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Guide: How To Beat The Divine Trial Dungeon In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild’s Champions’ Ballad DLC

The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild‘s final DLC, the Champions’ Ballad, is out now, and it offers a challenging dungeon known as the Divine Trial. But it’s challenging to even get that far. First you have to defeat five separate trials – four of which relate to the fallen champions.

Do so though, and you unlock the crown jewel of this DLC – the Master Cycle Zero. This nippy little racer lets Link travel across whats left of Hyrule in style.

We want to help you unlock it faster, so we’ve created this guides series to walk you through the DLC step by step.

Before You Begin

You first have to defeat the four divine beasts and then tackle the Divine Beast Tamer’s Trial on the Great Plateau to unlock the next phases of the trial. We say phases, because the next section is split up into four, and you can complete them in any order. Each of the four trials is based on one of the champions. 

This guide tackles the Divine Trial, but we’ve also covered Mipha’sRevali’sDaruk’s, and Urbosa’s Songs, so head to one of those if you haven’t completed them yet. You can perform them in any order, so just pick your favourite champion and go from there.

The Divine Trial

To start the Divine Trial, head back to the Shrine of Resurrection and place the Sheikah Slate back in its slot. This will cause the Shrine of Resurrection to sink into the ground, wherein lies the labyrinth that serves as the Divine Trial. It shares the appearance of the Divine Beasts.

Head straight in to the guidance stone to download the dungeon map. Be careful of a tiny guardian on your left though – just take it out with your bow as you pass. Once downloaded, the map will let you control certain aspects of the Divine Beast. More on that later.

The First Lock

Head straight past the guidance stone until you see a ramp. Head up it and follow it to the right until you reach a door on your left. Don’t go through it just yet though, instead glance up and you’ll see a metallic object you can manipulate with Magnesis. You won’t be able to reach it just yet though, so open the map and rotate the beast clockwise. This will bring the metallic object closer. 

Pull out Magnesis and drag the object from the far right to the far left and immediately rotate the beast anti clockwise again. This may take a few attempts, but your goal here is to push the metallic object into the hole to its left. The best way to do this is to grab it and start pulling left as it gets near the hole, then it should slip inside as it rotates past.

Ensure the beast is rotating anti clockwise and run into the centre of the room. Let the ground carry you up and to the left and when the opportunity arises, jump and glide to the stairs you should see on your left. Climb to the top and glance left where you’ll see another metallic object. Whip out Magnesis and pull it out, dropping it to the ground.

Drop down yourself and pick it up again. In front of you to the right, you should see a hole that it will fit in. Grab it and push it in there. Turn around, and you’ll see a piece of metal spinning around the room. Grab that, and pull it towards you so that it becomes stuck next to the metal on the floor, which will make the room behind you start spinning.

Wait until the door at the end of the room is directly ahead of you and use Stasis on the spinning piece of metal to temporarily fix the room in place. Head inside the room and interact with the terminal to open the first lock.

Treasure Chests

In the first room where you first rotated the Divine Beast, head inside while the beast rotates counter clockwise and immediately turn left. Let the ground carry you upwards and glance towards the door. You’ll see a chest on the frame, so wait until you have an opportunity and run over to open it.

For the second chest, let the frame of the door to the first lock carry you upwards counter clockwise. As you reach the top, jump and glide to the platform on your right. Ahead, you should see a spinning grate with a treasure chest behind it. Whip out stasis and try and stop it when the the chest is accessible, then crawl in and open it.

The Second Lock

To get to the second lock, just run straight ahead and enter the room directly across from the first lock. You’ll know it because it’s surrounded by lava. Once inside, run ahead until you see a rotating block of spikes. There is a diagonal path running through it that you can safely traverse though, so stand right in front of it and wait for an opportunity to cross. Make sure the beast is rotating clockwise too.

At the other side, wait on the platform until the flames disperse and head past them. In this next section, you’ll see two rotating cogs and a windy chute. To the right, a ball is waiting behind a grate. Whip out stasis and stop the larger cog when the smaller of the two chutes is just next to it, at which point the ball will roll into the chute.

