Chores
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- Author(s): MadStalker
- Categories: D-Mod, Romp
- Downloads: 650
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There are more than enough 15 minutes romps in which you have to defeat the strongest ancient the world has ever seen. Luckily 'Chores' isn't one of them. This DMOD does not try to be 'TEH BEST DMOD EVAH!', it just tries to be an enjoyable romp. And that's just what I like.
Now, if you didn't already read this in the description, 'Chores' is about doing some chores for your granny. When I downloaded it I couldn't believe such a simple story could be fun. And indeed, the tasks aren't very new or exciting. Most of these tasks can be seen in one way or another in other DMODs too. Still there is something that made me enjoy this DMOD. I guess it all boils down to style, so why did I like this DMOD's style?
Basically because this is a solid romp that does not try to be more than it is. This means that all of the quests are well scripted, the conversations are well written and the DMOD is well balanced. The fights you have to fight really have some meaning in the story and overall they looked pretty good. A great example is the fight in which you fight a duck sitting on a bonca. Nothing too complicated, but just a little cutscene that adds to a feeling of quality. Another element I really liked was the new font that this DMOD uses. Who knew that using a different font for the text could have such an impact on the style? Play this DMOD to see the proof.
Not everything in this DMOD was to my liking however. The chores you need to do for your granny can be quite tedious and involve quite a bit walking back and forth and the knights you need to fight towards the end of the DMOD are a bit repetitive. Also this DMOD seems to consist out of two parts that don't really mix together. In the first you are just doing chores for your granny, in the second you're after an evil wizard. Both parts have their merits, and I'm glad that the second part is there because it gives a sense of completion. Still it feels a bit like it was made a bit haphazardly.
So, it has a couple of downsides, but in general this is just a solid romp. So it earns a solid mark from me.
7.5
Now, if you didn't already read this in the description, 'Chores' is about doing some chores for your granny. When I downloaded it I couldn't believe such a simple story could be fun. And indeed, the tasks aren't very new or exciting. Most of these tasks can be seen in one way or another in other DMODs too. Still there is something that made me enjoy this DMOD. I guess it all boils down to style, so why did I like this DMOD's style?
Basically because this is a solid romp that does not try to be more than it is. This means that all of the quests are well scripted, the conversations are well written and the DMOD is well balanced. The fights you have to fight really have some meaning in the story and overall they looked pretty good. A great example is the fight in which you fight a duck sitting on a bonca. Nothing too complicated, but just a little cutscene that adds to a feeling of quality. Another element I really liked was the new font that this DMOD uses. Who knew that using a different font for the text could have such an impact on the style? Play this DMOD to see the proof.
Not everything in this DMOD was to my liking however. The chores you need to do for your granny can be quite tedious and involve quite a bit walking back and forth and the knights you need to fight towards the end of the DMOD are a bit repetitive. Also this DMOD seems to consist out of two parts that don't really mix together. In the first you are just doing chores for your granny, in the second you're after an evil wizard. Both parts have their merits, and I'm glad that the second part is there because it gives a sense of completion. Still it feels a bit like it was made a bit haphazardly.
So, it has a couple of downsides, but in general this is just a solid romp. So it earns a solid mark from me.
7.5
This is a short and solid romp. The only problem I felt was how slow-paced it is, especially at the beginning, and even when fighting. On the other hand, that's a part of the dmod's style. The story is almost nonexistant; you do chores, then something else suddenly happens. The quests don't connect much to each other.
The map is pretty, snowy, well-decorated and sometimes innovative. There are some funny events in the game, but the dialogue is mostly quite bland. The music fits the situation, but it's not outstanding. The quests are straightforward and easy, though I had some trouble finding one of the branches in the forest. Why do games that have a quest like this always only have the exact amount of objects you need to collect? You'd think there was plenty of wood in a forest. :Y The fights are easy and you get to heal yourself often, the only potential exception being the first bonca, if you attack him right away.
The version I am reviewing (1.1) added some cool things to the initial version. The Ronan cameo was the best part of the game, and the improved ending was hilarious. It's a cool romp to play through when you're bored, but it's not great, it doesn't stand out.
