Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness (PS1, 1996)
Graphics-7 Sound-7 Control-7 Challenge-6.5? Story-6.5?
Level Design-6 Frustration-7/8* Fun-6.5/5.5* Originality-7?
Overall Score-6? WIP
*Capturing everyone
+
Mixes FP view dungeon crawler RPG gameplay with trapping and strategy - Set and spring traps, build/remove rooms and hallways, capture enemies for monster creation, summon monsters to deal with enemies (a bit like Dungeon Keeper or Home Alone (MD) in a way, also kinda similar to later Tower Defense games)
Choose between gold, MP or imprisonment for later monster creation (combine captured enemies to create monsters, level 7 onwards) as a reward after knocking out a trapped enemy
Warp spell gained after level 1/chapter 1 - can only warp to power/trap rooms within the castle though
Fast shops
Strafing (can also turn faster by strafing at the same time)
Odd and creepy vibes (the early 3D and the way cutscenes are done in first person gives it a fairly unique atmosphere which is like a mix between Resident Evil and a dark fantasy Dungeon Crawler)
Pretty unique premise (you were set up by your brother and is seeking help from the devil after being summoned by him to regain power)
Pretty good TD view map system (shows your location and where you've been, doors and some points of interest such as friendly NPCs and elevator rooms)
Pretty large variety of traps (gain more as you level up until level 6, then from level 13 onwards you can upgrade traps with gold)
Can examine most objects although the descriptions are overly brief
Some NPC encounters in the dungeons/levels and they tend to go about their business rather than stay in one spot
5 different kinds of masks to lure different types of enemies with (masks were later used in Zelda: OoT and MM)
Dynamic OST in that it gets more intense as enemies get closer and if you're near death
Save point item (gained from some enemies)
Option to keep hunting more enemies/bodies after a level is finished (level 2 onwards but doesn't apply to all levels)
Can talk (passively) to all enemies - can't reason with them or bribe them however
Six different endings depending on time taken vs Wizbone in level 8+two dialogue choices near the end (if you take more than 2:00 vs Wizbone in level 8 you're gonna get one of the bad endings)
+/-
Save points (one per level and between levels, only one save slot per game however)
Pretty detailed stats after each level although it's a bit annoying how quickly they scroll by+you can't skip to the summary quickly either
No traps besides Banish* that auto-trigger as an enemy passes over/next to them (having to lure one enemy at a time and trap or kill them in person by standing near the trap and looking towards it is kinda slow - more flexible in the sequel). Can instead summon monsters but you still need to get near the enemies
No block or dodge moves
Enemies can't use the magic elevators
Every enemy pauses the action and talks when they see you - cool but can also get a bit annoying
Trap dodging is also based on dice rolls - sometimes frustrating when you've spent time planning how to take out an enemy
Partial control config (three somewhat different setups; no analog support - that controller was released in 1997)
Oddly silent dialogue scenes at times (no VA or music)
Weird how merchants are both hostile and want to trade at the same time
Can eventually upgrade traps but it takes a while
Can't remove rooms from the default castle layout
Random stat gains when leveling up (1-3 points) - can also use stat increasing items
Killing enemies is easier but less rewarding than capturing them (some reviews say killing everyone is more efficient due to the time+trap success rate+genocide bonuses and you get more gold for upgraded traps which seems to have a snowball effect on going for killing all enemies - capturing only seems better to me provided you're lucky enough to have your capturing traps trigger but it is time consuming as you need to weaken the enemy and use a variety of traps), however if there are 3+ enemies at once you might want to kill some as it's less time consuming and you'll probably take less damage
No real risk of running out of MP unless you play terribly (MP works like gold - there's a growing pool of it rather than it being restored or increased only from leveling and loot)
Can kill (and lure) children - would've made sense for there to be a moral choice angle to sparing or persuading these and some other invaders affecting the endings
Your avatar can't attack directly at all (game could've partially been about trapping/hurting/confusing and then finishing off an enemy with limited direct attacks for better flow as it can be annoying when an enemy is left with a few HP and you have to go back and place more traps, then back to the enemy again)
