Anonymous Notes From the Abyss Chapters 1 to 2

The problem with Nintendo's newest console, the 2012 Wii U, is the balancing act that Nintendo itself doesn't realize is coming. They're out to pursue the core gamers with their long overdue entry into the next gen cycle... but they need to leave a place for the casual gamer... which seems to be assured with first gen games like Pikman 3 and LEGO City Stories (seemingly a tongue in cheek parody of the Grand Theft Auto Stories franchise for the PSP).

But while we wait what is the latest entry into the vast scape that is bridging the gap between the casual gamer and the core gamer? It might be this, Anonymous Notes From The Abyss Chapter 1 to 2... almost, but not quite.

Split into bite sized real time combat RPGs, you play a different person each chapter, discovering the Abyss Hall for whatever reason depending on each character in question.

The dungeon diving is bite sized. X amount of exploring and creatures to fight. You gather gear, potions, gems and spells which carry over to the next chapter. Your ultimate goal is to uncover the boss of the Chapter, beat it, and then wait for the next chapter.

Story? Barely. You interact, barely, with the female guardian of the Abyss Hall who stores your extra gear (the only way to rid yourself of weaker gear as the game doesn't have a store to buy and sell stuff in) and she saves your game. That's it.

Could this game be better? Yes. It could stand a shop so you can sell weak gear you don't need, and the fame could stand to have free downloadable content to give the game a little distance between chapters. Then again this is a $2 a pop download game so I guess it is too much to ask for free dlc... sigh.

So this small bite of rpging is great for casual gamers... but unless your a fan of the From the Abyss series this might not be the greatest for core gamers... well, at least it is one more game to slowly seduce casual gamers into core gamers. Too bad though. While a great many games exist to gradually turn casual gamers to core gamers, only a few games (Professor Layton, Ace Attorney, Pikman, Mario Party and Mario Kart, etc) brings core gamers into the realm of casual gaming... sad. Anyway Anonymous Notes gets a 3 out of 5.