The map is pretty, snowy, well-decorated and sometimes innovative. There are some funny events in the game, but the dialogue is mostly quite bland. The music fits the situation, but it's not outstanding. The quests are straightforward and easy, though I had some trouble finding one of the branches in the forest. Why do games that have a quest like this always only have the exact amount of objects you need to collect? You'd think there was plenty of wood in a forest. :Y The fights are easy and you get to heal yourself often, the only potential exception being the first bonca, if you attack him right away.
The version I am reviewing (1.1) added some cool things to the initial version. The Ronan cameo was the best part of the game, and the improved ending was hilarious. It's a cool romp to play through when you're bored, but it's not great, it doesn't stand out.
Chores is a nice, small D-Mod. It's a bit oldskool, in that it plays like a well made romp from the late nineties. I can't really explain why that is. Maybe because in the last couple of years the quality of the D-Mods has taken a nosedive (there are exceptions, of course), and Chores is very well made.
On the other side, the game feels decidedly "newskool", because of some truly well done scripting tricks, like enemy healthbars and something cool with a pig (I'm not going to spoil it!).
The D-Mod takes place at a snowy village and Dink has to do some chores for his grandmother. This sounds a lot more boring than it really is, as most of the (later) tasks are pretty fun to do and there is some good humour to be found. It all ends pretty fast though and there is no real hook to the D-Mod.
But the standards seem to have gotten lower for Dinkers. This probably also has something to do with the surge in quality in the past years, but I just cannot give this D-Mod an 8+. It's well made, funny and practically bug-free, but it's also a bit ordinary and very small. It's a terrific romp, but only a "good" D-Mod.
GRAPHICS 7.5: Scenery looks nice, and the snow graphics have been used well. No new graphics though, and the snow graphics have some transparency problems.
SOUND 6.5: No extraordinary use of sound, but most midis do the trick. The "Krezip song" at the village gets on my nerves really fast though.
GAMEPLAY 7.5: Very well done, with some great humour and scripting. A bit too limited for my taste.
LASTING APPEAL 7: It's short, but for a romp it's above average. There is some replay value, as there are two endings.
OVERAL: 7.4 (not an average)
On the other side, the game feels decidedly "newskool", because of some truly well done scripting tricks, like enemy healthbars and something cool with a pig (I'm not going to spoil it!).
The D-Mod takes place at a snowy village and Dink has to do some chores for his grandmother. This sounds a lot more boring than it really is, as most of the (later) tasks are pretty fun to do and there is some good humour to be found. It all ends pretty fast though and there is no real hook to the D-Mod.
But the standards seem to have gotten lower for Dinkers. This probably also has something to do with the surge in quality in the past years, but I just cannot give this D-Mod an 8+. It's well made, funny and practically bug-free, but it's also a bit ordinary and very small. It's a terrific romp, but only a "good" D-Mod.
GRAPHICS 7.5: Scenery looks nice, and the snow graphics have been used well. No new graphics though, and the snow graphics have some transparency problems.
SOUND 6.5: No extraordinary use of sound, but most midis do the trick. The "Krezip song" at the village gets on my nerves really fast though.
GAMEPLAY 7.5: Very well done, with some great humour and scripting. A bit too limited for my taste.
LASTING APPEAL 7: It's short, but for a romp it's above average. There is some replay value, as there are two endings.
OVERAL: 7.4 (not an average)
Chores
This was a really enjoyable D-Mod. I didn't expect much, because it was Madstalkers first D-Mod (no offence). But I was wrong; it was the opposite - really good!
It begins a little mediocre; Dink is sent to a distant land to help his grandmother with some duties, like feeding the pigs and gather firewood etc. However all the chores are very well done and there's lot of surprises along the way such as small and cleaver encounters.
The game is set up on a small wintery island so the area isn't too big, I'd appreciated this because it made it easier to find everything (like firewood, stones, pigs and further on...). The plot is quite simple, as usual there's an evil gnome that must be stopped. I didn't mind that though, because Madstalker used it well and it worked out very nice actually. The game has some humour and you'll find yourself chuckling at some points. The environment is very well done; it has a certain atmosphere that I liked. The scripting is above average, you should expect a lot of cool stuff!
