The Legend of Dew 2: Ittle’s Link Between the Two Oracles of Majora’s Mask.
Sometimes a game comes along and really pushes the “homage” to the next level. I’ve played my fair share of homages to all sorts of games, the first and one of the best examples is Shovel Knight. Now, The Legend of Zelda series is a fantastic series. There’s no denying that. Naturally, there would be some games that come out that try to mimic that series, and obviously, they have. Ittle Dew 2 is one of them, and I have to say, they did a pretty decent job with it.
Despite never having even heard of the first game, Ittle Dew 2 is simple enough to understand. Ittle and her pet companion accidentally crash their raft on an island while exploring. Now, they must traverse the island looking for rafter pieces in order to escape, and wouldn’t you know it? Those raft pieces just so happen to be in dungeons spread throughout the island. Time to gather the Trif-I mean, raft.
Platforms: PS4, XB1, PC
MSRP: $19.99
Price I’d pay: $15
Maybe I should lay off the Zelda references? Nah.
In the same fashion as A Link to the Past, Ittle Dew 2 has an isometric/overhead view where players control Ittle as she slashes and uses items she picks up in each dungeon. Many familiar items will make an appearance, but in alternate forms. Bombs are replaced by dynamite, stuff like that. One of the nice things Ittle Dew 2 does much like how A Link Between Worlds did is that players can take on any dungeon they want whenever they want. Everything that can be found in a dungeon is obtainable and used to make it to the boss of said dungeon. No prerequisites needed. It’s nice to have some freedom in this style of game and it really adds to the experience when it allows players to explore the world itself.
Speaking of exploring, there are a good amount of things to see and do in Ittle Dew 2. Secret caves, blocked off areas, and even optional dungeons await the players willing to find them. I was actually surprised to see the amount of content coming from this game considering I had never heard of it before. Players can go for maximizing their health bar or go straight for the dungeon bosses. It’s all up to the player.
Along those lines, they add a decent amount of puzzles that are actually a bit challenging. Sure, the entire game is a bit simple, but dungeons can sometimes add a lot to the length by adding in a decent puzzle that can require a little thinking. I was pleasantly surprised.
A little skiddish.
While this is a very competent Zelda style game, there are a few issues I had with it. Movement is a bit floaty at times. In fact, I can’t really describe it. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with it, but if just feels off at times. Especially when fighting a boss. I feel like I would get hit way more than I should if only the controls were a bit tighter.
The second is actually the presentation itself. While I enjoyed the art style itself, the music and overall theme of the game really didn’t meld with me too well. It’s more of a comedic adventure than it is the epic scale of a Zelda game, but even then the comedy wasn’t the greatest and I found the music to be the more bland kind of background tunes I have heard in a while.
All in all through, Ittle Dew 2 is actually a decently paced and pretty fun action adventure game. The controls never ruined the experience for me, and with the amount to see and do and the ease of use the entire game can be, I feel like anyone who grew up playing classic Zelda games will enjoy this one enough to see it through to the end. Just remember, it is more on the simpler side. At the same time, I feel like this may be a bit of a short experience for some epically for the $20 price point. It’s a fun game, but maybe wait for a slight price drop.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
