The first thing that grabbed my attention about this game is that it claims to be inspired by "Classic 3D action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda," Which leaves me thinking "which one?" Sure they all have the same general control setup, but they vary so greatly in their design that it's impossible to take all of the major elements from all of the 3D Zeldas and put them into one game. Even just the two N64 games are so diverse in their basic design that claiming to be inspired by both of them already makes the game smell of lack of direction...I'm reading too much into it, of course, but at least I didn't go with my first instinct, which was to say that The Legend of Zelda is a top-down 2D action adventure game and surely they are referring to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Okay, tangent over. Let's talk about Ronin Duck.
Let me make this idea fully known to any future developers, DigiPen and otherwise, who plan to make a 3D game: your job is NOT, I repeat, NOT over when you design a really cool looking 3D model for your character. It is NOT okay to then slap this really cool looking character into a succession of monochrome, boxy, lifeless rooms. That's not juxtaposition; it's just inconsistency. The titular character's model looks almost professionally done (not by today's standards, mind you, but not too far behind), but everything else in the game looks lifeless and...well...boring.
Now, the unique selling mechanic is actually pretty interesting. By left clicking, you enter "zen mode," wherein you can draw across the screen, highlighting different enemies or platforms that Ronin will then leap toward and swing his bamboo blade at. It's cool at first, but it really does seem like it should be an unlockable special move rather than the main method of attack. Maybe by making Ronin's only attack so ridiculously overpowered they were trying to hide the fact that no enemy, not even the final boss, can hurt you. At least I don't think they can.
At first, I thought this mechanic was going to let me determine the angle of my swing, kind of like in Skyward Sword. Then I got to thinking, "why haven't I ever seen a PC game that tries a mechanic like this? The mouse was made for this kind of work!" I've heard Penumbra Overture and Elder Scrolls Arena try something like that, but I've never played either of those...oh yeah, speaking of Skyward Sword, what happened to that Zelda inspiration you were talking about, Ronin? Did you just kinda forget that the main idea explored in those games is exploration or that they always make sure to give you some sort of context and direct goal? These things are important, you know. You can't just name your character "Ronin" and say "See? Being directionless enforces the narrative," because in order for that to work, you need a narrative to enforce.
So yeah, what we have in Ronin Duck is a tech demo for a game with really cool looking character and a fun if overpowered attack. It still has a lot of bugs to iron out, mechanics to expand upon and challenge to...well...have, before I'm ready to call it a game.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay pretty.
Links
Quack Slice Dead: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8726