Some music were good, I liked the music in the cave and the music in the second town. Some music was annoying...
Onward to The bad part then. I thought the NPCs were uninteresting and they didn't fill any special part of the game. The dialogue wasn't the best, but then again it wasn't bad either. There weren’t any new enemies but the old ones were used nicely.
The exploring could have been better, many houses were locked (for good) and the area might have been a little too small...
I don't know what more to say really... Download it yourself and decide! I liked it very much (played it twice to see the ending special I missed the first time). It's not excellent but it isn't far from it either! I hope Madstalker will make more D-Mods because I'll look forward to it!
Score: 8.8
This was a really enjoyable D-Mod. I didn't expect much, because it was Madstalkers first D-Mod (no offence). But I was wrong; it was the opposite - really good!
It begins a little mediocre; Dink is sent to a distant land to help his grandmother with some duties, like feeding the pigs and gather firewood etc. However all the chores are very well done and there's lot of surprises along the way such as small and cleaver encounters.
The game is set up on a small wintery island so the area isn't too big, I'd appreciated this because it made it easier to find everything (like firewood, stones, pigs and further on...). The plot is quite simple, as usual there's an evil gnome that must be stopped. I didn't mind that though, because Madstalker used it well and it worked out very nice actually. The game has some humour and you'll find yourself chuckling at some points. The environment is very well done; it has a certain atmosphere that I liked. The scripting is above average, you should expect a lot of cool stuff!
Some music were good, I liked the music in the cave and the music in the second town. Some music was annoying...
Onward to The bad part then. I thought the NPCs were uninteresting and they didn't fill any special part of the game. The dialogue wasn't the best, but then again it wasn't bad either. There weren’t any new enemies but the old ones were used nicely.
The exploring could have been better, many houses were locked (for good) and the area might have been a little too small...
I don't know what more to say really... Download it yourself and decide! I liked it very much (played it twice to see the ending special I missed the first time). It's not excellent but it isn't far from it either! I hope Madstalker will make more D-Mods because I'll look forward to it!
Score: 8.8
This dmod is a short romp. Its apparently boring title belies the fun that it contains. Dink is tired (again) of being a hero, and wants a break, when he receives a letter from his granny asking for help with her chores. So he travels to a distant icy town and helps her with mundane things.
The Good:
The chores are actually quite fun to do. Lots of humour is written into this dmod. Trying to buy a sword instead of picking up granny's package gets you a funny response, for example. The guy on the docks is hilarious, as is the bonca rider. As you progress through the chores, eventually something unusual slowly emerges, and suddenly Dink has to save the world again.
The scenery is beautifully implemented, and the map has no wasted spaces. Some clever scripting is used to good effect during the short animated sequences.
The ending is funny, although a bit on the short side.
Throughout, the attention to detail and the quality of implementation is outstanding.
The Bad:
I wish this dmod had been a bit longer. The girl playing in the snow seems to promise a whole sub-quest, or at least another reference from the second part of the game, but sadly, this wasn't taken advantage of. Some of the houses could've been opened up, especially the warehouse. It could've been made optional to do something about the pig in the ice.
There are just so many little things that could be added, but weren't. The second town is just a bit too empty. There could've been a small subquest there, or even just some items or new obstacles to overcome, and it would've made the ending so much more satisfying.
Having said all that, though, this dmod is still a good half hour's fun. Highly recommended.
The Good:
The chores are actually quite fun to do. Lots of humour is written into this dmod. Trying to buy a sword instead of picking up granny's package gets you a funny response, for example. The guy on the docks is hilarious, as is the bonca rider. As you progress through the chores, eventually something unusual slowly emerges, and suddenly Dink has to save the world again.
The scenery is beautifully implemented, and the map has no wasted spaces. Some clever scripting is used to good effect during the short animated sequences.
The ending is funny, although a bit on the short side.
Throughout, the attention to detail and the quality of implementation is outstanding.
