PlayExclusive: My World, My Way

Atlus USA's latest DS release, takes conventional RPG elements... and bends them to fit your adventuring style, in My World, My Way.






Story
Self-absorbed,15 year old, pampered princess Elise resides in the finest of luxury, and is accustomed to a life where she is denied absolutely nothing at all. After holding a ball in her palace to look for a handsome boyfriend. she is denied by a dashing adventurer and realizes that not everything comes to those who wait.

Taking destiny into her own hands, she cuts her hair short, trades in her dresses for some armor, and runs off to become a famous heroine, in hopes of catching the eye of a dashing adventurer!


Wandering off, she tosses things up in the role-playing-game genre, getting her way through whining and pouting, doing amazing things like making enemies disappear, convincing bosses that their only worth is their experience points, and even changing the very terrain she stands on.

With the power of selfishness, her friends, Paro the spellcasting parrot, and shapeshifting slime Pinky, and a Nero, a famous hero secretly using his resources to mold Elise into a great heroine without her knowledge, the quest for Glory begins!


Graphics
Most of the gameplay sports 3D graphics for almost everything in the adventure, but uses well drawn illustrations for most cut scenes in the game. The 3D graphics may not be any nearly as smooth as larger consoles, but they work pretty well on the DS.


Gameplay
My World, My Way revolves around the quest to become a famous Heroine, trudging through dungeons, slaying monsters with turn based combat, and finding artefact's of all sorts, like most any other RPG.

Elise will be traveling the world, and will usually be handed quests to complete, in exchange for a key to leave the area; anything from gathering flowers from monster infested fields, or slaying skeletons in haunted graveyards. Though they manage to make the requests sound interesting with dialogue, it just ends up being a mostly repetitive ploy to force the player to level up.


Though not entirely unpleasant, it keeps the player locked in a small area until the quest is complete, making things difficult if you're not prepared to face monsters of a certain level. Of course, that's where pouting selfishly, for once, solves everything. Though this game steals it's entire system from it's brother game Dungeon Maker DS it manages to keep things fresh using it's unique “Pout System” to alter reality, to YOUR needs.


Using “Pout Points” Elise has the power to change almost anything in the world to her advantage, making monster levels stronger/weaker, or changing the terrain she's on to change what monsters she finds. Even in battle, she can pout for outrageous things like forcing the enemy team to stand still and not attack, or telling them how annoying they are, forcing them to retreat from battle!


Though it may seem “cheap”, it makes an otherwise long and difficult journey that much more easy, pleasant and entertaining, both in gameplay and it's hilarious story.

Overall
This game borrows almost everything from Dungeon Maker DS', but anyone that has played that series, will find My World, My Way a pleasant change of pace and story. While the earlier parts of the story are made to appeal to girls, it's an entertaining adventure suitable for any RPG fans.

Remember, it's your adventure, your world, your way!


Review by Johar Aston, TheLAG

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Copyright 2009 Johar Aston, TheLAG