Let the divine beast rotate counter clockwise until you see the ball roll into the bottom of the chute. Now, switch to clockwise and let the ball roll around the next corner. Rotate counter clockwise once more and the ball will drop safely out of the chute and onto the floor.

Pick up the ball and carry it back up the ramp, then up the ramp on your right where you’ll see a chute leading to a hole on the other side of the lava. Place the ball in the chute and it will roll down the chute, land in the hole, and open the gate to the terminal. Cross the lava once more, enter the now open door to your left, and interact with the terminal to open the second lock.

Treasure Chests

Before you enter the room containing the second lock, let the doorway carry you up counter clockwise. When it’s about halfway, you should see a chest on a platform to your right. Jump and glide over to it to grab it.

The Third Lock

After you’ve opened the second lock, let the door frame carry you up clockwise and glide onto the platform on your left. Head right and run across the rotating pole, using Stasis to temporarily freeze the cog in the middle. This will allow you safe passage to the other side. Defeat the guardian and head down the ramp to your right.

Just ahead, you should see a metal pillar sticking out of the wall. Grab it with Magnesis and lift it upwards. You’ll see another, larger metal pillar above. Slot it inside this pillar. Now, grab the larger pillar with Magnesis and slide it across as far to the right as you can and hold it there until the smaller metal pillar slips into the square shaped hole. This will spin the wall to your right, providing access to the room with the terminal to open the third lock.

You may have to kill a few guardians behind you to enter the room safely. Once inside, head towards the fan and to your left you should see a ladder. Climb it, make sure the beast is rotating clockwise, and glide to the second set of stairs to the right of the room. 

Climb these and then switch to counter clockwise and glide to the moving platform in the centre of the room. Wait till the platform is on the right hand side and use Stasis to stop the fan, then glide down to the platform just behind it to the right. Here you’ll find a terminal. Interact with it and you’ll open the third lock.

Treasure Chests

Just before you drop down to enter the room with the third lock inside, glance up and to your right. You’ll see a treasure chest so just grab it with Magnesis and pull it down to you.

Before you enter the room with the third lock, let the doorframe carry you upwards clockwise until you reach a cog at the tip of the door. Leap over to the cog and switch to counter clockwise. let the cog carry you to its peak and leap onto a platform behind it. You’ll see another chest.

When you enter the room, whip out Stasis and freeze the fan. Jump and glide to the platform behind it and kill the guardian to safely grab the chest behind it.

The Fourth Lock

Leave the room with the third lock terminal and climb up the ladders to your right. At the top, head up the ramp ahead and follow it to the right past the remains of the guardian you defeated earlier. Head down this second ramp and whip out Stasis. Freeze the cog on your left just as the odd block out is about to interact with the smaller cog to your right.

This will raise a platform below you. Jump onto it, let it carry you up to the door above, and pass through it into the next room. Follow the stairs down to your left and climb own the ladders. Use Cryonis to freeze a block of ice just beneath the pillar in the centre of the room. This will cause it to spin.

Make sure the beast is spinning clockwise and run around to the left. A platform will raise out of the water so jump on it and let it carry you upwards. You’ll soon see another room so jump across to it and follow the corridor along. At the end you should see an object that looks like an upside down hammer. Use Stasis to freeze it and start whacking it on the right hand side to create momentum.

This will stop the flow of water to your left, so drop down and turn around. Run beneath the platform with the hammer and through a grate. Climb the stairs on your right and step on the switch at the top. This will reveal a metal ball to your right. 

Grab it with Magnesis and lift it over the block to the left of it. Rest it on the platform. Step off the switch and wait for the ball to roll down and stop still. Step back on the switch and the ball will shoot into the next room pinball style. This will cause the water level to raise once more.

Once the water level is at its peak, use Cryonis to freeze a block of ice to your right and climb on top of it. Jump to the platform across and interact with the terminal to open the fourth, and final, lock.

Treasure Chests

Right after the hammer starts spinning, the water will shut off. This drains the floor below so drop down to the left of the hammer and you’ll see a treasure chest below.

Monk Maz Koshia

Leave the room and head left. Stop at the bottom of the ladders and whip out Magnesis. Grab the cog just above and pull it to the huge door on the left. Make sure it aligns with the holes on the door and slot it into place, at which point it will open the door to the end of the dungeon.

