#Pandora's Tower | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

glassmarcus · 10 months ago

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Take a shot every time I mention Zelda

*Played in March 2023 While I had Covid, Written in May 2023

Within the first hour of playing it, I started categorizing Pandora's Tower as a Zelda-like. It's not labeled as such usually because there are a lot of elements The Legend of Zelda series exemplifies which Pandora’s Tower lacks. I had no clue what sub genre this would fall under before playing it. I assumed it was a Hack nSlash game with RPG elements and a few puzzles involving your chain. I usually do a bit more research before buying a game for 90 bucks at a retro game store, but it didn’t really matter what genre it was. Pandora’s Tower has a historical significance that made me want to own a physical copy. It was one of the 3 Operation Rainfall games, right along side The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles. To summarize, Operation Rainfall was a fan movement to get 3 Nintendo JRPGs released in the United States, which surprisingly succeeded. As someone who wanted to buy all three but could only purchase Xenoblade, getting my hands on the other two was always a dormant dream of mine.

I booted it up with the full intention of playing a God of War type game with a leveling system, but having finished it, the only parallel I can draw is that the main character uses a chain weapon. The structure, design, and even story motifs are remarkably analogous to Zelda. But does it really fit the billing for the genre? I could just say it doesn't matter and judge it by its own merits, but I think there’s something of worth to consider here. It might be a bit reductive, but I find it genuinely interesting to frame my thoughts on the game in this way. It's better than just ignoring it as I sincerely thought about the Zelda franchise frequently while playing Pandora’s Tower. Not only because it borrows concepts from the series, but because it nails them to a startling degree.

The first thing about Pandora's Tower that made me jump to the Zelda analogs was the dungeon design. Yea I know, Shigeru Miyamoto didn't invent dungeons and simply having dungeons shouldn't raise alarms. But they were put together in a distinctly Zelda way. It's not like you are just going from room to room looking for keys and solving puzzles as you go. These are the type of dungeons that are puzzles in and of themselves. They require an intimate understanding of their architecture and unique mechanics. Not all Zelda Dungeons are designed this way, but all dungeons designed like this remind me of Zelda. They are a common occurrence in this franchise and are likely my favorite part of it.

People seem to really latch on to the idea that Zelda is all about open world exploration at its core, and that isn't a baseless conclusion. The first game was more about finding the dungeons than anything else. The dungeons themselves were essentially gauntlets full of terrible enemies and puzzles where you push a single block. They were a narrative cornerstone for sure, but not something to look forward to gameplay wise. That started to slightly shift down the line with every following game until we got to Ocarina of Time. Ocarina was a big title for the Nintendo 64, but it can feel cramped when compared to its 2D brethren. There wasn't this big map full of secrets anymore. They were there, but it was more condensed. There was a noticeable dearth of open areas to run through. That vibe of being an adventurer combing each corner of a kingdom was lost. But to replace it was the change in dungeon design philosophy.

Dungeons are allowed to be compact. So while the overworld design suffered in the jump to 3D, the dungeon design was allowed to truly shine. Dungeons couldn't be gauntlets anymore, there wasn't enough space for that. They had to use the space they had more effectively and become more complex. Dungeons need to be a place players spend time in so they feel like milestones within the game. And Ocarina succeeded in this by making dungeons something you had to solve rather than something you had to get through. Each room existed in context with another and you had to use your mastery over your abilities to corral them so they can cooperate.

When people think of a hero, they are probably imagining a brave soul venturing into the vast unknown. I tend to think of an individual who overcomes a precarious situation using nothing but wit and the minimal tools at their disposal. That's the adventuring fantasy for me. The finding the dungeon part is great (it's actually just as integral), but it's always been an appetizer for my insatiable cravings. So I'm happy to say that after playing Pandora’s Tower, I'm stuffed up to my head. Pandora's Tower gets right to the point. No fluff included, likely because they didn't have the development time to add any. This game has 12 dungeons and you will spend 90% of the game in them. There is no appetizer, there's hardly any side dishes. It just a fucking steak. That's all you get, because that's all you need. All the bells and whistles that give Zelda Dungeons that extra oomph aren't here. No mini bosses, no big keys, and no mid dungeon item. And I'm not even upset about that last one because you are given the best Zelda item from the jump.

We can all agree that the Hookshot is the best Zelda item right? Ever since Link to the Past introduced it, every game without it feels incomplete. Movement is always something that's been limited in Zelda games. You don't move particularly fast and you normally can't jump on command. This is what makes the mobility items so enticing by juxtaposition. That somewhat sluggish movement is no longer a problem once you get the Pegasus Boots and sacrifice your control for speed. Gravity isn't anchoring you once you get the Roc’s Feather. And the Hookshot takes those ledges and balconies on the other side of the labyrinth that take 5 minutes to navigate to and makes them traversable in seconds. Despite the hookshot only being allowed to latch on to certain points, it gives you more freedom than you thought was possible at the beginning of the game. And what makes it better than every other mobility item is that it's not just a mobility item. The Hookshot is a shorter ranged, lower damaging, Bow and Arrow that is worth using because it has infinite ammo. The Hookshot brings items towards you. The Hookshot exposes enemy weak points. The Hookshot activates switches from a distance. The only thing that can possibly compete with the versatility of it is possibly the Grappling Hook, which basically got merged into the Clawshot later. The Clawshot is the actual best Zelda item, but I usually just lump it together with the hookshot. It's just a hookshot that allows you to hang and latch on to walls like Spider-Man. Twilight Princess gave you a lot of toys to play with, but nothing got me more excited then when you find the 7th Dungeon item and it’s just a 2nd Clawshot. The Hookshot evolves to such a degree between games that you could probably design a whole Zelda game around it. And Pandora's Tower is that game.

