You have to be a pretty naive gamer to say that “Fossil Fighters: Frontier” is a one-of-a-kind experience, but you’d have to be incredibly ignorant to say it doesn’t deliver in spite of being derivative.
Immersed in solid atmosphere and a kid-friendly story that they’ll absolutely eat up, “Fossil Fighters: Frontier” makes great use of the Nintendo 3DS dual-screen and provides hours of entertainment in a sometimes thrilling journey that ultimately feels more like other games than anything truly unique.
Because of this, “Fossil Fighters: Frontiers” is a game that younger kids will especially flock to, not knowing that many of the mechanisms that make the game so enjoyable are done better with other franchises.
Got to dig em all, up
Collecting vivosaurs is the heart of the experience, which like “Pokemon,” is where the game breads its butter. Like “Pokemon,” “Fossil Fighters: Frontier” relies on you investing the time to not only acquiring new monsters to add to your team, but also enough time to adequately train them to take on all comers. Again, like “Pokemon,” you can fight against wild or “rogue” monsters and in tournaments against seasoned vets. As a result, it’ll be a game that long-time Poke fans could get some enjoyment out of.
The thing that hurts the overall experience is the battling system. While it works well, the whole leveling up system, as well as the overall pace of combat isn’t nearly on par with Pokemon. While you’ll know how many points you need to rank up your vivosaurs, the HUD isn’t nearly as elaborate and makes it more a straight-forward experience. Knocking out a vivosaur in one shot is not nearly as enthralling as it should be.
Luckily, the story, which has you embarking all over the world in your quest to become the best “warden” in the world, with some help from friends and vivosaurs alike, is a worthy investment of time. The payoff is a solid one, with smirks and smiles a plenty. As a matter of fact, the first few hours of the game prove instrumental towards moving forwards, as the bonds you make early on only get tighter, creating an experience you won’t want to give up on.
Regardless, it’s hard to get past many of the gameplay element. Despite the fact that “Fossil Fighters: Frontier” is fun, colorful and even witty at times, it never digs deeper than it should and never unearths soil we’ve never seen before.
The Good:
Will Remind You of Pokemon: Although the story is different and the battle system will be completely foreign to traditional poke-maniacs, the fun-loving story and attachment to your teammates will make this game one fans of the Pokemon series can quickly get into.
Good Gameplay Balance: Between the walking around, driving, digging and battling, there’s plenty of different things to do here, making it a different type of experience from a game it shares plenty of things in common with…Pokemon.
Funny: While much of the humor is geared towards kids, the wise-cracking antics are family-friendly and keep the pace light and fun.
Awesome-Looking Vivosaurs: It’s the reason to pick up the game. Simply put, the vivosaurs in Fossil Fighters are just as unique and cool as any pocket monster you’ll encounter in Pokemon.
The Bad:
Sloppy Textures: Some of the mountains, but especially characters faces, just look awful. The unblended textures will irritate older gamers as it looks like faces have been pasted on characters’ bodies.
Unable to Save While Digging: This is where all of your fighting and finding of vivosaurs occurs, but in order to save, you’ll have to be outside this mode. While it doesn’t kill the overall gameplay experience, it’s a drag to bounce in and out in order to save your game.
Levels Feel Similar: While the layout of the world is different and there are plenty of different vivosaurs in each level, the whole experience gets rather lather, rinse, repeat after a while.
Final Thoughts:
“Fossil Fighters: Frontier” has a few moments where it carves out its own niche, but not enough to stop the warranted comparisons to the “Pokemon” series.” Overall, it’s a lengthy adventure that will satisfy, but not enough to warrant the type of following it could have if it tried to be a bit more unique.
The post Retro Review: Fossil Fighters: Frontier: Whole Lot of Digging’ Goin’ On appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.