Head inside and interact with the monk as you do with any shrine. Instead of receiving a reward, you’ll be teleported to a floating platform high above Hyrule. Here you’ll have to face the Monk Maz Koshia itself.

Maz Koshia will teleport towards you, attempting a downward strike. If you can flurry rush, do so, but if not just dodge it and shoot him in the face with your bow or whack him with your weapon as many times as you can before he backs off.

He will now use a similar attack pattern to Thunderblight Ganon, teleporting towards you in three stages. Time your dodge just right to initiate a flurry rush and whack him. This should bring him to three quarters of his health, triggering a cutscene.

Maz Koshia will now summon a bunch of clones and surround you. Avoid their attacks and pick them off with your bow until you hit the real one, then pound on him with your weapon while he’s stunned. Alternatively, you can wait until all of the clones have attempted an attack, at which point you’ll have a brief moment to assault the real Maz Koshia. Repeat this until he’s at half health.

Another cutscene will trigger in which Maz Koshia greatly increases his size and summons a bunch of metal spiked balls. Dodge each of them as they try and hit you until there’s only one left. Grab it and hold it near Maz Koshia as he attempts a lightning attack. This will turn it back on him, stunning him so you have an opportunity to hit him a few times. Rinse and repeat until Maz Koshia falls.

The Master Cycle Zero

Following a brief cutscene in which the Monk Maz Koshia congratulates you on your courage, you’ll get to see the official inauguration of the divine champions and learn more about the attire they wear. Towards the end, a photo of the group is taken and Kass provides it to you after the cutscene.

Following this cutscene, you’ll have your very own Divine Beast – the Master Cycle Zero. You can summon it at any moment by using the new rune. The Master Cycle Zero does require fuel to function, but luckily for you any item can serve as fuel. Just drop an item near it when you’ve dismounted and the motorcycle will gobble it up for fuel. Be careful you don’t accidentally lose any items you want to keep though!

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Guide: How To Beat The Champions’ Ballad DLC In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild was brought to a touching conclusion in the latest, and final, DLC The Champions’ Ballad. Not only did this tie up all of the loose ends in the plot, but it also provided a challenging new dungeon, oodles of side quests and stuff to unlock, and your very own divine beast, the Master Cycle Zero.

There’s a lot of content here for just a single DLC, and you might find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed when planning how to tackle it. You might even struggle to beat it. That’s why Nintendo Life is here though, to help you conquer all challenges and unlock that tasty new motorcycle.

So without further ado, here’s our complete guide to beating The Champions’ Ballad DLC once and for all.

Before You Begin

Before you even think about starting the Champions’ Ballad, make sure you’ve first installed the DLC. If you haven’t bought it yet, do so from the eShop then press start on the Breath of the Wild icon, hit ‘Software Update’ then ‘Via the Internet’. This will download the DLC so you can start it as soon as you boot up the game.

You do have to defeat all four divine beasts though, so make sure you’ve done so to avoid disappointment. That’s the only requirement, thankfully. You don’t have to beat Calamity Ganon or anything like that.

The Champions’ Ballad

The Champions’ Ballad DLC is split up into six separate challenges that you must beat to complete it and unlock the Master Cycle Zero. Here’s a list of the challenges in order, including links to the full walkthroughs.

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Get Ready to Blast Aliens in Spacejacked, Coming To Switch This Year

Ratalaika Games are no strangers to porting games to the Switch – League of Evil, The Count Lucanor, and I and Me are just a handful of their past porting projects – and now another one is on the way: Rotten Mage’s tower defence game, Spacejacked.

In Spacejacked, your job is defend your spaceship against a relentless horde of aliens. The game’s press release tells us to expect arena shooter action, tower defence tension, and multi-arena madness, and you can get a taster for what is to come in the trailer below.

You’ll need to keep an eye on the floor and the ceiling, whilst navigating between arenas via gravity flipping and teleporters. There is a Story Mode, a Challenge Mode, and an Endless Mode, as well as various weapon upgrades to unlock, too. Whilst no date has been set for the release just yet, Ratalaika says that it is “aiming for Nintendo Switch releases to coincide across Europe and North America”, with more specific details coming later in the year.

