Brave Heroes, Princesses, Scholars, Spelunkers and Tacomen, hast thou defeated the Dark King and saved Dotnia? Will thou record thy deeds in The Imperial Scrolls of Honor so thy deeds won't be lost?

I cannot express how happy I am to see this retrospective! What an amazing game 3D Dot Game Heroes is--and nobody talks about it! Seriously, did that many people miss this!? I loved every bit of it! That rap commercial--HA!!! Was that for real? That is fantastic!!! Loved that you knocked out a few of the Easter eggs--there are so, so many! That was certainly one of my favorite things to do in the game, finding the references. Did not know that about the loading screen images--that's great!

Great retrospective! This game is a PS3 classic; if I was an unemployed hippie metalhead e-beggar I'd say it's a true "hidden gem".

Great video. I always wondered why no one ever talked about this game. It was fantastic. I may have to do another play through soon

You know what blows my mind the most? That the Playstation 3 is 13 years old. Feels like yesterday I was asking my parents to get me one.

I actually really liked this game when it came out. It’s a shame it wasn’t more widely praised.

You are my favorite channel right now. A 45 minute video on one of the least talked about great games of this century?? Yes please. All the yes.

This was great! I love how much details you put in this and all your content. I appreciate your work, some of the best. Keep it up

Thank you for documenting this amazing game. I cannot imagine how long that loading screen reference guide took to compile. Once again setting the bar, kudos good Sir.

Man i wish this game was more easy to get and play. You went all out with the loading screens. Great video.

I saw this game mentioned before a few times but still have yet to get to it. What you said at the closing of this great video totally resonates with me as I can totally relate, being around the same age as you. You absolutely nailed it when referring to the fact that we grew up along with the technology advancements made through the 80s and 90s and maybe the first half of the 2000s. It's rather funny, even almost insulting watching a few of these younger KZfaqrs completely disregard a lot of older, classic games simply because they weren't there at the time. I bought a PS4 Pro and I only have like two game that takes advantage of its capabilities. Every other game I own for it is either a remake of a classic game such as Secret of Mana, a new game done in the style of old (Axiom Verge) or a new edition in a series but done in classic form (Sonic Mania or Double Dragon 4). And a few others like the Shantae games, that's it haha I've already told friends I honestly have no desire to get any more next gen consoles. The type of games I adore playing are all more than readily available on hardware from the last 30 years, I think I'm good. :-)

My dude, thanks SO much for doing this superb game such profound justice! I always considered it the next best Zelda game after A Link To The Past, so it's a crime for it to have been so overlooked.. I love all the little references but had no idea about many of their origins, so thanks for shedding light! Also didn't realise there were so many load screen references, daaaaamn! The creators clearly put in a crazy amount of love to this game, as have you in making this mini doc. In fact, such gallantry can only be the work to the fabled descendent of the Hero of Dotnia! Huzzah our Hero GJ!

awesome! glad others love this game. I just did this in a video about my top 3 PS3 games :D Love your video man! Great job.

Most excellent retrospective Sir, kudos!!! It's a nightmare to find here, had to get a fan from the US to buy it for me as I couldn't find it anywhere. BTW, wasn't there a Minecraft-y Dragon Warrior game or something?

Great work, I'd forgotten about this game. It makes me wish I'd played it back in the day!!

Gotta say Gaijillionaire, this was one of my favorite games to get, and my first Import I purchased for my PS3. Man did it feel great playing this when it launched, and weird to have the Japanese copy before the English one. It was only better when the US release came out. And to this day I still have both copies AND I plan on streaming 3DDGH on Twitch soon. Great episode! Nice work!

When mixed dragón quest, final fantasy, zelda and Legos, and a night full of beers, you got a this Game. Great video camarada.

Never heard about this game before as I was on very long gaming hiatus 10 years ago. Now I want both a PS3 and this game.

The game is absolutely covered in dragon quest references. Many npcs, the princess side quest, items, designs, quest. That's both it's blessing and curse, it's *literally* legend of zelda with dragon quest's aesthetic. It gets its gimmick with nostalgia, but that's also why it doesn't set itself apart much.

Hell yeah! I made it into the video👍👍👍😎😎😎

Invaluable video and...The biggest sword in gaming ;)

just found this video a treat to see people still talking about one of my favorite childhood games and homages to an era of gaming i never experienced

Amazing video, thank you for making it! I love this game and try to recommend to everyone that's into retrogames. Unfortunately there's not much copies left out there (and it's not digitally available).

This hidden gem was amazing. I never saw any marketing for it at all and discovered it by accident. As a long time fan of classic JRPGs and Zelda games, this game was a huge treat for me.

