BaD #3 - Epic Battle Fantasy 3 review
Published on February 6, 2014 12:35 AM
Part of the Series - Blog a Day (BaD) 2014
5 minute read
2066 Views

I play a lot of games on kongregate. As a matter of fact, I probably spend way too much time on that website. However, the lure of thousands of free games is too much to withstand. And games that I don't need to download, I might add. Yes, I know the site is owned by the evil Gamestop, but free games! Recently, they've been offering free “Kongpanians” if you get the badge of the day, and the special shiny version if you get four more badge of the days in that same calendar week. As far as I can tell, these things do absolutely nothing, other than show up on your profile page, and the shiny version is just more of nothing. Anyway, in my short-lived quest to get a shiny version of a kongpanion, I ran across Epic Battle Fantasy 3. I was only going to play long enough to get the badge of the day, but I ended up spending a week on it.

Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is a turn-based RPG with three cute and amazingly detailed characters on the hunt to beat the bad guy at the end of the game and get their powers back. Matt is the tank, Natalie is the kick-ass (and quite buxom) magic-user, and Lance has a nice arsenal of ranged attacks. It's pretty standard RPG fare, there's a town and a bunch of dungeons, quests for various npcs you meet on your journey to the end of the game. Each character has a skill set that can be upgraded by earning skill points in each battle. Skills can also be given as rewards for quests or found in out of the way treasure chests. Most skills are set to a particular character, but some can be given to the character of your choice. Equipment can also be upgraded, and there is a pretty big collection to choose from. Basically, it's a standard turn-based RPG with a lot of loot and customizable equipment.

The story isn't anything original, and I don't think it was meant to be. The dialogue is cheesy, and there are a ton of sexual innuendos, most none to subtle. One of the awards you get is from clicking the mouse on Natalie's very generous bosoms a certain number of times and watching them bounce. I was amused, but I can see where some women might get upset.

The music is actually pretty good, and this comes from someone who generally doesn't pay much attention to the music in games.

The graphics are cute and cartoony, and far more detailed than I expected. There are several different models for each enemy, which was a little confusing sometimes, but did keep things from getting monotonous.

There are six main areas to explore and work your way through, with lots of secret areas with tons of loot to find. At the end of each area is a warp point so that you can travel to any other warp point you've previously visited. This is especially handy when you find the items for each quest and you just want to go trade the stuff in for your reward. There's also only one inn, weapon shop, and item shop, and they're all back in the one town at the very beginning of the game. There are also several areas that have to be unlocked by earning a set number of achievements. Each of those areas is chock-full of extremely useful treasure.

I got about 10+ hours out of this game. Basically, I got everything, hit the level cap, and haven't been able to beat the final boss yet. But I also haven't spent a lot of time on beating him. I got everything else, and I think that may be more important to me than beating that final boss. 

So if you like a good turn-based RPG and you have some spare time to kill, I'd definitely recommend checking this game out. But if you're not into RPGs, it isn't going to do anything for you and you can probably find something more interesting to do with your time.

Comments
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Posted on February 6, 2014 3:44 AM

Funny,I remember playing something like this on Newgrounds a couple of years ago. I wonder if it was an earlier build of this game or its' predecessor. The art style is giving me deja vu too! Definitely something up my alley though I don't speak for everyone!

Self aware parody rpgs done in that classic "old school style" speak to me profoundly on many levels!

Posted on February 6, 2014 3:49 AM

I think it is a Newgrounds game, Ben. And it's one of four in the series. I didn't care for the first two, they're both just wave after wave of enemies with no exploration or side quests, and I've just started the fourth one, and so far, I don't like it as much as 3.

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:28 AM

Something more interesting to do with my time: been playing Ghost Trick on DS. I'll let you know if I see Hotel Dusk.

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:57 PM

Let me know if Ghost Trick is worth seeking out. And you should check out Hotel Dusk.

Posted on February 6, 2014 6:36 PM

So far I'm definitely enjoying it; it's a murder mystery where you as the main character work your way backwards through a plot rife with goofy Japanese humor to figure out your identity and why your death occurred/who's behind it/what other characters had to do with it, etc.

It may get a bit repetitive to some, but you're allowed as many tries as you can after you've seen how a murder plays out to go back four minutes in time, possess objects, and utilize them with good timing to alter events so that you save other characters' lives, aiding in the continuation of your own mystery solving. 

I'm also playing Dawn of Sorrow, and I will get Hotel Dusk if I see it. 

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:31 AM

I wouldn't mind playing this, but it sounds pretty average. Plus I have 122 other games to beat lol. Nice review though Tami. I might try it someday if I don't forget.

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:56 PM

I understand, Aaron. I don't even count the games in my backlog anymore, lol.

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:50 PM

Free gaming with shiny badges for your page? That's a good reason to try the game out in my book. I am starting to like the turn based stuff, but I'm fearful about jumping into Kongregate because it will just add to my ever growing Mount Backlog, but this game does sound like fun.

Posted on February 6, 2014 4:55 PM

Most of the games on kongregate are fairly short time-wasters. There are some good games, some crappy ones, and the occasional excellent gem, but by and large, they really shouldn't take up a huge chunk of your time. And EBF3 is fairy short for a turn-based RPG, so maybe not a bad place to start.

Posted on February 6, 2014 7:15 PM

Well it sounds interesting, maybe I'll check it out when I have the time and my laptop isn't acting up too much, like it's doing right now.

Posted on February 6, 2014 7:41 PM

Like I said, it's cute and relatively short.

Posted on February 6, 2014 8:15 PM

I haven't been on Kongregate for a while now but that game looks neat, so I put it on my wishlist at backloggery.

Posted on February 7, 2014 12:56 AM

I think it may be out for iOS or android, too, but I'm not sure

Posted on February 7, 2014 12:47 AM

Thanks for the info.  I'll check it out.

Posted on February 7, 2014 12:58 AM

Your welcome :)

Posted on February 21, 2014 5:28 PM

doesn't look too bad but is this a flash title right?

I was aways fearful of those type of free games. Was afraid of all the personal info they tried to get from me during gameplay.