Monsters get the exp if they kill enemies (there are six monsters that can only confuse enemies but you can't tell them to back off or desummon them)
No placeable dummies for luring some enemies away from you (Toejam & earl) while luring others towards you - masks can sometimes be used this way but it's a trial & error process that costs a bit of MP unless you check a guide
No AoE traps - monsters have some AoE attacks however
-
Some control/interface issues (can't examine traps outside of the strategy map view, can't zoom out the TD view map screen outside of when you're setting traps/rooms, strategy (includes saving) and power/trap setting rooms could've been marked on the map (can't place markers on the map), kinda slow item usage+"got an item" screens, no default action you can use (such as touching or hitting walls or enemies - see Metal Gear 2 or Flashback/Jagged Alliance) to get an enemy's attention - have to pause and use a mask which doesn't flow as well, can't tell locked and unlocked doors apart, no mini-map (means you'll have to frequently pause to see where the enemies are), can't close an opened door, the secondary map function where you hover a camera inside the current room is a bit overly limited - can't check other visited rooms while in this mode nor see traps so it won't help you align traps with enemies, )
Some trial & error (confusing block orb description - used for monster summoning, you won't know how many or which enemies are going to enter the castle during a level+what they can do (such as thieves appearing later on in level 2 and unlocking a door near the entrance (apparently this is a scripted event and other doors are unlocked as you proceed through the game) or certain enemies being good at dodging certain traps but not others that are seemingly as easy to dodge) so it can be hard to plan ahead, sometimes vague clues (key is in the den - what den?), how to spring traps on enemies, confusing success rate stat)
Pretty frequent loading times at some points (intro)+about 8 seconds of loading whenever you want to use the strategy screen or set a trap+10 seconds of loading when saving
Some plot oddities (some others were clearly there and saw that you didn't kill your father during the intro, the quest giver NPCs describes self defense as killing someone who helped you (level 1 visitor), pretty dumb messenger assassination scene in that she's obviously delivered the letter already, your brother just lets the princess go visit you on her own, Polly turning on the party in ch. 4)
Placed traps don't carry over between levels (even between the level and the optional extended "body hunt" segment before the next one)
Some tedious aspects (often overly poor enemy pathfinding (tables, even pillars) and sometimes odd enemy behavior (a thief in level 2 turned around and moved out of the room right after getting out of a pit trap as I stood in front of him - had to use a mask to get him to come back (other enemies also suddenly "forget" about your presence after chasing you for a bit and you not getting far away at all), the success rate of capturing traps is a bit too low considering how time consuming it can get to wittle an enemy down without killing it, weird how the thieves in level 2 will unlock one door but not another even after using masks to lure them to the door (apparently a scripted event), odd how there are locked doors that you can't open from either side - basically just slows gameplay down, often painfully slow hammer/fatemaker enemies, no option to choose which floor or room you start a level on (could've cost a bit of MP or money) - always start the furthest away from the enemies (strategy room) and facing away from the door for some reason)
Some traps are OP and some suck (pits have a huge hit box so you only need to get an enemy to the adjacent "tile" to hit; dizzying gas - no damage and doesn't last that long)
Pretty short draw distance although it works with the game's overall vibe
Some grammar issues and awkwardly worded sentences
If killing the last enemy ends the level you'll have to seek out the dropped gold at the beginning of the next level or body collecting session to get it - should've just been given to you automatically
Several traps that look different but function the same
Notes:
-*which you gain in the second to last level plus it only works on these enemies: Wizard, Gem Guard, Cleric, Witch, Sorcerer and Trainer
-Level 6 finished - "The door to the small upstairs room is now unlocked. After this mission, you may start taking captured victims prisoner."
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/573108-tecmos-deception-invitation-to-darkness/faqs/49725
Bugs:
-At one point in level 6 one of the small black humanoid enemies (magic doll) got stuck and wouldn't follow me - luckily I could place a magnet trap next to him which worked
Level Design-6 Frustration-7/8* Fun-6.5/5.5* Originality-7?
