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Fighting Fantasy from Proporta
July 20, 2004
Next up is a review of Fighting Fantasy, a roleplaying game from Proporta based on a famous series of books. So how was the adventure? Read on to find out how the PocketGoddess fared…Discuss this review at the PocketGoddess Forums
This particular game from Proporta is subtitled Warlock of Firetop Mountain. The quest seems simple enough, but it’s actually quite challenging. First though, I should explain that this application is more of a roleplaying adventure than an actual “game”— think of something of a cross between a choose your own adventure book and a traditional Dungeons & Dragons game with plenty of dice rolls and statistics. Don’t let this description scare you off though, as Final Fantasy is plenty of fun to play.
The interface is very simple; once the game is installed to your Palm OS handheld, simply start the game and follow the onscreen prompts. The first thing you’ll do is “roll the dice” three times, to determine your skill, stamina, and luck statistics. Then you start out as an adventurer who has heard tales of treasure in a mountain stronghold guarded by a variety of evil creatures. You have provisions, a couple of potions, a sword, and a shield. The rest of the game follows your adventure as you enter the fortress, battle zombies, look for treasure, and try to find your way through a maze of corridors. Buttons at the bottom right corner of the screen provide access to your bag (inventory) as well as your statistics. When you need to roll the dice, an action or battle button is added. Your sucess or failure depends on those dice rolls, as they determine the strength of your attack and how likely your enemy is to be able to hit you. Other choices, such as whether to enter certain rooms or turn either west or east at a crossing, are made by choosing the appropriate “hyperlinked” entry at the end of the story text.
The only slight disappointments relate to the fact that the game does not have a hi res + 320x480 mode, though it will run in either portrait or landscape mode on my Tapwave Zodiac. The illustrations are quite nice, but they are greyscale, not color. There are also no sound effects, which is understandable considering the fact that this is more like an interactive ebook than a true action game. I do like the fact that things are kept as simple as possible, especially regarding the fact that you can quit at any time you wish— next time you return to the game, you’ll be exactly where you left off. There’s no need to actually “save” the game in progress.
Fighting Fantasy is a fun diversion, and something a little off the beaten path. If you enjoy roleplaying games, or something that’s a little puzzling but nowhere near as stressful (and frustrating!) as trying to beat your high score on Bejeweled, give it a try. You just might be very pleasantly surprised, not to mention the only adventurer capable of defeating the Warlock of Fire Mountain and winning all that treasure for yourself… You can get it for $10.95 at the Proporta web site.
PocketGoddess Rating for Fighting Fantasy from Proporta: 