The Oraclos Chain is the Hookshot's final form. It's does the work of an entire suite of explorer items all by itself. And it never feels like they're shoving mechanics where they don't belong. Everything you can do with it is intuitive. You can grapple from wall to wall. You can swing from ledge to ledge. You can connect objects together. You can use its leverage to launch heavy objects to a specified point. Activating switches, opening doors, operating mechanisms. If you imagined "what if I could do this with a grappling hook or hook shot?" you likely can do that thing. And you can do all of it from the beginning. There are no upgrades to your chain other than it getting stronger as a weapon. Everything listed above you can do immediately, you just don't know you can. The first 5 dungeons are about teaching you the mechanics of the chain and each time you learn a new ability, it feels like you unlocked something. And then the next set of dungeons act as checks to make sure you have mastered applying said mechanics in tandem. Pandora's Tower nails that feeling of being an adventurer with a limited tool set simply by having a single item. In terms of the use of the Oraclos Chain in individual puzzles, I couldn't ask for more.

And then there's the case of the dungeon layouts. Sure the individuals uses of the chain in puzzles are good, but it's much more interesting to me if the dungeon itself is a puzzle as well. Luckily 66% of the towers you travel through have some central mechanism you need to understand in order to progress. These never get as genius as the ones in Skyward Sword or Majora’s Mask, but the implementation of this kind of design makes them far more intriguing than most dungeons that don't attempt this. They really went for it with these layouts. It might be that there's no map, therefore I had to think about the architecture a bit more than usual, but the game never failed to make me feel brilliant each time I figured out what I needed to do in that room I was in 10 minutes ago. Pandora's Tower is my new standard for 3D dungeon design. Not because it's the best, but because it's the most consistently gratifying.

The parallels don't end with the dungeons though. The general set up is vaguely Zeldaesque in that a pretty blonde swordsman who doesn't talk a bunch (Aeron) risk life and limb to save a maiden (Elena). But even beyond the surface level, the structure of the game feels like an amalgamation of different Zeldas. The way Pandora’s Tower splits up its content is identical to a Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, where the first set of dungeons has to be done in order and encompasses the 1st act, the second set opens up the order in which you can complete them now that you've finished the tutorial and covers the 2nd act, and the 3rd act is 1 super dungeon that test all your skills. But also it takes a bit from Majora’s Mask in that you are constantly on a timer and you are pushed to get as much done as possible.

The Maiden in this game is your girlfriend. It’s never said in explicit text, but that’s 100% what she is to you. Instead of being kidnapped, she turns into a gross Bloodborne enemy. This can only be reversed completely by beating the game and temporarily by leaving the dungeons and feeding her beast flesh. If you take too long, she turns into a monster forever and is no longer wife material, resulting in a game over. This can be somewhat annoying, just like how it can be in Majora’s Mask. But it gives urgency to the story and makes for an immersive experience. The same way you try to maximize each day in Termina so that the citizens of Clock Town don't have to die repeatedly, you get the most out of every dungeon run so that your girlfriend can stop being a slimy monster in constant writhing pain as soon as possible.

One aspect I can say doesn't remind me of Zelda are the functions of the game that I would consider Dating Sim like. It's not like you have more than one option for dating, and she's gonna like you no matter what. But getting her to like you more is very important. So important that the affinity gauge for it is on screen at all times. This social link accounts for what ending you get, what unique items you receive, and most importantly, what dialogue options are available. I gotta come clean and admit that this is a frighteningly effective mechanic of the game. I became genuinely endeared with Elena. I would try to make my dungeon runs quick, not out of fear of a game over, but because I wanted to protect that smile at all cost and I didn't want her to be a monster for a single second. She's not a particularly deep character, but she's just nice and has a British voice actress. So I totally get why Aeron would fight a galére of vicious beast to secure her happiness. I say that as if fighting monsters in this game is some kind of crucible, but it's actually quite fun.

Fighting enemies in Pandora’s Tower gets you the engaging JRPG action you’d expect from 7th gen gaming. There is a single attack for your weapon. It seems boring, but you get some mileage out of it. You unleash a stronger version of your standard attack if you charge it, and if you attack at the correct time in the middle of your charge attack you get to use a sick combo string. As you upgrade your weapons, you get more levels of charge and a new combo to use when you cancel out of it. It's a lot of attacks for just one button and it’s exciting to pull off this over the top combo on enemies that would have gone down for much less. This is the least interesting part of combat though. It's all about the chain baby. Anything you can imagine doing with a chain while using it as a weapon you can do in this game. Grabbing enemies and throwing them into walls. Wrapping it around monsters to restraint them while you hack away at their defenseless bodies. Pulling out a fool's heart. The ceiling for wacky stunts you can pull off with this chain is higher than any tower in this game. The enemy attack patterns aren't complex or anything. Combat is for the most part, a cool playground for you to smack beast around in as many ways as possible. Bosses on the other hand have more than enough depth.