Is this one going on your potential wishlist? Let us know what you think below.

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Review: Unepic (Switch eShop)

Once relegated to the dustiest of basements and the back corners of hobby stores worldwide, Dungeons & Dragons has been enjoying something of a resurgence lately; even the cool kids want to join in on some sword swinging and spell slinging. Whether we’ve all just become more imaginative, or simply want to escape the swirling darkness that is the year 2018, it’s clear that RPGs are still in vogue. So, naturally, we have a Switch title eager to turn the whole thing on its head, and play with the core mechanics in a distinctly silly style. 

Previously available on Wii U, Unepic is ready to roll the dice all over again, taking its fantasy Metroidvania stylings to the Switch eShop. We rather enjoyed this challenging adventure last time around, but how does it fare as a portable, single-screen experience?

It’s a game of two halves really, where a surprisingly hardcore RPG fights for priority over a lighthearted plot, iffy voice-acting and corny jokes. Playing as Daniel, a geeky stoner who thinks the entire adventure is just some kind of hallucination after one too many beers on game night, you’re thrust into the dark depths of a labyrinthine castle, complete with devious traps, hordes of enemies and plenty of hidden secrets to discover. While the actual movement and combat mechanics are quite basic, there’s a real depth to the numbers behind every attack you make, every bit of damage you take and every weapon you use. Unepic perhaps considers itself to be an old-school experience, but it’s closer to a dungeon-crawler than a platformer, despite the 2D perspective. 

You’ll explore the winding pathways of the castle in large sections that are laid out across a handy map for keeping progress. There’s no clear objective at first, our dopey hero is hardly taking this seriously after all, but along the way you’ll find certain sections are locked off, handily guiding you towards where you should be headed first. This sense of exploration is a huge part of the game, driven by the darkness which shrouds each new room in mystery. Some areas are practically pitch black, so Daniel’s trusty lighter becomes a vital resource for igniting lanterns and torches along the way, providing a comforting glow as well as a breadcrumb-trail of where you’ve been. It’s a really clever mechanic we didn’t expect, and really helps nail that sense of uncertainty as you poke your way around each dark corner. 

It’s certainly slow and steady going at first, but once you get to grips with the game’s wealth of tutorials, you discover Unpeic can be one harsh dungeonmaster. There are a variety of difficulty settings available, with the lower end helping you with regenerating health and more forgiving enemies, while the higher peaks require manual saving, make monsters more aggressive and reward you with extra skill points upon levelling up. These skill points can be invested into your skill with the game’s arsenal of weapons, ranging from spears and axes, to longbows and magic staffs. Attacking is extremely straightforward, but again it’s your stats which affect the speed and power and the mix of weapon types and specialities, as well as crafting material and armour sets, which makes for a capable loot system overall.

With all of this gear to organise and stats to keep in mind, the menu system is thankfully very simple, and there are options to create hotkey combos for easy access to your favourite items. This is of course particularly useful given that the game doesn’t actually pause when going through any of the menus, so you won’t have time to think things over in the middle of a heated battle. For this release, the interface has also been slightly revamped in order to better suit the portable nature of Switch, with variations on how you’d like all this information to be displayed. Your basic view is a zoomed-out perspective on the entire area, with a detailed HUD around the borders of the screen, but there’s also the option to toggle a suitably-named ‘handheld mode’, which removes this HUD in favour of giving a closer view on your character. The only real downside to this is that you’ll need to memorise all of your hotkey shortcuts to different items, as they won’t be displayed on-screen.

That being said, zooming in on the visuals does bring some of their shortcomings into sharper focus. The design of the game is decidedly basic, both graphically and musically, with some simple background tunes to set the mood and clunky animations pretty much across the board. It doesn’t detract from the experience too much, but it certainly doesn’t add to it either. The castle is well-designed in terms of trap placement and enemy variety, but after you have a few areas under your belt a little extra visual flair would have helped keep things fresh. As it stands, backtracking, grinding and searching for your next destination can get monotonous, even with a mix of side-quests along the way.

