RPG: Dink Smallwood [by RTsoft]

Game: Dink Smallwood
Release: 1999
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Developer: RT Soft
System Requirements: Pentium 100MHz or 100% compatible, 16MB RAM, 70 MB hard drive space, DirectX 5/6/7+ compatible video/sound cards, Windows 95
Price: Free


Dink Smallwood is an adventure game, similar to "The Legend of Zelda." The game starts out with your mother dying in a fire while Dink was away feeding the pigs in his hometown of Stonebrook. He ends up going to Terris to live with his aunt, and naturally adventure starts. Using different kinds of weapons and spells, Dink defeats monsters and also attempts to determine the secret of the group called Cast and its relations with the monarchy. Meanwhile, there are love interests, ducks, and plenty of humor to add some fun to the story. Also, after playing through the game once, the fun doesn't end there! The game has a powerful quest editor, so not only can you create your own game, but you can download other people's quests as well.

Along the adventure, you will meet a number of interesting characters. A wizard will grant you powers, shop owners will provide you with stronger weapons and items, and you aren't too far away from some girl to make an impression on. Dink has to overcome the fact that he is simply a pig farmer. He wants to be known as a mighty warrior. Saving missing people from ritual sacrifices, or even simply rescuing a missing duck, earns Dink respect from the different towns he comes across.

Battles require a combination of timing and speed, and enemies tend to come after you directly after you hit them the first time. In fact, with most people you meet, hitting them makes them want to attack you. Naturally, hostility might not be the desired personality that you want to convey. Enemies that you have dispatched can leave health in the form of hearts or food, or they can leave gold. Gaining enough experience increases your level and gives you a choice of improving your attack strength, your defense rating, or your magic rating. You can also find potions that can improve each of those attributes as well.

Your actions affect the events of the world. As you progress, you find out more information about the king's plans, as well as your archrival, Milder FlatStomp. Certain people might tell you more information after you have vanquished some foe or saved some innocent. Passageways now open up to towns you only heard about from others. The world really does feel like it is living and breathing as you traverse it.

For instance, walking through the plains outside of Stonebrook and other towns, you might chance upon a random stranger. You can find out who he is and what news he has. What he says can be a big clue to what might happen later, such as information about the Goblin Castle. Later you will actually come across Goodheart Castle, home of the king of the land, and discover what actually happened to the Goblins and their castle.

As far as cool features, this game does allow you to create your own quests, including the ability to provide a map for players. The scripting system might not be simple enough for everyone, but programmers should feel perfectly comfortable creating their own Dink mods. Also, you can use game pad controllers instead of the keyboard to play. The game allows you to remap certain keys, which I find a big plus that is lacking in a lot of indie games. Allowing the player to dictate how to use the keyboard/gamepad/joystick at his/her own discretion is a good thing.

The graphics are rich, although dated, and the animation quality ranges from simple to eye catching. Burning a tree down looks pretty cool, as does breaking the barrier to a forest. The sound effects are varied and sometimes humorous. The music can be simple at times, but usually provides a very enchanting mood that fits the game well.

All in all, I found this game to be quite a find. The story is complex and humorous, the gameplay is right on, and aside from a few bugs, I really enjoyed this game.

Graphics: 8
I found the graphics to be of a good quality, considering that this game was made a few years ago. The animation, the variety of the lands, and the different textures just brought this game to life.

Sound: 7
Again, the sound effects were varied and quite well implemented, and the music was perfect for setting the mood.

Game Play: 9
Playing this game was great. It felt natural to use the default keys, but they could be changed at will, which is a nice touch. The option to use a gamepad is quite welcome.

Options: 7
While I would have liked to be able to change sound effect and music volumes, the ability to setup the controls as you life is a really nice touch. Couple that with an amazingly powerful quest editor (to go with a powerful Dink game engine), and this game provided some nice options.

Concept: 8
Dink Smallwood is a standard adventure game, but that didn't stop RT Soft from providing an exciting and fun game experience.

Fun: 8
I thought this game was quite fun, and being able to download extra quest mods simply improves on the game's potential. I felt like I was playing a cross between a classic Nintendo or Super Nintendo game, and a PC adventure title from the 1980s. The mix of humor and adventure made this game fun.

Overall: 7
Adventure and humor have generally been a good pair in the past, and Dink Smallwood got the combination right. While I felt it wasn't polished (the map layout sometimes bounced Dink between screens because an object would be in the way, and there were some rare points where I would lose control of Dink entirely), the game engine and its provided editor were complex, powerful, and can provide hours of enjoyment. If you liked games like "The Legend of Zelda" or "Secret of Evermore" then I suggest checking out this game.

Added: November 24th 2003
Reviewer: Gianfranco Berardi
Score:
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