, presenting 2D retro-style graphics in a 3D environment using voxels. The game was released in Japan on November 5, 2009, in North America on May 11, 2010 and in Europe on May 14, 2010.

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The gameplay strongly resembles that of 8-bit action-adventure games, particularly that of The Legend of Zelda. The player character moves from screen to screen exploring dungeons, battling enemies, collecting items and solving puzzles. When the player's health bar is full, the player's sword will grow to tremendous sizes whenever swung. Swords in game can be customized and leveled up to increase its length, width, as well as magical power, other special items that can also be used include boomerangs, lanterns, candles, and bows.

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Players can also create their own character model using the game's 3D sprite editor. Players are also able to collect monsters to be featured in an encyclopedia which is done through beating the monster on its head with a book until its profile shows up in the encyclopedia's pages. Loading screens in-game also feature recreated box arts of classic video games using the game's 3D sprites.

From the moment I had seen screenshots for 3Dot I knew I was going to be a fan, the art style was fantastic, the music very good, and then when I got the game and the gameplay was excellent it was a done deal. It's one of my favorite games of this generation, and it was very successful for Atlus who published the game here in the west selling greater than six times the amount they had anticipated for the game. In my experience when a game does that well for you, there is usually a sequel, but so far nothing has been addressed between Silicon, From, or Atlus. It's a damn shame.... am I the only one who wishes for a sequel to this?
 
I was enjoying the game but the dungeons left a lot to be desired, it's like they were cut from the cloth of the original Zelda and not any of the other top down/2D sequels, as such the dungeons felt rather underwhelming, relying on simply being a labyrinth and not much more while throwing in a few of the later Zelda game items. While this was likely an intentional decision to ape the older dungeons it felt like such a missed opportunity to me.
So I guess I would want a sequel, one that has more interesting dungeons because every thing else was pretty good, I loved the way the game looked, the ridiculously oversized sword and the overworld was fun to traverse.
 
Bought it but never finished it. Got stuck in some incredibly hard dungeon. It's a very demanding game for a modern gamer.

I liked it a lot though.
 
This is the type of game I'd love on the Vita. I'm missing a big old game like this and I really enjoyed playing it in short bursts. I'd like them to evolve the stage design a bit for a sequel.
 
I need to finish playing this. It's a fun idea and I enjoyed the gameplay a lot (being a huge Zelda fan).

I'd get behind the idea for a sequel to it.
 
This game was ok. Unfortunately it just stuck way too close tot the Zelda formula to be really interesting, and it was honestly just pretty bland in all areas other than the visuals. I never completed the game, because it froze up on me when I was almost done with the last dungeon, and I didn't feel like repeating ~1 hour of progress.
 
That would have been useful if I knew the game was going to freeze. But that's not how freezing works.

freezing was a known problem for this game if not installed to hdd iirc

also,any game can freeze :P

They're busy making Bravely Default for Square-Enix

that's matrix,the makers of ff3 & 4 ds

3d dot is by the demon's souls team
 
Man as much as I want to play it, I have to be in the mood for that =/
Will prob. play it when it's among the last games in my backlog.
 
It bombed hard in Japan but did okay in NA. I'd like to see a 3DS conversion personally, I think it'd be a good match for the system.


that's matrix,the makers of ff3 & 4 ds

3d dot is by the demon's souls team
It was developed by Silicon Studio, who are now making Bravely Default (not Matrix). SS actually helped develop the SDK for 3DS graphics chip too.
 
Love this game. I got up to that final dungeon which is a chore and never finished it, but every moment prior was amazing. Would love a sequel.
 
Never finished it because my save file kept getting ate and the latest one is on my dead PS3. :(

I like the game, but to get 100% requires wayyyy too much work for the swords. Dash Race is hell. :(
 
Absolutely loved it. One of my fave RPG games ever. Loved the artstlye, the sword mechanics, side quests etc. Had some really neat touches and just had a great time playing it.

Would love some sort of sequel or another game of a similar vain. And yeah it sold quite well for the game it was.
 
It bombed hard in Japan but did okay in NA. I'd like to see a 3DS conversion personally, I think it'd be a good match for the system.



It was developed by Silicon Studio, who are now making Bravely Default (not Matrix). SS actually helped develop the SDK for 3DS graphics chip too.

It sold more than 150k in Us, that's more than okay, given the game and the marketing behind it (atlus usa was pretty happy about it, citing it as a reason for exceeding expectations in the fiscal quarter the game released).

Silicon studio is a vita licensed developer and they showed not too long ago their now cross platform engine. Maybe they're working on some vita/ps3 game with cross saving capabilities, would make sense given the the cross playform nature of its engine and the fact they achieved success on ps3.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/10/21/3d-dot-game-heroes-sells-six-times-expectations-demons-souls-does-double/
 
°°ToMmY°°;37827506 said:
It sold more than 150k in Us, that's more than okay, given the game and the marketing behind it (atlus usa was pretty happy about it, citing it as a reason for exceeding expectations in the fiscal quarter the game released).

