..Heroes of Ruin..

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In our world, we have but one truth, "Everything shrinks". Thousands of years ago, people thought the Earth to be vast world. Nowadays, people can travel around the globe in far less than 180 days. In the 1990s, cell phones were bulky machines. Today, with the advent of the iPhone and similar technology, advanced cell phones fit inside of your palm. When the Nintendo DS was released, the console was fairly cumbersome. After so many iterations, it shrank, shrank, grew, and then shrank into a powerhouse with 3D.

N-Space has taken this truth and pointed their shrink ray at the dungeon-crawler. Heroes of Ruin is an action RPG focused on exploring and combat. At a glance, the game plays like a miniature Diablo. I must say that I agree with that assessment.

Heroes of Ruin takes place in the city of Nexus. The ruler has conscripted mercenaries to help him find a cure for his illness. Players are able to jump into the game as a lone wolf or hook up with some friends through local play or Wi-Fi. 

There are four classes to choose from. The Gunslinger is a ranger type that relies on guns and bombs to deal damage. The Vindicator is a paladin type that gets up close and personal. The Architect is the mage type who stands back and obliterates enemies with spells. Lastly, the Savage is a fighter type that gets into melee range and whacks enemies. 

When players choose their class, they can customize their character's appearance. Aside from the character creation, the game offers talent trees that cater to different types of gameplay. Each character is given three talent trees and five skills within one tree. All in all, players will have 15 skills to play around with. 

In Heroes of Ruin, the gameplay is centered on dungeon-crawling and quests. Like Diablo, dungeons are randomly generated and enemies are randomly set. If two players are on the same quests, chances are their paths to complete the job may differ. With every dungeon, there are bonuses for exploring every nook and cranny. The developers have put in secret areas that contain high-quality items to help the player in their journey.

With the 3DS behind this portable dungeon-crawler, players are able to interact with one another through StreetPass and SpotPass. When players are together online, they are able to communicate through the game's voice chat. Heroes of Ruin looks to use the full capabilities of the 3DS online system.

Heroes of Ruin may be one game that RPG fans may not want to pass up. The game has sleeper hit written all over it. However, only time will tell if shrinking the dungeon-crawler was a worthwhile idea. In just a few months, 3DS owners will have the opportunity to fill their pockets with RPG goodness. With the ever-shrinking world, it would be nice to have a Diablo-type game in the palm of our hands.

Christopher Rogel Chris started playing games at the tender age of 5. Since then, he sees mushrooms, hearts, aliens, and spikey-haired blondes in his sleep.

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