Let me tell you what I thought about the Tri-Force Heroes demo
The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes comes out this week and in a way, I was surprised that I received an email with the demo codes in it while at my full time job. This Zelda game didn’t seem to have the fanfare that some of the other games that Nintendo has sent demo codes out for, such as Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and Super Smash Brothers for the 3DS.
When The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes was shown at this years E3, it was one of those games that caught everyone by surprise. What I mean by that is I don’t think too many people expected to see it, similar to how we weren’t expected A Link Between Worlds when that was shown off at its E3. However, I get the feeling that fans of the Zelda series don’t associate co-op play with the main-games of the series and this could be a reason why the game hasn’t had as much pomp and circumstance as say other Zelda games. You can play the game solo, without multiplayer but the game having the option for multiplayer might be putting up red flags for some.
For those who don’t know, Tri-Force Heroes is a Zelda 3DS game that relies on teamwork and different abilities. The player gets these abilities from the different outfits/costumes they can create by locating materials throughout their journey. One outfit will allow you to shoot multiple arrows whereas another will help you find more hearts. What you wear will play a huge factor in just how well you and your team does! After you complete your dungeon, there are three treasure chests and then all hell breaks loose for that middle chest. The teamwork mentality goes out the window so everyone can get the best item to craft their new outfit. The middle chest usually had the best/best looking item so everyone dashed for that one!
You start the demo by being transported into the lobby, where you can team up with local players via wireless connection or online play. The online play was only available during three specified time-periods from Nintendo. The demo allows you to get the gist of the game, learn the basics of the controls and not be too surprised by the actual game when it’s released. I had heard online that “lagging” was a problem for some people during but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to deal with online lagging.
The lobby teaches you the basics of the game such as the concept of how the costumes work and how online play works. The lobby works similarly to how any online-game lobby would.
I was able to play a few play-throughs of the online demo with different teams of players and experiences will vary based on who you play with. One of the teams I was a part of had teammates that actually knew what they were doing, most of the time, and was able to get through the demo pretty quickly.
There were some snags along the way like one of the players not angling the totem pole the right way so I could aim my boomerang or not coming to the right spot to push a brick. You could see the same issues at E3 this year where if you didn’t work together, your team wasn’t going to make it very far and would look extremely lost.
Then there was the other team, which made me want to punch a hole in my basement wall. The one member in question didn’t seem to get any of the hints the other Link and myself were trying to give her. We would tell her to come over for a totem pole formation and she wouldn’t come over. When things like this happen and the only thing you can do is push the “No” emoticon on the touch screen, it gets very frustrating after a while!
The same could be said for when we were trying to push bricks in the fire dungeon and she begrudgingly came over to help push the bricks. While we were pushing the brick, she wanted to pull it. It’s not like this doesn’t happen in all multiplayer online games, it just gets magnified when the main feature of the gameplay is co-op. Each team shares the heart gage so make your moves carefully. You don’t want to be the reason why your team losses a boss battle by taking the last hit.
Luckily, the main game will allow play with two AI controlled Links so you’ll be able to play the game without local wireless friends in the same room or online friends messing you up. The gameplay wasn’t foreign to me since I was able to play it at E3 this year but I did remember that teamwork was key! You won’t be able to get anywhere in the game if you don’t work with the Links, human or AI controlled.
The main way to communicate with your teammates is through the emoticons on the lower portion of the touch screen. You might have to tell your teammate to go into totem pole formation at a certain spot or get over to a certain area in the dungeon. You might have to tell your team to use their weapon, like the boomerang at a certain spot and the emoticon is the only way to do that, if they aren’t in the same room as you playing the game!
To sum up, The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes demo gives players a general understanding of how the main game will work. The demo allowed players to play online, either through local connection or wireless connection. Lagging had been problematic for some players while online but I didn’t encounter that issue. Teamwork is key for success! You’ll have to work with your team, regardless of skill level, to succeed or you won’t be getting anywhere. You can find items to create different clothing while on quests. You can tell at the end of the online mission, the middle treasure chest is up for grabs, that was the one that everyone dashed to!
The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes releases this week, October 23rd to be precise, so make sure to be on the lookout for it!
