Urk Reviews... T4r4d1ddl3 27-Jan-15

[Urkelbot666]

Wowzers, I had seen some of the graphics from this one, but other than that, I had no idea what I was getting into. I think that's a good thing. If you want to play this game, d yourself a favor, and stp reading this review, and play the game.

First Impressions
I suppose my entire review would be first impressions since this game is so nonlinear and keeps one on one's toes. The most striking things at first are the graphics and music. I found both to be wildly pleasing. The look of the game is very distinct, even though there are so many different environments. Some of these are like walking in a land of gumdrops, others ike flying through space, all hep this game achieve its unique tone.

I loved the music. Initially it was a somewhat silly, but appropriate loop, sounding inconsequential. But as I traveled through the different maps, I was pleased to hear many different tunes, some great Jazz, and Jazz-Fusion. The music helped me during gameplay, as s great deal of T4R4D1DDL3 is simply wandering around and interacting with the world. I never felt bored or uninterested, and I think a large part of that was owed to how much I enjoyed the music.

Gameplay
Most of T4R4D1DDL3, that I was able to see at least, is comprised of exploring, and wandering around, looking for things with which to interact, and finding various articles of fashionable clothing. Although I am a proud Salvation Army shopper with a penchant for flannel, I couldn't help but wonder what kinds of designer apparel was inside each of the chests, bureaus, and dressers. And although I never found out exactly if there was a use, or benefits of certain outfits, I enjoyed seeing their effects on the player's stats, consisting of things like "Sensual," "Chic," and "Smart." Also, some of the articles of clothing could be equipped in odd places. One that stood out was equipping "pumps" on my head. But it that were the strangest thing in the game, it would have been boring!

Beyond the wandering and opening chests, a lot of the gameplay involves talking to other creatures. I usually like talking to all the NPCs I can find in RPGs, and am sometimes pleased with the results. In Taradiddle, there were numerous characters running about, and each, from what I could tell, had something unique to say. The conversation in the game ranged from silly, to thought provoking , to inane, to pretentious, to relateable . But I was never sorry for engaging an NPC.

At one point in an early session, I found myself in a maze of small rooms, each with 4 doors, and a marking on a part of the wall. Though I'm sure that the wall markings could have led me out of the maze if I were more patient, I ended up dying (you CAN die in this game) from stepping on harm tiles. This was the most traditional feeling of the gameplay mechanics.

One thing I noted was that in the maze, I could occasionally see the other rooms offscreen, as they were all on one map. Might be a complaint, but there was so much going on graphically in other parts of the game, I let this go. And thinking about it, there may be enough rooms in the maze to fill up a maximum sized OHR map.

In Closing
I could go on about the relatively short amount of time I spent playing, but I think folks should play the game for themselves. If you are looking for a standard RPG, this is not it, but if you want something a bit different, try this one and you will likely have an interesting experience. Even if this sounds like a game you would not enjoy, I would encourage you to try it out (as I would with almost any game).

I wish that there was a save feature, as I would liked to have found my way out of the door maze, but I imagine that the lack of saving is by design, so that the player's experience is a bit different each time.

I will likely go back and try my hand at this one several times, looking for other things, and trying to get the most out of the experience.