Contact (computer game)

Contact
Studio	Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher	Marvelous Interactive Atlus Rising Star Games
Erstveröffent- lichung	March 30, 2006 October 17, 2006 February 2, 2007
platform	Nintendo DS
genre	role playing game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Nintendo DS
medium	512 Mbit module
language	(Country-specific versions)
Age rating	USK PEGI

Contact is a computer role-playing game for the Nintendo DS that was first published in Japan on March 30, 2006 by Marvelous Interactive . Contact was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture , the studio that was responsible for killer7 , among other things . The game was localized for the European market by Rising Star Games , while dtp entertainment AG took over distribution in Germany . In Germany, the game was released on February 2, 2007.

action

The story begins with a nameless professor flying through space to escape a mysterious enemy. While driving, the player makes contact via the touchscreen, whereupon the professor is shot down and has to make an emergency landing. He hires a boy named Terry to help him get the spaceship ready for launch again. “The player” is a separate person of the action who is taught by the professor how to control Terry and thus direct the action. Terry's task now is to look for the spaceship's drive crystals, which are scattered around the world.

Game mechanics

In Contact , the professor speaks directly to the player and knows of his existence. In addition, the game differs from other role-playing games in that the reward with experience points is immediate, i.e. already in combat, in order to complement the real-time combat system. In contrast to other role-playing games, in which several status values ​​are improved at the same time after a fight, in Contact each status value is assessed individually, depending on what actions were used. An example: Terry takes damage, his defense values ​​increase, Terry attacks an opponent, his strength increases. This system is also used by Final Fantasy III , the SaGa series and the online game RuneScape .

As a loose connection to Killer 7 , the game has a costume system that allows Terry to slip into different costumes. The player can get up to 8 costumes during the game, which can make Terry a fisherman or a cook, for example. Costumes increase certain status values ​​and skills.

In addition to costume-based skills, Terry has weapon-based skills. A lot of weapons can be found in the game, which can be divided into blunt weapons, cutting weapons and no weapon (fist). Skills can be improved by using each type of weapon in combat. Each enemy has a weakness for a certain type, which is why the player is encouraged to switch between the different weapon categories in combat in order to find the weak point. The weapon system is a variant of Secret of Mana and Vagrant Story .

Furthermore, stickers can be stuck to Terry in the game to give him more strength. The stickers can also be used for attacking enemies or healing wounds.

Status values ​​like "karma" or "celebrity" influence Terry's relationship with the non-player characters. The player is free to attack the non-player characters, which can end up with the population attacking Terry as soon as they see him.

The game also contains a number of mini-games in the graphic style of old Atari 2600 games, including a Formula 1 racing game and a vertically scrolling role-playing game reminiscent of Castlevania II .

Online function

The game makes similar use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection as the game Animal Crossing: Wild World . If the player reaches a special island in single player, all players who have previously been contacted via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection usual friend codes are shown as non-player characters who exchange tips and items with the player. Up to 8 players can be accommodated as NPCs on the island.

Visual style

The image of the upper screen of the Nintendo DS is always presented in a simple style reminiscent of the Earthbound series. The professor is here and gives instructions to the player and Terry, who is in the lower screen. The image of the lower screen is presented in a pre-rendered, very detailed style. Should the professor be in the lower screen, or Terry in the upper screen, an interesting mix of both styles is created.

The different styles were selected “to make it clear that the player and the professor are strangers to each other. They have to communicate and act with one another in order to make it through the game ” and “ to arouse feelings of nostalgia, just like the interplay between the real world and the game world. ”

Press reviews

Gamebrink rated the game 9.0 out of 10.0 and compared the stats and leveling system to games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion . The site praises the plot, the professional system, and most importantly the music, but describes the fights as "pretty shallow". On the other hand, Nintendo of America's in-house magazine Nintendo Power gave the game a rating of 6.5 out of 10.0 points. The biggest weaknesses are that the game is frustrating and difficult, and the goals of the game are limited and not innovative. The game received mostly average ratings from other magazines and websites, the average rating according to gamerankings is 72%

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1. ↑ Contact (DE). (No longer available online.) Nintendo Power, archived from the original on January 13, 2009 ; Retrieved March 5, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ^ Bebpo: Contact (Japan). Gamebrink, archived from the original on July 17, 2006 ; accessed on August 27, 2006 (English). 
3. ^ Bebpo: Contact (Japan). Gamebrink, archived from the original on July 18, 2006 ; accessed on August 27, 2006 (English). 
4. ↑ Contact (USA). Game ratings, accessed June 3, 2007 . 

Web links

• Official German site ( Memento from December 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• Official American site
• Official Japanese site ( Memento of May 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive )