Clash Of Elementalists Review (Nintendo DSi, 3DS)

Clash of Elementalists is quite different from games that Teyon has published before. This game features four female characters named Celsius, Biot, Fahrenheit and Mole, with the ability to control the four forces of nature which are fire, earth, ice (water), and wind.

The plot is simple, elementalists are battling around the world for their own different reasons. And for some weird reason, everyone of them has a look-alike.

The stage is set in a big 3D plane where you can fly around, dash, and jump. The DS or the 3DS not having a second circle pad makes it hard to rotate the camera, which in turn makes it hard to look for your opponent. What you need to do is either you dash and attack, which automatically focuses the camera on your opponent, or you jump which gives you a better view of the ground.

There are three attack modes in the game which are normal, wide, and power. Each corresponds to pressing the R trigger, the L trigger and pressing both. Normal attacks are basically mid-range attacks, high rate of fire and does cheap-in damage. Wide attacks are what they are, wide attacks and the rate of fire is slower. Power attacks are each character's signature move, does the highest damage and takes just about the same cooling time as wide attacks. Using any attack depletes their own meter which recovers over time. It's important to mix up attacks from time to time, just so you won't run dry.

It's not all about throwing stuff to your enemies, the game also have a melee combat system. Once you're near enough the enemy, your attacks change from projectiles to melee attacks.

Defending comes automatic but not entirely damage-free. There's a shield that reduces the damage you take and it also depletes. When you get knocked-off, you stay invulnerable for a couple of seconds, enough for you to make your escape and plan your next move. Also, unlike projectile attacks, you can voluntarily guard on melee attacks.

There are four fighting modes in the game: Arcade, free battle, versus, and training modes. The Arcade mode is basically where the story goes, which doesn't give much narrative and goes over some repetitive dialogue and endings for all four characters. They all just end up fighting their own clones.

The free battle mode is identical to the arcade mode stripped down of the dialogue. You can also set the stage you want to play on here. The versus mode supports up to 2 players via DS Wireless Play (local wireless) but both players need to have a copy of the game. That's right, no Internet play for you. The training mode gives you the opportunity to learn the basics of the game as you can make the CPU not do anything, as well as turn on/off the damage and set off the time (infinity).

The graphics look good for a DSi game, especially when played on original resolution and the image looks sharper, it's very nice to look at. The characters are cel-shaded, making them look really close to the 2D illustrations. The game has a smooth framerate, and the game loads fast (at least on the 3DS).

The music brings a feeling of nostaliga, as they remind me of the 2D side-scrolling shooters back in the 90's, and that's a compliment. Unfortunately, common to DS/DSi games we've played before is that there is no voice-acting in the game. Old games like Street Fighter II can do it, why couldn't they do it here? The sound effects match the actions properly. For example, ice attacks sound like ice being shaked on a glass.

There are some extra control features in the game that are quite easy to miss, and that is because they are hardly useful. Such is the fast fall which allows you to fall fast from a jump, and the turn step move which allows your character to turn by making a rotating step. Interestingly, they also missed (or maybe skipped) putting touchscreen support for the bottom screen on the menu.

The saddest fact perhaps is that the game doesn't reward the players with anything interesting upon finishing the game. A good ending, a new character unlocked, or an art gallery would be loud enough to say, "thank you for playing".

The Verdict

Clash of Elementalists has an interesting concept that isn't entirely new but has slowly grown old over the years. However, the bad decision on controls somehow ruined the fun. It's an eye-candy, if only not for the lack of characters and short narrative, this could've easily been a very good game.

The game is good enough for killing time and it's fun to play with another player. However, it's not something a fighting game enthusiast would be serious about. If you only want a temporary distraction from mainstream games, this should be good try.

Rating for Clash of Elementalists

Gameplay:
Graphics:
Sound:
Controls:
Fun Factor:
Overall:
Game Info:	Platform: Nintendo DSi/3DS Developer: AMZY Publisher: Teyon Release Date: 04/11/2013 Price: $4.99/€4.99 or 500 DSi Points Rating: T (Teen) No. of players: 2 Online: No

The Good

• Good visuals
• Unique character skills
• The game's simple concept is good for killing time
• Very good soundtrack
• Two-player mode support (local wireless)

The Bad

• Only four characters
• Clunky controls makes it hard to target your opponent
• Difficult from the start, can be hard to master for some
• Shallow plot and 

This review was based on the North American retail version and played on Nintendo 3DS XL. You can check on the game's official page here.