While on the subject of presentation, Unepic bombards you with reference after reference, joke after joke, and while comedy is of course subjective, we find this to be incredibly grating. Daniel is a dorky, unlikable protagonist who makes crude marks towards female characters, cracks wise about how great he is and generally parrots nearly every fantasy and gaming trope under the sun. Early in the story he is possessed by a vengeful spirit he names Zera, who is desperately trying to get Daniel killed so that he can be free again. Whether it was intentional or not, it can’t be a good thing when we were rooting for the evil spirit’s cause, not our plucky ‘hero’. Both the voice acting and the dialogue itself is extremely hit or miss, and while it’s all skippable, the flippant tone seems a little at odds with how seriously the game’s system actually takes itself. It’s a silly parody of hardcore, stats-based adventure games, while still being a hardcore, stats-based adventure game.

Whether you get a kick out of the referential humour, or simply tune it out, there are some fun little quirks to the experience that help Unepic stand out at the very least. Fireball attacks will leave Daniel ablaze, leeches must be physically removed from your inventory, and there’s a lack of true hand-holding that harkens back to the obtuse RPGs of yesteryear. This, much like the game’s script, can go one way or another depending on your preference. The repetitious exploration, sprawling map and lack of direction can absolutely frustrate at times. There’s a network of shortcuts to unlock of course, but nothing really interesting to do on the way back and forth between areas. Combat lacks both the nuance of modern titles and the satisfying punchiness of something like Symphony Of The Night, so the game’s lengthy campaign is marred by stale patches of wandering around aimlessly.

Conclusion

If you threw a party and invited all of the adventure/roleplaying games along, Unepic would be the one in the center of the room blurting out jokes, laughing too loudly and making sarcastic comments about all of the other guests. Take the time to look past that however and you might learn a little more about what’s beneath the surface; a fairly rewarding RPG system and more than a few clever ideas that make for an enjoyable, old-school adventure title that just tries a little too hard. If you don’t mind some divisive humour and some repetitious exploration, then having this sprawling adventure on a portable actually helps alleviate some of its limitations. Just try not to keep it away from an open bar. 

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Yoshi For Nintendo Switch Could Be Heading To Switch In Time For The Summer

The Nintendo Direct Mini that dropped out of the blue on Thursday – following nuclear level hype and the subsequent fallout that always comes with it – had plenty of exciting new titles announced, but now we’re inevitably turning our attentions to what’s (hopefully) coming next. Take Yoshi for Nintendo Switch – it’s had a placeholder ‘December 2018’ in most places since its reveal at E3 2017, but if an Amazon Italy listing is to be believed we could getting it as early as June.

It could just be another placeholder, but with E3 rolling around yet again in the same month (and no current major Nintendo titles slated for June) there’s certainly a hopeful chance the scenery-flipping antics of Switch-based Yoshi could be with us before Christmas.

Do you think we’ll get Yoshi this summer? Will Reggie click his fingers and it goes on sale following E3? Tell us your thoughts below… 

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Cheeky Facebook Tease Suggests Freedom Planet Might Be Heading For Switch

The Switch hype train continues to fill up with passengers with the tantalising news that 2D, classic Sonic-era-style platformer Freedom Planet might be somersaulting its way onto Nintendo’s newest hardware. Well, either that or developer GalaxyTrail likes a good weekend trolling on Facebook

It’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility since the game already appeared on the Wii U eShop back in 2015, boasting a very respectable 84 on Metacritic. It impressed us too when we reviewed it thanks to its Sonic-style aesthetic, hyper-energetic soundtrack and throwback character designs.

With its sequel, Freedom Planet 2, currently slated for a loose 2018 launch window, if the first game hits Switch and does well, we might even see its successor make the Switch to Nintendo as well. In fact, GalaxyTrail even stated it hoped to follow a similar launch plan to the one it used for the original. Check out its tweet below.

Now we want to know what you make of this little tease? Would Freedom Planet make a good fit for Switch? Have you played it already, if so, what did you make of it? Comments, one and all…

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Alas, The World’s Best Smash Bros. For Wii U Player Is Retiring

If you’re a fan of the Super Smash Bros. series (or at least it’s Wii U instalment), there’s a great chance you would’ve come across Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios – a highly talented player in the Smash Bros. competitive scene and the world’s best when the franchise’s Wii U outing is concerned. Barrios has won dozens of tournaments, and currently possesses a world record for most consecutive tournament wins in a row – a whopping streak of 53 in 2015. 

