Advanced Dungeons & Dragons - Hillsfar (USA) ROM

Hillsfar is an RPG featuring multiple types of gameplay and a D&D core.

Controls were relatively simple but I felt like most of the time I was just mashing buttons until the screen changed. I'm not sure if it was the controls or the game that was so delayed.

Sound was overall good. Music was nice and sound effects were interesting...except the sound effect for running into a wall which made me want to set the game on fire.

Graphics were trying really hard but failed. The chosen colors for most things were obnoxious and the text was harmful to my eyes. The game features flashing highlighted text which was more difficult to read than helpful, making me think this is where we got the old wive's tale that video games ruin your eyes.

Gameplay was a mashup of several different almost mini-game feeling sections. You begin by creating a character in D&D style, then move to a horse-riding section, then a town exploration section, then there are several other types of gameplay like lockpicking puzzles, looting timed events, and seeking out guilds to gain quests and learn more of the story.

The horse mini-game is a real turn off for the title and feels more like sleep deprivation torture. The running is so boring and soothing with the clip clomp of hooves that you slowly nod off...and suddenly you need to jump over a hole or you die!

I really enjoyed the lockpicking because I felt like it was evolved way beyond the game's time to a very challenging timed puzzle that felt rewarding to solve. It had double-ended lockpicks as well as other options like force, spells, and item attempts to break the lock with traps on top of all that!

Looting was the most enjoyable until I couldn't stand that darn sound effect of running into walls anymore. The goal is to run through an area, grabbing as much loot out of chests as you can before the guards start to chase you. The exit is on a timer and randomly appears somewhere in the area right before the guards come in. Chests inside these areas can also be trapped, locked, or fake. There are teleports, as well. I spent the majority of my time messing around in these areas.

Overall, the game was mostly boring! Mashing my face in every direction as I explored the town, looking for new areas to loot, rinse and repeat until I was out of lockpicks and felt forced to move through the quests...which led to more horse running...which led to more boredom... I put a lot of time into this game just to feel bored by it. If you want to play a D&D game for the NES, your only good option is Pools of Radiance.