Review: Code Of Princess (Import)

Code Of Princess
3DS
RRP: US$39.99
ESRB: T
Currently unavailable in PAL region

 Sometimes in Australia, we miss out on games for the most bullshit reasons. Whether it's not profitable or Europe never localised it or my favourite... there is no audience for it. There are plenty of excuses that have been used. This bullshit has lead me to import a U.S. version 3DS out of self defense since Nintendo region locked the damn thing. I highly recommend more people in the PAL region do the same to protest against Nintendo and wake them up to their stupidity before piracy and homebrewing go into overdrive.

Anyway, having a U.S. 3DS has given me the opportunity to play a game that may never make it to Australia and is on my review chopping block. Is it good? Is it worth having a U.S. 3DS? Well keep reading to find out... or just scroll to the score and be off with you.


Code of Princess has a strange story... not strange as in "weird" but strange in the fact it's broken into bite size portion before quests. The story itself has you following the Princess of DeLuxia Solange(it's French pronounced) as she protects the magical sword called Deluxcalibur from the evil Queen Distiny's army because of the swords power to change the world. Along the way you meet a few characters and yada yada yada. The story isn't really too serious and the game doesn't treat it too seriously either. It's a good story mind you but it's kinda forgettable and silly.

The game is a side scrolling action game with a leveling system... idiots would call this an Action RPG but the only RPG element in the game is the leveling system and nothing else. I'd say this game is more of a mission based beat 'em up. The game is supposedly similar to a game called "Guardian Heroes" but I've never played it so I can't make the comparison myself, just read it somewhere.

The controls are pretty simple to learn and the game features a tutorial video mode to teach you if you aren't from the Stone age or forgot what an instruction manual is for. Basically you have 2 types of attacks, lock on attack, guard and a "burst" mode to power up attacks. You fight on different plains... I think that's what they're called, pretty much straight lines you can fight on and switch between.

Combat itself in the game reminds me of Dungeon Fighter(I reviewed it a while back) where in you had special moves that were used by inputting a specific series of d-pad presses and an attack button. There's also a "Burst" that drains your MP(called Piety here) to double the strength of you attacks. It's actually pretty fun to play with this combat system since it's hardly been used and with most games playing and looking the same as other AAA titles, it's nice to have something rare and different used.

Worst armor choice EVER! Just underwear and small pieces of metal to cover nipples.

The game is broken into missions/quests, each with a portion of the story to frame the mission in question. The quests aren't really even quests when you get down to it. They are just kill whatever is on screen until the game says your done, beat a boss or protect a suicidal A.I character that 9 times out of 10 will kill itself by getting in the way. There are also bonus quest that get unlocked from playing through the main story and some online quest to make life miserable for those of us who despise online multiplayer and completionists. You can also replay story mission in Free Play and not have to put up with the story again.

The box boast 50+ characters... they weren't kidding! See the 50+ characters are just the 4 main characters, a few story characters and EVERY NPC AND MONSTER IN THE GAME! There's also over 100 quest in single player and a lot more that are ONLINE ONLY! That actually pisses me off. Since most of the quests are just kill stuff before time runs out, they just start to blend into one another... but are strangely addictive, mainly due to cash and item rewards.

As mentioned earlier the game has a leveling system. You earn XP after completing each mission and each one gives you a specific amount of XP, regardless of how many enemies you kill.When you level up you earn stat points that can be used to suit the characters or as you see fit. Along with the leveling system you find gold and items in quests and you earn them from completing them too. You can equip the items to increase or decrease stats and add abilities to give you an edge in certain missions or when you use "Burst".

Believe it or not... that's a girl!

 The game does feature some online modes. There are Co Op quests for 2 to 4 players and some specifically for 2 or 3 players only. These will earn you more XP, gold and items... that can only be earned here... which sucks! There is a few online Vs modes where you just fight other players with characters you've unlocked in 3 different lobbies. Ranked which is self explanatory, free play and Ultimate which is your level Vs the opponents level. These modes are plagued with a common problem all multiplayer games have... balance issues! Some characters are overpowered or have unfair attacks that can attack from anywhere, regardless of plain or direction they're facing... I hate these modes! Personally since I live in Australia, the connections were always laggy as hell and it's also hard to keep a stable connection... probably because the internet in the U.S. isn't as good as it should be, you guys in the U.S.A should get on your ISP's cases about that.

You can play as a senile old woman... trust me, she's senile! Play the 2P co op online mission "Undead Assault".

There are some achievements in the game to earn... but you can't find them to see what you've earned and could earn. This wouldn't be an issue if the game didn't reward you with items from them! I enjoy the fact they give you something, but I'd like to know what I have and haven't unlocked. Also achievements suck!

Code of Princess is a mixed bag. The gameplay is well done, but the mission structure of the game makes combat too short to really enjoy unless your a low level or play for long periods of time. The 50+ characters is just an advertising blurb just to draw attention but ultimate only offers a small portion of worth while characters and only 4 can be used in the story campaign. Admittedly this game is addictive! Between that urge to level up every character or to complete just one more quest after finishing the last "one more quest", it just sucks you in. I highly recommend the game for those of you who own a U.S. 3DS or if you are actually from North America. Sure the online only quests and the uncheckable achievements damper the experience a little but it's still a great game overall

Score 4/5