Silicon studio is a vita licensed developer and they showed not too long ago their now cross platform engine. Maybe they're working on some vita/ps3 game with cross saving capabilities, would make sense given the the cross playform nature of its engine and the fact they achieved success on ps3.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/10/21/3d-dot-game-heroes-sells-six-times-expectations-demons-souls-does-double/

That pretty good.

Hope Silicon Studio make a sequel, something more like Final Fantasy VI than Zelda this time will be amazing.
 
My PS3 YLOD before I got to finish it, but this game is amazing and my personal favorite PS3 exclusive. A Vita title would be excellent.
 
Boring game

Yeah, this. I was expecting to love the game, but in the end there really was nothing I could love about it. The one thing that makes this game special is the artstyle, and that got old pretty fast. Everything else was just very uninspired, bland and repetitive.
 
Game didn't do anything for me, which is odd since I love Zelda. I don't remember how far I got but I just got bored and stopped playing entirely.
 
°°ToMmY°°;37827506 said:
It sold more than 150k in Us, that's more than okay, given the game and the marketing behind it (atlus usa was pretty happy about it, citing it as a reason for exceeding expectations in the fiscal quarter the game released).

Silicon studio is a vita licensed developer and they showed not too long ago their now cross platform engine. Maybe they're working on some vita/ps3 game with cross saving capabilities, would make sense given the the cross playform nature of its engine and the fact they achieved success on ps3.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/10/21/3d-dot-game-heroes-sells-six-times-expectations-demons-souls-does-double/
Unfortunately the game utterly tanked in Japan, selling under 20k total, which probably explains From Software's reluctance to continue the series. Silicon Studio actually expressed interest in doing a 360 port too, but From shot it down.

3DS seems like the best future platform bet imo since it's pretty clearly going to be the handheld market leader by a gigantic margin (and Japanese market leader in general), plus the fundamentals of the graphics engine (low poly, high effect) seem like they'd scale exceedingly well given Silicon Studio's direct involvement in the PICA's SDK. Having a Zelda homage release on the same platform you can find Zelda itself also makes some logical sense. Bring on 3D Dot Game Heroes 3D!

edit: For clairification I meant handheld platform, and largely for making the franchise relevant in Japan. I actually think an HD multiplatform sequel (360/PS3/PC... plus maybe Wii U) would be the best route forward in general worldwide.
 
Unfortunately the game utterly tanked in Japan, selling under 20k total, which probably explains From Software's reluctance to continue the series. Silicon Studio actually expressed interest in doing a 360 port too, but From shot it down.

3DS seems like the best future platform bet imo since it's pretty clearly going to be the handheld market leader by a gigantic margin (and Japanese market leader in general), plus the fundamentals of the graphics engine (low poly, high effect) seem like they'd scale exceedingly well given Silicon Studio's direct involvement in the PICA's SDK. Having a Zelda homage release on the same platform you can find Zelda itself also makes some logical sense. Bring on 3D Dot Game Heroes 3D!

Well, the game tanked in japan, but more than 160k copies in usa (probably even more now) plus sales from europe is nothing to scoff at. If from is reluctant i'm not sure changing the platform would make a difference in from's eyes. It's more probable Silicon would look toward another publisher with a keener eye on the overseas market. It would make sense to continue where they know they have a fanbase. I don't think the game would scale well on 3ds, lighting effects in the game definitely needs a complete overhaul to accomodate the much lower graphical capabilities, plus the poli count isn't definitely in the 3ds's reach.
 
°°ToMmY°°;37828406 said:
Well, the game tanked in japan, but more than 160k copies in usa (probably even more now) plus sales from europe is nothing to scoff at. If from is reluctant i'm not sure changing the platform would make a difference in from's eyes. It's more probable Silicon would look toward another publisher with a keener eye on the overseas market. It would make sense to continue where they know they have a fanbase. I don't think the game would scale well on 3ds, lighting effects in the game definitely needs a complete overhaul to accomodate the much lower graphical capabilities, plus the poli count isn't definitely in the 3ds's reach.
See my edit, I was speaking largely to Japan. Regardless, Vita's probably the worst platform to move to looking at where the markets are going.

I've never seen European figures, but given the publisher (Southpeak) I'd imagine it came closer to Japan than the US sales wise. Also it's From Software's IP, Silicon Studio can't really go elsewhere with it though they could do a spiritual sequel (as From themselves did with Dark Souls). However any interested company looking at the western market isn't going to keep it on PS3 exclusively, or even consider Vita most likely.