Oh darn I remember that one, it's like a mix between Zelda and DQ Builders

Any game with multiple Ultima references is good by me.

This game deserves a Nintendo Switch port.

I loved this game back in the day. I made my own character, an Uboa for fun, though it was mostly just a blackblob with the uboa face, it's pretty cool that you could do that. I also loved all the swords you could get, including a nearly infinite length one. I really like voxel art, it's a shame not many games use it, I'm pretty sure I've played others, but Voxatron and 3D Dot Game heros are the only ones that really come to mind. Though speaking of the art direction of this game the HD but blocky look reminds me of a more recent game Octopath Traveler, which I think I heard somewhere that the people who worked on it also worked on bravely default, and I'm now hearing that the people who worked on 3D Dot Game Heroes worked on bravely default, so there's probably some staff crossover there. Maybe that's where the inspiration came from. Have you played Octopath Traveler? It's pretty fun. I don't remember if I tried or even knew about spelunker mode when I played it, but since then I've played and beaten Spelunker, I'm probably in the minority on this one but I actually loved Spelunker.

Im a sucker for this long winding documentary... Thank you very much...

34:15 I was waiting for a reference to MegaTen edit: i noticed that nearly all your replies to the comments are old game references and I want you to know that I absolutely adore it

The saddest part for me that the PS3 was the generation of crazy concepts like The Last Guy and 3D Dot Game Heroes but it will go down in history as the generation of CoD and Uncharted. The American press likes to say that this generation was the decline of the Japanese games, but if we analyze it, we had Japanese games that defied the norm. They were not "AAA" in budget, perhaps that is why they was ignored by the media. Now what does the PS5 have in terms of creativity? I feel like I bought the console just because it's a tradition, because I have all the Playstations.

It’s a coincidence this anniversary, and your video, came out now. I was just thinking about this game a few weeks ago while playing the “Link’s Awakening” remake on Switch. I kept thinking that its use - abuse? - of depth of focus reminded me of “3D Dot Game Heroes.”

I actually don't remember this game. Interesting stuff!

I have this game!

The Touryst for Switch will have a similar artstyle. 3D Dot Heroes was very on my radar but I haven’t found a copy and I now know why, it just sold like crap. Maybe I have to shelve our more money to grab one soon before everyone wants it after this video 😂

Good old 3D Dot Game Heroes... the first game that crashed my PS3 to a point I had to wipe its hard drive. (and several occasions like that to come on my PS4)

I had never heard of 3D Dot Game Heroes until you uploaded this video nearly three weeks ago. EDIT- 6:22 P.M.: *finishes video 58 minutes later* I didn't know anything about the game until now. It looks and sounds fun! 🤓

Thank you so much!! I just saw my name! Hahaha that’s never happened to me before! So awesome!

The bestiary book is a weapon?! Sold!

I finally had the time to watch this and man, I am so glad someone took the time to talk about it and do it justice. You know, this game would have had way better sales if it was released today because retro gaming is so popular and trendy now. It really sold poorly in Japan wow.....I guess the chances of seeing another game like this are pretty slim. But great videos! Are you going to do a Christmas special video? Just being curious. keep up the good work sir!

Wow!! What an excellent in-depth review of a great (though very esoteric) game!

Love this game. I was just talking about it with my buddies. Thanks for making this!

I love this game I made g.i. Joe style characters and played through it about 5 times I was so happy when I realized tricks in games from days past worked in dotnia I really hope it gets a bit more love at some point

I don't necessarily "regret" being a gamer, but I did waste a lot of hours in my teens and twenties that could have been devoted to other pursuits that would have probably felt more enriching to me later on. Now, in my early 40s, I actually get pangs of guilt when I sit down to play a game for too long a period of time. In addition to the fact that - much like what you were saying - modern games have a real tendency to veer wildly between "same old, same old" in terms of gameplay, albeit with newer graphics, or, they're so "real" that it's basically like having a job. I don't want to run errands in real life, and I certainly don't want to fetch things in a game for NPCs of no consequence - real or imagined. I have two friends who are around my age that play HOURS of basically the same games (Phantasy Star Online and Skyrim top the list, usually) and I legitimately have no idea how they can just burn away their lives doing the same, rote things over and over, day after day.

I’d been meaning to watch this video and finally got around to it today. Loved this game and really enjoyed your retrospective on it! Great work!

10 years already?! It feels like I JUST picked this game up new yesterday. I so need to finish it. lol

I got 3D Dot Heroes the day it released and I still have it today. It was/is a phenomenal game from beginning to end.

This for me was the reason I wanted a PS3

Such an underrated gem. I had many fun nights with this. I believe Pete Dorr may have featured this in a video at one time. That's how I heard of it at least.