However, in an unexpected announcement, Barrios has stated that he’d like to take a step back from the competitive scene – at least for the time being. Here are some comments of his from his Twitter account:

“The truth is that I lost passion in current Smash 4. But I must clarify, this game is responsible for the most success I’ve had in my life and some of my fondest memories. I love this game, I really do. I love Smash Bros in general as well. However, I just don’t have that ‘fire’ that I used to have for Smash 4. I used to be able to push myself so easily and without effort back in the day” … “but nowadays, I pretty much have to force myself to do it.”

“I anticipate I will want to participate once again in tournaments once the next iteration of Smash Bros. is on the horizon. If that’s Smash 5, Smash Switch, or even a big Smash 4 Deluxe update… that’s going to be enough to bring me back in the scene.”

Barrios then goes on to say that he’d like to focus on other things for the time being, such as being more dedicated with his streaming and YouTube content, possibly commentating in future events, writing a book, learning a third language, “experience a different world,” and taking care of his body in general. You can read his full farewell statement to the Smash community here.

While this ‘retirement’ isn’t likely to be permanent, it’s certainly an end of an era for those who kept up to date in the Chilean’s dominance over the last three years. His departure from the game is one more reason to nag Nintendo to release Smash Bros.’ inevitable Switch iteration ASAP. Are you a fan of ZeRo’s Smash antics? How badly do you want a Switch Smash Bros.? Sound off below…

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Super Meat Boy’s Day One Switch Sales Almost As High As Its Xbox 360 Debut

The good news continues to flow for Nintendo Switch as Super Meat Boy developer Team Meat confirms the game’s day one days almost topped those racked up during its Xbox 360 debut… in 2010, no less! Yes, we know SMB is almost seven years old but that’s not the point. Xbox 360 used to be the place to be for indies and up and coming titles – thanks to events such as the XBLA Summer Of Arcade – so the fact Switch came, “shockingly close,” to those figures really does drive home how influential the platform is becoming.

There is some context to be considered, though. Back in 2010, SMB was meant to be one of the top billed games on the platform when it launched as a timed exclusive, but when the game failed to get the marketing push Team Meat was promised (ultimately leading it to sell more on PC than it did on 360, despite a 30-day window of exclusivity) the studio went public with its concerns, eventually cutting ties with Microsoft shortly after.

Thankfully, SMB has gone to garner strong sales elsewhere, including on the humble Switch. And, lest we forget, Super Meat Boy Forever is due out this year, too. Let us know what you think of SMB, and whether you’re playing again/for the first time on Nintendo’s hybrid machine… 

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Review: DragonFangZ – The Rose & Dungeon Of Time (Switch eShop)

DragonFangZ – The Rose & Dungeon Of Time from Japanese studio Toydea, is an intriguing and charming mix of genres, utilising both the resource management systems and turn-based combat from traditional JRPG’s along with elements such as randomly generated levels and permadeath from roguelikes.

You assume the role of Rose, a half-dragon, half-human girl who stumbles across a mysterious world called the ‘Tree Of Time’. Resembling a cross between a 2D Zelda dungeon and a more traditional Fire Emblem-style grid system, Rose navigates an ever descending series of floors to defeat enemies, gather items, weapons and help others in need. Along the way, NPC’s offer hints but not there’s not much involvement from a story perspective, for reasons that will become clear…

Although the game is in English with sparse Japanese voiceover, for a story and dialogue that’s told through text, the localisation goes from laughable to incomprehensible on occasion. The actual explanation of the mechanics and different items is kept to a minimum, so there’s a lot of research to be done if you want to make the most of its systems.

While the setting is rustic yet polished, the central characters’ hand-drawn Chibi Manga art style is almost sickeningly cute. As the magical sound effects and suitably pleasant, jaunty tunes alternate every few floors, DragonfangZ – Rose & Dungeon Of Time oozes charm. There are 200 types of monsters and overall which, despite their limited animation, are crisp and vivid on-scree. Even if the protagonists over the top design is a little on the awkward side, everything looks good.