Overall Score-6? WIP
*Capturing everyone
+
Mixes FP view dungeon crawler RPG gameplay with trapping and strategy - Set and spring traps, build/remove rooms and hallways, capture enemies for monster creation, summon monsters to deal with enemies (a bit like Dungeon Keeper or Home Alone (MD) in a way, also kinda similar to later Tower Defense games)
Choose between gold, MP or imprisonment for later monster creation (combine captured enemies to create monsters, level 7 onwards) as a reward after knocking out a trapped enemy
Warp spell gained after level 1/chapter 1 - can only warp to power/trap rooms within the castle though
Fast shops
Strafing (can also turn faster by strafing at the same time)
Odd and creepy vibes (the early 3D and the way cutscenes are done in first person gives it a fairly unique atmosphere which is like a mix between Resident Evil and a dark fantasy Dungeon Crawler)
Pretty unique premise (you were set up by your brother and is seeking help from the devil after being summoned by him to regain power)
Pretty good TD view map system (shows your location and where you've been, doors and some points of interest such as friendly NPCs and elevator rooms)
Pretty large variety of traps (gain more as you level up until level 6, then from level 13 onwards you can upgrade traps with gold)
Can examine most objects although the descriptions are overly brief
Some NPC encounters in the dungeons/levels and they tend to go about their business rather than stay in one spot
5 different kinds of masks to lure different types of enemies with (masks were later used in Zelda: OoT and MM)
Dynamic OST in that it gets more intense as enemies get closer and if you're near death
Save point item (gained from some enemies)
Option to keep hunting more enemies/bodies after a level is finished (level 2 onwards but doesn't apply to all levels)
Can talk (passively) to all enemies - can't reason with them or bribe them however
Six different endings depending on time taken vs Wizbone in level 8+two dialogue choices near the end (if you take more than 2:00 vs Wizbone in level 8 you're gonna get one of the bad endings)
+/-
Save points (one per level and between levels, only one save slot per game however)
Pretty detailed stats after each level although it's a bit annoying how quickly they scroll by+you can't skip to the summary quickly either
No traps besides Banish* that auto-trigger as an enemy passes over/next to them (having to lure one enemy at a time and trap or kill them in person by standing near the trap and looking towards it is kinda slow - more flexible in the sequel). Can instead summon monsters but you still need to get near the enemies
No block or dodge moves
Enemies can't use the magic elevators
Every enemy pauses the action and talks when they see you - cool but can also get a bit annoying
Trap dodging is also based on dice rolls - sometimes frustrating when you've spent time planning how to take out an enemy
Partial control config (three somewhat different setups; no analog support - that controller was released in 1997)
Oddly silent dialogue scenes at times (no VA or music)
Weird how merchants are both hostile and want to trade at the same time
Can eventually upgrade traps but it takes a while
Can't remove rooms from the default castle layout
Random stat gains when leveling up (1-3 points) - can also use stat increasing items
Killing enemies is easier but less rewarding than capturing them (some reviews say killing everyone is more efficient due to the time+trap success rate+genocide bonuses and you get more gold for upgraded traps which seems to have a snowball effect on going for killing all enemies - capturing only seems better to me provided you're lucky enough to have your capturing traps trigger but it is time consuming as you need to weaken the enemy and use a variety of traps), however if there are 3+ enemies at once you might want to kill some as it's less time consuming and you'll probably take less damage
No real risk of running out of MP unless you play terribly (MP works like gold - there's a growing pool of it rather than it being restored or increased only from leveling and loot)
Can kill (and lure) children - would've made sense for there to be a moral choice angle to sparing or persuading these and some other invaders affecting the endings
Your avatar can't attack directly at all (game could've partially been about trapping/hurting/confusing and then finishing off an enemy with limited direct attacks for better flow as it can be annoying when an enemy is left with a few HP and you have to go back and place more traps, then back to the enemy again)
Monsters get the exp if they kill enemies (there are six monsters that can only confuse enemies but you can't tell them to back off or desummon them)