Is it likely that 3D Dot Game Heroes might get a Remastered Port for Current Gen Consoles such as the PS4, XBOX One and Nintendo Switch since the game has become a Cult Classic ????

This video should have a million views. What the hell man?

"Binge Watch #1 2020!" 🎮🎸📺

I keep coming back to it and I think this is my favorite video of yours

This game needs a remaster soo much

Wow, what an incredibly thorough look at this game. I bought it, but never got around to playing it. This video is tempting me to open it up after all of these years.

Every few years I get reminded of this game and get so sad we never got a sequel.

I loved this game so much when it came out. It was my first PS3 game, actually. Got it from a bargain bin at the time and was shocked by how good it was. Now that I'm reflecting on it, I really wish there were a way to play it nowadays.

It's good to hear that you ended your video game carrier knowing that you experienced what you wanted from the entertainment medium. I'm, currently, in my 30's and I'm still finding new and exciting experiences. I manage this though the likes of the live streaming services like Twitch. It's not a large channel by any means, but I've been playing through games that my viewers would like me to play. This has allowed me to expand my horizons when it comes to game experiences and I'm very grateful for that. Maybe you'll make a comeback in the future, but until then, I wish you the best life possible. As the Gameboy commercial from the 90's tells us "You don't stop playing if you get old, but you could get old if you stop playing." Cheers! PS: I learned of that commercial courtesy of your fantastic commercial transitions. PPS: I just ordered a physical copy of this. :)

Annoyingly I couldn't play it because I make a character (pinky from Pacman.) twice and could never find out how to save the game.

what an amazing little rpg, I loved playing this when it came out. Wish a PC port was released

Fun fact, "iikou" also means "let's go".

I never got this game because I was never a fan of the Zelda games really nor Zelda like games, I understand their significance but it just never tickled my pickle, jerked my Gerkin

Just went and bought the game just Becasue of this video, thank u so much for teaching us about this hidden gem

I finally picked this up. It took a while to find it at a reasonble price. It fills a void in so many ways. A type of adventure game I haven't played in a very long time

Nice to see some love for such a great game. Impressively assembled vid!

The absolute madlad went through every single box art. Thankyou so much, I'd always wondered what they all were! They even did Might and Magic VI!? crazy. Edit: what a sad ending. c'mon ya grizzly old bastard, there's a refuge for those like us.. maybe. The Souls Series could fit the bill, of doing something new with the old.

I really like 3D Dot Game Heroes but there are little pieces here and there that break the illusion of a low res adventure. Mostly the particle effects, the polygonal sword, the annoying field of depth blurring, and non axis aligned voxel models.

What a great tribute! You really hit the nail on the head, thank you!

If it wasn't for you, I would never knew about this game. Nos I want to play it. Good words at the end, and as you say it, sometimes life just takes your time and can game as a 7-8 kid, but oh man, how did I enjoy playing games all day as a kid.

This game is amazing. If I can get a working ps3 again I'm gonna go thru it again.

I remember seeing this game and being intrigued by its visual style & concept when it was previewed, but then completely forgot about it. Thanks for this video, your stuff is amazing man. I really hope your channel gets the recognition it deserves. Shame this game is PS3 exclusive, I'm going to try emulating it with "RPCS3" to see if I have any luck. Edit- I'll report back.

This is the number one game on my PS3 backlog. I always thought it looked so great! Another game that I feel is under appreciated is Little King Story, I best that one on the Vita though. Great video!

I stumbled across this game in a box of games I bought from a swap meet back in 2013. In 2014 I finally gave it a try and I absolutely fell in love. I had no idea this game existed and it's now easily one of my favorite games ever.

I loved this game! A love letter to Zelda 1 and Dragon Quest! I spent hours just making characters! I remember seeing the actual Link face from the sprite from Zelda 1 in the mini game that was like Arkanoid.

Just got the platinum trophy today. One of my favorite PS3 games of all time.

Lol that is so strange to me that it would be considered obscure. I knew ALL about it back when it came out & was SUPER excited for it! I absolutely bought it on day one & have always loved the game. The only reason I can think of for ppl not knowing about it is they must not follow video games very closely or be into those old school types of games. It was covered all over the place in all of the various gaming magazines! I guess you had to be into those types of games. Am a big time retro gamer myself who collects old games & systems.

I feel like this game would have done better if it were on a nintendo console , ps3 players just dont seem like the market for this game to thrive , as a zelda clone i think this game would do well on switch

I believe if this game was re-released on modern consoles and it was advertised properly it could be a hit. Originally the only way anyone heard of this game was purely by chance. They could even add multiple playable characters specific to each console ex. Pit and Link on Nintendo, Kratos and Jin Sakai on Playstation, Master Chief and Marcus Fenix on X-box.