In addition to the main game, there is a tutorial of sorts called the Fairy Garden. This consists of 50 separate stages designed to teach you about various aspects of the games different mechanics, from spells and weapon usage, to strategy against groups of enemies. As the game’s translation can be unintuitive to put it politely, these are useful lessons to set you up for your adventure.

Initially, DragonfangZ might not look like a traditional dungeon crawling affair. Movement is brisk, taking on enemies and picking up items is quick and easy. It’s possible that there are elements of the games mechanics that you won’t even notice, but it won’t take long before you’re brought crashing back down. Each new floor has more powerful foes and more dangerous traps, each time learning how to use the items you collect.

As with any contemporary roguelike, the levels being randomized inevitably is a double-edged sword. While you might gather a ton of items, they could be completely useless against a devastatingly powerful enemy, or in some instances an enemy off-screen using a bow and arrow was able to wipe Rose out in two hits before there was time to properly assess the situation. You can zoom in and out, but constantly alternating affects the game’s flow. Similarly, the feeling of accomplishment and progression can be abruptly halted, as navigating corridors can be frustrating as it’s easy to get blindsided or ambushed.

It’s important to balance exploration with efficiency, as being unprepared will get you mercilessly killed, yet there are only a certain amount of moves you can take before your health will start to reduce. Each turn-based level has a certain number of moves/ attack in order to reach the floor below. Dragon Time, located in the top-left of the screen, is a clock counting down the number of moves you have on a particular floor so it’s an important feature that needs tracking. While it’s possible to use the analog stick, we find it more accurate to use the D-pad, especially in situations that required more planning. There are traditional weapons, shields and various potions to find along the way. Pressing A will use a melee weapon or use arrows with R as a long range attack, in addition to accessing the item menu with X or quick access to your fang stash with ZR.

Not everything you pick up is useful, though. You have to pay attention as there are poison potions as well as recovery potions. Likewise, weapons such as staffs can have unknown effects and levels of damage, sometimes even powering up or evolving enemies. Wearing the fangs dropped by enemies can be used in two ways – either use them straight away for a small but immediate benefit or equip and save them up for a more powerful attack that takes time. There’s also the ‘Brave system’, which sees Rose’s health restored every time she moves when there are no obstacles within an eight-square radius.

Ultimately, DragonfangZ’s systems become increasingly deep and varied the more you play and you will always be learning new intricacies. Balancing the strategy of offence and defence management with seeking the strongest combination of items and fangs to progress adds enough JRPG bite to the rougelike format, and with a ranking function to track all your decisions, an item warehouse for storing gathered trinkets and a monster database to catalogue all of your beastly encounters, there’s a well fleshed out and enjoyable experience to be had. 

Conclusion

Get past the iffy localisation and maybe the cutesy characters if you have to, and DragonfangZ is a fun and interesting genre mash up. The roguelike element makes it ideal for a quick pick up and play session, but you’ll also be rewarded if you invest more time to build up stats and learn the increasingly deep systems that are more in line with traditional JRPGs. All in all, it’s simple-looking yet increasingly deep experience, one that can be as absorbing as it is perplexing.

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Rumour: SEGA And Retro-Bit Might Actually Be Working On A Secret Retro Console

It wasn’t so long ago that we reported on the exciting collaboration between SEGA and retro hardware maker Retro-Bit. Sadly, that partnership only extends to accessories for classic SEGA machines, but now the rumour mill has fired up yet again with murmurings that the two really are working on a secret project and said secret thing could actually be a new retro console.

It should all be taken with a rather large pinch of salt because much of this is conjecture at best, with most of it was coming from staff from Retro-Bit who’ve reportedly been hinting at such a project while promoting its new Mega Drive/Genesis accessories at CES 2018 (the big annual tech expo in Las Vegas). Some eagle-eyed Twitter users have also clocked a recent poll by the official SEGA Europe account which saw Dreamcast coming out on top. Dreamcast Mini confirmed?

Considering the official Retro-Bit also tweeted out with the words, “I don’t know about you guys… but I’m interested in so SEGA updates,” fans of both have gone into excitement overload over what it could all mean. Who knows what the future might bring from this collab, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet. What do you guys make of these rumours and do you think it points to a potential Dreamcast or Saturn Mini?