Gambling With An RPG: Battleslots
Since Puzzle Quest surprised everyone by making the combination of match-3 puzzling with an RPG really very good, people have been trying the same with every other imaginable format. Often to less success, lacking the humour and effort that went into PQ. However, no one's made a Slitherlink-based RPG yet, and for that I will never forgive the world. What is now getting added to the list is, er, fruit machines. That's the premise for Battleslots, that's launched five days early today.
It's from Phantom EFX, who make their money from more regular slot machine products, turning their hand at a bit of more involved gaming. Here's their rather lengthy description:
"Embark on a journey of exploration into the foreign world of Tellus. Formerly a peaceful world, Tellus has been wrought by an evil plaguing the land. Every land needs a hero, and that’s where you come in. A map-driven adventure, you will travel across over 100 unique locations, battling monsters and completing nearly 200 daring quests.
Taking the place of traditional RPG dice or number generators is a customizable, magical slot machine – however there is no gambling. Battle Slots harnesses the excitement of popular Slot Machine mechanics, progressing your adventure through fantastic gameplay. Spinning the slot machine yields Magic Points, Attack Points, Experience Points, Gold, and Summons.
Magic Points and Attack Points are used to cast techniques that yield devastation upon monsters throughout the world of Tellus. Experience Points allow you to gain levels and boast higher Health, Attack, and Magic Point totals. The Gold earned can be used in the world to upgrade the Academy and the Zoo or purchase Runes, Techniques, or Slot Symbols. When the slot machine pays out a summons, the creature called for will appear and cast it’s effect. These summons may stun opponents, deliver gold, or place Wilds throughout the reels of your slot machine.
Techniques affect combat in a variety of ways. Some will damage your opponent, others will stun them. Some techniques will allow you to heal yourself in battle, increase strengths, or become resistant to damage. Slot machine related techniques will offer extra spins or Wilds as you collect new Slot Symbols and Runes.
With money earned in battle, you can choose to upgrade the buildings in your village hometown to increase the strength of your Allies and expand your Zoo. The beasts kept in your Zoo drastically evolve your experience as they come equipped with unique spells and skills. Who knows, these new skills and slot machine customization just might give you the upper-hand in the battle to restore peace to Tellus. This is your story."
There's more details at the game's website.
Gosh, it looks a lot like Puzzle Quest. I dunno - I'm intrigued. I'll definitely take a look. I mean, I've never understood the point of playing a pretend fruit machine - the combination of dumb luck and more dumb luck seems to lose any element of thrill when there's no coins going in or falling out. But adding in an RPG, that sounds interesting.