The boss fights in Pandora's Tower are the hypest fishing mini games ever conceived. I'm sorry Big the Cat, you've been dethroned. Using a chain to progressively yoink out a beast's heart is metal as hell. It takes the basic "hit the boss in its weak point" concept to its final destination. The boss knows it has a weak point, it knows you know it has a weak point, and it knows it’s gonna take a while for you to actually damage it. It is ready for your bullshit and will not make it easy for you. Every fight is a puzzle that requires the intellect to figure out the optimal moment to attack its heart and skill to get as much out of that exchange as possible. The most satisfying moments of the game are setting up the opportunity to strike, making the perfect shot into its heart, holding on for dear life, and yanking that sucker out with your most powerful pull. And none of the satisfaction is possible without motion controls.

I may not have made it clear before, but this is a Wii game. It is a Wii ass Wii game. A bonafide point and flick adventure. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I tried playing this with a classic controller pro. It works, but it's not optimal. You can't point as instantly to aim your chain as you can with the IR sensor. And swinging the Nunchuck to lariat enemies around, and flicking the Wiimote to pull your chain back just feels...correct. Most motion controls aren't as diagetic. Look at other Zeldas on the Wii. Shaking the Wiimote to attack in Twilight Princess doesn't feel like your swinging a sword anymore than pressing a button. In Skyward Sword, swinging your Wiimote does feel like swinging a sword, but it doesn't feel like your controlling a bird's wings...which you have to do in that game. This is the one area I’d say Pandora completely dunks on the Zelda franchise in. Every motion control makes sense and adds to the game. Most 3D adventure games focus a lot on locking on to an enemy to focus on them. I wouldn't say I dislike lock on, but I understand its draw backs. It ends up being a crutch for interacting with your 3D environment and leads to frustration when you target the wrong enemy. Pandora's Tower has a fixed camera so you are always at an angle that favors the player context. If you need precision, that’s where the pointer comes in. And because you don't have to focus on locking on to enemies before attacking, it feels far more natural going from fight to fight.

Unfortunately I have run out of evidence as to why this is a Zelda game. I don't want to admit it, but it's missing something vital. While I prefer the focus on dungeons, Zelda IS more than that. Exploring is an imperative organ of the series. Even though the 3D games were never as good at exploration as the 2D ones, they still tried. Pandora's Tower doesn't. It knows it's limits and stays within it's bounds. And I think that's why I can't call it a Zelda like without some reservation. It lacks....courage.

There are 3 tenants I would attach to the Zelda franchise that I'd say each major entry has followed. Exploration, combat, and puzzles. Or if we are to define it in an even dorkier way: Courage, Power and Wisdom. The Courage of the player is tested as they are shoved into the great and far unknown to brave areas they may not be prepared for. The power of the player is tested as they use their might to slice moblins and octorocks into minced pixels. The Wisdom of the Player is tested as they solve the mysteries of the world and navigate the complex inner workings of the dungeons. And these elements don't just exist in three separate vacuums. They all interplay with each other. You need wisdom to figure out the optimal way to take down an enemy. You need power to fight off the creatures you find on your journey. You need courage to explore the uncharted areas of the dungeons you raid. When all 3 of these pillars are used properly and in correct proportion, the Triforce, or in this case a complete Zelda adventure, is pieced together.

Pandora's Tower has Wisdom. It's got Power no doubt. But it's severely lacking in the courage category. Sure you explore the dungeons, but that's a very limited and structured space. It doesn't feel like an adventure where anything can happen, just a list of bullet points. And those bullet points are great, but now that I've played it, those bullet points don't really stand out. I didn't go out into the world and earn the right to challenge these dungeons. They just sort of appeared on a menu. Pandora's Tower knows its bounds. So it doesn't attempt to have anything between these benchmarks. But that leaves it feeling like it lacks ambition. Not to say it wasn't the correct call, but the adventure does feel a bit undercooked. And honestly, that's fine with me. 3D Zelda games are hard to make. There's a reason the amount of 2D Zelda like games that come out dwarf the amount of 3D ones.

Despite not fulfilling the criteria I myself have lined out, I'm still gonna claim this as a Zelda like. Because it's just unrealistic of a genre to be that strict. The standard for what counts as a 3D Zelda is lower for 2D ones in my mind. So if Pandora lacks 1 pillar but nails the other 2, I won't sweat it. It's better than it being middling in all 3 like Okami is, a game routinely touted as "The actual best Zelda game" by people who have no clue what they are talking about. And while I wouldn't agree with the same being said about Pandora's Tower, I'd be less perplexed. Pandora’s Tower is a Zelda like and a pretty damn good one too.

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