Hack'n'slash. A term commonly used to refer to games where the player proceeds to carve their way through multiple opponents in efforts to reach the boss at the end of the level, pulverise them and progress to the next area.
Titles that surpass the mediocrity that can come from hours of such gameplay are few and far between. Does
N3 II: Ninety Nine Nights (
N3 II from here on in) achieve the lofty heights of the genre's greatest or does it wallow in the mire of averageness that so many titles in the genre fall into?
Much like its predecessor,
Ninety Nine Nights,
N3 II takes us to a world of dark fantasy with a setting that would not be out of place in
The Lord of the Rings. In the opening cinematic we're introduced to the main character in the game, Galen, and his ability to literally carve through several enemies at once in a 'one man takes on all' situation only palatable in a fictional setting such as this.
It does well to set the tone for the game. Once the basic plot of protecting the Orphea Castle and the Light Orb from the Lord of the Night is explained and controls are passed over to the player, you can get on with what will essentially continue for the remainder of the game - the fighting.
Much like Koei's
Dynasty Warriors or Capcom's
Devil Kings,
N3 II proceeds to have the player hack and slash their way through several hundred orcs, centaurs, winged demons and other such creatures in efforts to reach the end of the stage map and fight the big boss at the end (normally a bigger orc, demon or beast).
The game does attempt to offer 'missions' in the stages but these are as generic as they come, with players having to hit switches to open gates or use their character's special action to activate a statue that will open up access to the next area. So far, so similar, and only the most sadistic of hack and slash fans will derive pleasure from these distractions that purport to deviate from the main gameplay.
Players are given a variety of controls with which to get to grips, with the X and Y buttons covering light and hard attacks respectively. The A button handles jumping and the B button brings on a character-specific action which can be used to smash barriers or quell flames that block the way, among other uses.
The LT and RT buttons act as means to guard and roll out of harm's way. The RB button is saved for a character's special attack that can be used when they have enough magic built up - it acts like a smart bomb when they need to escape from a sticky situation. Movement is carried out with the left analogue stick and pressing the right analogue stick in allows players to vary the degree the camera is zoomed in on the action, which allows the player to get a wider look at the stage if you get stuck.
