Dream Trigger 3D
Thousands of enemies want you dead, but first, sonar bomb.
Every handheld system has a small number of quirky games that appeal to a niche audience, and it appears the 3DS will be no exception. Although Nintendo's portable will play host to new Super Mario and Resident Evil sequels, D3 publisher hopes to try something unique with Dream Trigger 3D, a bizarre looking and decidedly hardcore shooter that combines furious shooting with, of all things, Battleship.
Dream Trigger 3D falls under the category of a bullet hell shooter, in the sense that the game throws hundreds of projectiles at you at one time, making it difficult to survive unless you possess inhuman reflexes.
Thing is, you can't see enemies, at least initially. To find these suckers, you'll must drop a limited number of sonar bombs on the 3DS' bottom screen (there's the Battleship influence). When located, the bad guys appear on the top screen, giving you the opportunity to blast them to pieces.
At the same time, there appears to be a rhythm-based component to the action. A vertical bar slowly makes its way along that bottom screen, similar to the puzzle game Lumines. Revealing targets as said line passes over them may "trigger" some other feature while electronic and classical music plays in the background. Stay tuned.
You'll do this across 50 punishing stages, earning up to 100 in-game achievements along the way. There's also a two-player mode, though D3 has yet to reveal many details as to how it works.
That aside, we do know this: Dream Trigger 3D is quite arresting. While not the best looking game in the 3DS lineup, the myriad of colors, bullets and ten environments should send your brain into sensory overload. On top of that, your on screen avatar will change shape throughout the course of the game, transforming into a fish, bird, butterfly and other creatures. In addition, we expect some neat 3D effects that'll make it seem like floating power-ups and projectiles (almost) jump out of the screen.
Whether or not the game will be enjoyable, of course, remains to be seen, but we're looking forward to playing Dream Trigger 3D and will let you know if it's worth a purchase. Expect a review the week of its release, May 10.