Again I'd suggest an HD multi sequel (for the west) and a 3DS conversion or spinoff (for Japan). iOS too maybe down the line.
 
Soulless, boring game that failed to live up to the franchise its paying tribute to in the smallest things.

One of the few games i sold shortly after buying.
 
I know the game sold really well and beyond expectations- especially with its' $40 price point. However, as awesome as it is, I don't think it has legs to have a sequel. A lot of people bought it for the nostalgia feeling.
 
I know the game sold really well and beyond expectations- especially with its' $40 price point. However, as awesome as it is, I don't think it has legs to have a sequel. A lot of people bought it for the nostalgia feeling.

And they stayed because the gameplay was fun. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt them to do it all over with improved everything.
 
See my edit, I was speaking largely to Japan. Regardless, Vita's probably the worst platform to move to looking at where the markets are going.

I've never seen European figures, but given the publisher (Southpeak) I'd imagine it came closer to Japan than the US sales wise. Also it's From Software's IP, Silicon Studio can't really go elsewhere with it though they could do a spiritual sequel (as From themselves did with Dark Souls). However any interested company looking at the western market isn't going to keep it on PS3 exclusively, or even consider Vita most likely.

Again I'd suggest an HD multi sequel (for the west) and a 3DS conversion or spinoff (for Japan). iOS too maybe down the line.

Considering their multiplatform engine it's more probable they'd do a ps3 game adding platforms that can work under a similar code base. They have a multiplatform engine that supports vita with all its effects, so if they decided to branch out it would probably on 360, pc and vita. Definitely not 3ds that would need a new engine, new assets and all that. It's not an ip with the pull to have a spin-off game.

I'm not counting wiiu as all we have about it is from a year ago, but given its rumored specs it would make more sense than a 3ds version. If you really want to see it on 3ds is another matter, but i don't see how you can justify it from a business side, given there would be other platforms more suited to receive a port with little cost added to the development budget.

In 3d dot case they would need to decide to go hd platforms and vita or 3ds, as those two development approaches are too different from each other. Given they sold well worldwide on ps3 i don't see them shunning said console when they could easily add more sales simply doing a quick port (their engine is already ps3/360/pc/vita).
 
It wasn't as good as Zelda 1, but was still pretty good.

I thought it was like Zelda 1, but with more puzzles, and many that were more annoying. I stopped playing in the desert area before the temple, because I got annoyed trying to figure out how to pass it (something that's never happened to me in a Zelda game). I've been eyeing it recently, because I do want to finish it.
 
°°ToMmY°°;37828916 said:
Considering their multiplatform engine it's more probable they'd do a ps3 game adding platforms that can work under a similar code base. They have a multiplatform engine that supports vita with all its effects, so if they decided to branch out it would probably on 360, pc and vita. Definitely not 3ds that would need a new engine, new assets and all that. It's not an ip with the pull to have a spin-off game.

I'm not counting wiiu as all we have about it is from a year ago, but given its rumored specs it would make more sense than a 3ds version. If you really want to see it on 3ds is another matter, but i don't see how you can justify it from a business side, given there would be other platforms more suited to receive a port with little cost added to the development budget.

In 3d dot case they would need to decide to go hd platforms and vita or 3ds, as those two development approaches are too different from each other. Given they sold well worldwide on ps3 i don't see them shunning said console when they could easily add more sales simply doing a quick port (their engine is already ps3/360/pc/vita).
Actually you're wrong on the technology, the engine 3DDGH uses (Bishamon) is not only hugely scalable but it's already been adapted to 3DS as a commercial middleware solution. Now obviously some things would take a hit, but as Capcom has shown with their MT Framework Mobile projects on 3DS, you can still manage HDR, self shadowing, 2xAA, depth of field, motion blur, etc, while even using scaled HD assets on 3DS. Silicon Studio most certainly wouldn't be starting from scratch here, hell they helped develop the actual tools for the 3DS GPU, they should probably get even better results than Capcom given their intimate familiarity with the system. Bravely Default looks shockingly good for what it is.

Anyway, platform selection depends mostly on what market From wants to push. If they want the franchise to become viable in Japan then 3DS is the only real option at the moment. If they want to go further in the west then HD consoles are the best bet going forward. In either case Vita doesn't really have good prospects since it's currently bombing hard everywhere and the future's looking grim.

And again, I'd say making a game targeted at the Zelda fanbase available on the same platforms as the Zelda fanbase makes some sense. Wii U would come in ahead of Vita based just off that I think.
 
That would have been useful if I knew the game was going to freeze. But that's not how freezing works.
:lol. This got me.

This is one of a few games that freezes on me pretty regularly. But I've never had the heart to get rid of it.

Got a new HDD and other games seem more stable. I've been meaning to come back to it.

Coolest character sprite was that shark one.
 
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