No placeable dummies for luring some enemies away from you (Toejam & earl) while luring others towards you - masks can sometimes be used this way but it's a trial & error process that costs a bit of MP unless you check a guide
No AoE traps - monsters have some AoE attacks however
-
Some control/interface issues (can't examine traps outside of the strategy map view, can't zoom out the TD view map screen outside of when you're setting traps/rooms, strategy (includes saving) and power/trap setting rooms could've been marked on the map (can't place markers on the map), kinda slow item usage+"got an item" screens, no default action you can use (such as touching or hitting walls or enemies - see Metal Gear 2 or Flashback/Jagged Alliance) to get an enemy's attention - have to pause and use a mask which doesn't flow as well, can't tell locked and unlocked doors apart, no mini-map (means you'll have to frequently pause to see where the enemies are), can't close an opened door, the secondary map function where you hover a camera inside the current room is a bit overly limited - can't check other visited rooms while in this mode nor see traps so it won't help you align traps with enemies, )
Some trial & error (confusing block orb description - used for monster summoning, you won't know how many or which enemies are going to enter the castle during a level+what they can do (such as thieves appearing later on in level 2 and unlocking a door near the entrance (apparently this is a scripted event and other doors are unlocked as you proceed through the game) or certain enemies being good at dodging certain traps but not others that are seemingly as easy to dodge) so it can be hard to plan ahead, sometimes vague clues (key is in the den - what den?), how to spring traps on enemies, confusing success rate stat)
Pretty frequent loading times at some points (intro)+about 8 seconds of loading whenever you want to use the strategy screen or set a trap+10 seconds of loading when saving
Some plot oddities (some others were clearly there and saw that you didn't kill your father during the intro, the quest giver NPCs describes self defense as killing someone who helped you (level 1 visitor), pretty dumb messenger assassination scene in that she's obviously delivered the letter already, your brother just lets the princess go visit you on her own, Polly turning on the party in ch. 4)
Placed traps don't carry over between levels (even between the level and the optional extended "body hunt" segment before the next one)
Some tedious aspects (often overly poor enemy pathfinding (tables, even pillars) and sometimes odd enemy behavior (a thief in level 2 turned around and moved out of the room right after getting out of a pit trap as I stood in front of him - had to use a mask to get him to come back (other enemies also suddenly "forget" about your presence after chasing you for a bit and you not getting far away at all), the success rate of capturing traps is a bit too low considering how time consuming it can get to wittle an enemy down without killing it, weird how the thieves in level 2 will unlock one door but not another even after using masks to lure them to the door (apparently a scripted event), odd how there are locked doors that you can't open from either side - basically just slows gameplay down, often painfully slow hammer/fatemaker enemies, no option to choose which floor or room you start a level on (could've cost a bit of MP or money) - always start the furthest away from the enemies (strategy room) and facing away from the door for some reason)
Some traps are OP and some suck (pits have a huge hit box so you only need to get an enemy to the adjacent "tile" to hit; dizzying gas - no damage and doesn't last that long)
Pretty short draw distance although it works with the game's overall vibe
Some grammar issues and awkwardly worded sentences
If killing the last enemy ends the level you'll have to seek out the dropped gold at the beginning of the next level or body collecting session to get it - should've just been given to you automatically
Several traps that look different but function the same
Notes:
-*which you gain in the second to last level plus it only works on these enemies: Wizard, Gem Guard, Cleric, Witch, Sorcerer and Trainer
-Level 6 finished - "The door to the small upstairs room is now unlocked. After this mission, you may start taking captured victims prisoner."
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/573108-tecmos-deception-invitation-to-darkness/faqs/49725
Bugs:
-At one point in level 6 one of the small black humanoid enemies (magic doll) got stuck and wouldn't follow me - luckily I could place a magnet trap next to him which worked