FastCrawl
Score: 82% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Pawleyscape Developer: Pawleyscape Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: FastCrawl from pawleyscape is.. well... a fast dungeon crawler. I guess you could see that one coming. What you probably couldn't see coming is the fact that it was a much more enjoyable game than I was prepared for. I like being surprised by games, as it restores my faith in the art of game making. The graphics were sharp, easy to follow graphical representations. I got a card game feeling right from the get go with the top-down dungeon and the card-like player avatars in battle. The graphics may be considered "programmer art" to some, but it looked good and was well done. The sound wasn't a score from The Lord of the Rings or anything, but you are in this one for the gameplay and not the music or sound effects. Quickly done midi melee strikes let you know you hit, but again we are not here for the musical score.
Gameplay: Here you are with your company of four in FastCrawl. Stuck for unknown reasons in a maze of dungeon tunnels and passages. There is no arduous story to have to sit through to launch you on your way. After all this is FAST-Crawl. You get in and get dirty right off the bat. I LOVE THAT!!! I hate having to go through so much to get into a game like this. So, on to how the game works. You start out as a company of four. You are presented with a top-down dungeon map in the middle of the screen; your company is positioned below you and their inventory is to the left. Everything is controlled through the mouse. Choose which way you wish to move, click, and begin your exploration. There is a great tutorial in the beginning which clearly lays out all of the maneuvering and battle etiquette. From there, it is blow and go. Search the dungeon for treasure. Match up in turn-based battle with many foes as you increase your holdings and find new, more powerful weapons to yield.
Difficulty: FastCrawl has four difficulty modes - Easy, Normal, Challenge, and Fiendish. Maybe it was just me, but I was feeling challenged enough on Normal that I didn't last too long on Fiendish. I like the fact that there is a decent level of complexity, but it doesn't go overboard. There wasn't a multi-volume D & D book set that I would need to memorize to be up to speed for the game. I just can't iterate enough how this is played very much like a casual card game. It is really easy for anyone to get into, while still challenging the more advanced players with its Fiendish mode. There is good level progression and enemies didn't just magically get harder. There was a well thought out, or just lucky, balance that plays extremely well.
Game Mechanics: I really fell in love with FastCrawl's casual gameplay style. You hear people talk a lot about overseas casual play where you can sit back with a drink and play a game. Well folks, here it is. The one-handed mechanic allows for a casual, quick and addictive game experience. Being able to place our characters for close or ranged combat also works very well, allowing you to protect wounded or weak characters as stronger ones step forward. There were very clear definitions on what each weapon and tool did. You didn't have to guess about what to use and where, or even why for that matter. I really look forward to playing this one again and again. I found myself firing it up at work, because it could be played in a very short time during break or lunch. And, maybe sometimes while the boss wasn't looking. Get this one. You will not be disappointed.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 98 (or newer), Open GL VC and Drivers, 800x600 resolution, 128 MB of RAM   Test System: Windows XP Pro, 3.2 GHz P4HT CPU, 2 GB Ram, 512 PCIE 16 ATI X1600XT
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