Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman

Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman is the new game from the Disgaea team and some other people. I have never been able to get into the super otaku anime vibe of the company, but the NetHack roots intrigued me so I picked this one up.

So far the story is pretty dumb and all of the otaku crap is pissing me off, but the game really does play like a rogue-like with a nice level up system. It even goes so far as to mimic the way shops work in NetHack.

I recommend this one, definitely better than the Mysterious Dungeon games and Shiren the Wanderer. After reading 1up.com's review of it, I have to say I whole-heartedly agree. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3182139

I love rogue-likes, so I was eyeing this one. Glad to hear it's cool — I think I'll grab it myself. Thanks for sharing.

It's DL-only, right?

Nope. I bought a UMD version here.

I was playing a little bit more last night. It's pretty awesome.

If there were some way to take the Otaku/Akiba vibe out of the game it would 10x better.

One other rad thing is that every item is reflected on your character's graphics. You can have your dude with a wolf head and tank tread feet with two guns in his hands. It's pretty funny!

Also in the first three hours the difficulty has been perfect. I play a lot of NetHack and there are some challenging parts in this. It makes you think a bit differently from other rogues and adds some tactical RPG elements like sneaking up behind guys.

Is the anime crap really prevalent? That's usually a deal breaker for me.

T.A.P. said:

Is the anime crap really prevalent? That's usually a deal breaker for me.

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http://nisamerica.com/games/zhp/

You should check out their website. That's the vibe of the game unfortunately.

It's so sad. Otaku nerds make me want to punch them in the face.

RBjakeSpecial said:

http://nisamerica.com/games/zhp/

You should check out their website. That's the vibe of the game unfortunately.

It's so sad. Otaku nerds make me want to punch them in the face.

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I could only take about 20 seconds of that trailer. You are a brave man for buying the game that could produce such a trailer.

Is this a roguelike, an SRPG, or what?

Beefy Hits said:

Is this a roguelike, an SRPG, or what?

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SouthtownKid - Luckily there is an option to flip the dialog into Japanese. Before I found it I was about ready to give up.

Beefy Hits - It's a rogue like with a clever level up system and bosses. There is a home level where you can shop and level up your stuff in between dungeons.

I'm four hours into the game and am liking it. If you're interested you should read the 1up.com review. That review is spot on, along with the 'B' grade they gave the game.

It's good, but won't replace NetHack or Adom for serious NetHack cravings. My most played one of these games is still SlashEm on the iPhone. It rules planets.