Sadame - "Assist" (3DS)

In my rush to get the review out to you guys I made a huge oversight. It wasn't particularly my fault though. With the game being digital, and void of tutorials certain things weren't so easily understood. One of said things was the "Assist" menu in the main menu listing. This feature didn't really open up to me until I was almost done with my first character playthrough, and until I had created additional characters to see what the character classes were all about. The 'Assist' function, or feature is pretty much how it sounds. By going into the menu of the same name, and assigning a second character that you are currently not playing that second character will accompany you in your playthrough. The character will kill enemies so long as that character is alive. The higher in level the assist character is the more likely it is to stay alive to the end. I will say that having an assist character to fight alongside you does make the problems of battling waves of lesser enemies easier, but it also acts as a double-edged sword in that boss battles will be even more short lived. In my opinion this feature only serves to add to the game's balancing issues, and in effect dumbs down gameplay even more.

Sadame (3DS)

If I were to summarize Rising Star Japan's "Sadame" by using other JRPGs in the genre as comparisons I'd say that it is a mixture of "Samurai Warriors", 'The Legend of Zelda", "Muramasa: The Demon Blade", and "Diablo 3". There are certain elements from each of these gaming experiences that seem to have inspired this action RPG. When it comes to the 'Samurai Warriors' comparison you'll find that the game plays heavily on actual Asian history, but does so in a fictional sort of way. It takes one of four character classes (Samurai, Ninja, Monk & Maiden), turns them into the protagonist, and pits them up against the lords of various dynasties who have been physically corrupted by karma. This act by act battle takes place much like 'Samurai Warriors' would, and has players guiding their character of choice to wave after wave of enemies in order to clear them out, and make it to the end boss for the same purpose.

The 'Legend of Zelda' comparison, on the other hand refers to the fact that the action in 'Sadame' is much like what you'd see in one of the older Nintendo DS games of that said series. You'll be traveling through various Japanese locales set in a feudal Japan in an almost top down fashion, and will be fighting both lesser enemies, and greater bosses as you loot the places for better items. As far as the "Muramasa" part of the game goes I say it's like that because the monsters, and demons within are very reminiscent of such a mythological representation. The creature design is similar to that of "Muramasa: The Demon Blade" in a lot of ways. Lastly, the 'Diablo 3' comparison comes into play simply because the game harbors a character customization setup that slightly mirrors what 'Diablo 3' has going on. The rarity of items is definitely there as is the gem placement, and spell usage. It's a set of features that not only compliments other parts of the game, but also gives it replay value. While those comparisons may sum up 'Sadame' at base level, let me go a little deeper into detail with what this 3DS game offers it's potential buyers ...