So glad I got this game at launch and never let it go!

3d dot game heros looks pretty unique Hopefully the game gets remastered

What a great video. I really enjoyed this. If anyone reading this has a mind to buy this game used, make sure the copy you buy has the manual included. Because this game is a throwback in that regard as well, it comes with a thick brightly colored manual that will make you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh my God! I absolutely adore this game and would kill to see a remake in 4K. Thankfully, I'm going to get my wish...sort of. When the PS5 launches, I have to buy two of them (yes, it's a necessity) and they both will play our copies of 3D Dot Heroes in 4K! My fiancee and I are absolutely ridiculous professionals without kids. Has it really been 10 year's...stop it, you're making me feel old! I feel 40 coming ever closer....I'm 39. ;) How ridiculous you ask? Currently, we have two of every console including the enhanced models connected to two 4K UHD screens in our master bedroom. A room dedicated to all things retro gaming and a full sized arcade complete with stand up coin-op machines in our living room (7 machines so far). When this Coronavirus business is finished, we are having a room built for the arcade cabs. This video is excellent, I am definitely a fan.

these are the kind of games I go after the obscure and the under rated, most of my game collection is like this

Ahh this game was legit. I immediately made the 8-bit Link from the first Zelda and went to town. That customizer was awesome. I hope this gets a port one day

This was a very nice video, but I do have one criticism: the captioning seemed to vary from the video a lot, which can be distracting when you're either hard of hearing or have audio processing issues. Other than that it's a nice retrospective on an ironically nostalgic game!

I find it weird that there were almost no Nintendo games referenced on those loading screens. I mean, no Zelda? No Mario? No Metroid? Was this to avoid any legal issues with Nintendo? Even tho the game itself is a pretty obvious tribute to Zelda...

An absolute hidden gem for the ps3! I am playing this in 2020!

People know the break out song more than the game itself, which is kinda a shame.

It's a shame the game is locked away on the ps3. I own a copy but even still.

This game still looks fantastic. So glad I picked this up on sale at Fry's Electronics for $29.99 usd a few months after it came out simply because the box looked cool.

thinking that there hasn't been any great games in the last 10 years is pure insanity

This was one of the few games I purchased as a new release. I tend to buy things used or at steep discounts, but everything about this game screamed buy me! So I did. I ended up getting the Platinum trophy (the racing games took so many hours!) for the game because I enjoyed it so much. I've played it a couple times since and it's such a fun world to explore; it really takes me back to my childhood with Zelda and Dragon Warrior/Quest. 3d Dot Game Heroes oozes charm and anyone that played the NES/Famicom when it was popular owes it to themselves to play it if they can. There's some real challenge here, even with the sword upgrades and just a great gaming experience. I'd love to see a sequel and even a re-release for PS4 or PS5.

everytime I see this game, I have trouble believing it was on PS3, even though I saw this game several times when I was extremely young. the graphics have aged very well

I still have this game. It's right on my shelf. I never finished it, but I remember thinking how much it feels like a Zelda game. But now that I've gotten into the Dragon Quest series, I'm now noticing all the clear as day Dragon Quest influences as well. Also I'd argue that there are still plenty of games today that do some new and original things, including indie games that try to mimic the style of retro games. Even though aesthetically they look like games of the past, it's the core gameplay where I see interesting ideas form. Sometimes they blend together genres that you rarely see together like an action game that's also a musical rhythm game. Sometimes they take the genre and flip it on it's head like an RPG where killing enemies is actually a bad thing that negatively affects the story. Or sometimes they just refine what worked about retro games with some modern day mechanics. I'm 31 and I rarely have the time to play the games I buy nowadays, but every year there's always at least 1 or 2 games that really impress me and I get hooked on.

I'd love to play this game on my Deck.

Block Defense was probably one of the funnest parts of this game. As a compulsive catch em all type the filling the bestiary was also a blast. It was really fun having a game where you literally play as anyone too. I remember playing through this game as Finn, Pinkie Pie, my OCs, and so many others. I think my favorite part was the blob who in the beginning of the game wants to become human, and later he actually does. I don't remember if that's a plot element but I remember feeling happy for the blob. What a great, fun game this was. And all that amazing music!

65 bucks in current market yen to USD

I'd be hard pressed to say this isnt my favorite game for the ps3, I'd love more games like this

Inspiring me to hook up the PS3 and put more time into my copy. Remember getting it when it first came out but not having a ton of time and it getting lost in the shuffle. Watching this really highlights the love and attention that went into this game.

Can’t wait to get this game for Christmas! Just found out about this Zelda rip off and I’m all in!!!