The Bad:
I wish this dmod had been a bit longer. The girl playing in the snow seems to promise a whole sub-quest, or at least another reference from the second part of the game, but sadly, this wasn't taken advantage of. Some of the houses could've been opened up, especially the warehouse. It could've been made optional to do something about the pig in the ice.
There are just so many little things that could be added, but weren't. The second town is just a bit too empty. There could've been a small subquest there, or even just some items or new obstacles to overcome, and it would've made the ending so much more satisfying.
Having said all that, though, this dmod is still a good half hour's fun. Highly recommended.
This D-Mod has everything I enjoy playing in games. It's a step towards bringing back good D-Mods, and it executes everything very well.
Sound:
I thought the sound fit the situations very nicely, though sometimes the music did get a bit boring. +1
Graphics:
Not having any new graphics isn't a bad thing, it's actually harder to pull off a good story without using new graphics to help with what you're going for. +2
Story:
You have to go help your poor old granny with some chores.
I thought the story was very original. And having to feed the pigs twice??? That's something new.
+3
Gameplay:
The fighting was well balanced, the chores were easy if you tried hard enough, and the humor was very good. +3
Overall, 9.0, a very good D-Mod
Sound:
I thought the sound fit the situations very nicely, though sometimes the music did get a bit boring. +1
Graphics:
Not having any new graphics isn't a bad thing, it's actually harder to pull off a good story without using new graphics to help with what you're going for. +2
Story:
You have to go help your poor old granny with some chores.
I thought the story was very original. And having to feed the pigs twice??? That's something new.
+3Gameplay:
The fighting was well balanced, the chores were easy if you tried hard enough, and the humor was very good. +3
Overall, 9.0, a very good D-Mod
This is a great DMOD for a beginning dinker, and I really enjoyed playing it.
You land in a small wintery village, where you have to do some chores for you old granny. Boooring, you might think, but they're actually real fun to do, and all have a different approach for getting the job done. And just when you thought doing some chores was all it took, you have to save the day as well. Ah, some good ol' savin' them day. As Marpro said, because the village is so small, you find your way around easily, which is defenitely a good thing.
No new graphics, but that doesn't matter much, since the old graphics are used very well! Music could be better though, the main theme is getting really annoying after a while. Who listens to Krezip anyway?
The ending was nicely done, with the seperate endings, which makes the game more itneresting. Overall, the game is pretty funny (I really liked the dock cleaner )!
Guess that's it
I thought it was cool. If you just want to play for a short period, your time is well spent with this DMod
You land in a small wintery village, where you have to do some chores for you old granny. Boooring, you might think, but they're actually real fun to do, and all have a different approach for getting the job done. And just when you thought doing some chores was all it took, you have to save the day as well. Ah, some good ol' savin' them day. As Marpro said, because the village is so small, you find your way around easily, which is defenitely a good thing.
No new graphics, but that doesn't matter much, since the old graphics are used very well! Music could be better though, the main theme is getting really annoying after a while. Who listens to Krezip anyway?
The ending was nicely done, with the seperate endings, which makes the game more itneresting. Overall, the game is pretty funny (I really liked the dock cleaner
)!Guess that's it
I thought it was cool. If you just want to play for a short period, your time is well spent with this DMod 
Despite my title, this game was not boring at all. Sure you are sent to a distant isle of snow to help with some pointless chores, but this game was somehow very enjoyable. The addition of the duck riding the bonca was very comical. In fact, this game overall did have the feel of comedic brilliance. My only complaint, really was the ending, which was very quickly scripted and dissapointing. If I could give this d-mod a 10, I would, but by the looks of it, I cant.
Overall I give the story: 10/10.
Next up, the graphics. I really enjoyed the snowy landscape. It was so well done, I thought at some points I could be playing an Elder Scrolls game. I found that there was a lot of new a beautifully done graphics which must have taken a long time to perfect. Madstalker did a great job on this mod. I STILL would give this mod 10/10 if it was possible. Keep up the good work, Madstalker!!
Overall I give the graphics: 10/10.
Lastly is the sound, which went really well with everything in the game: The music, and the sound all around. Hey, it rhymed. Anyways I think the timing for each and every sound was fit for the moment, and I would definitely play this game over and over for that reason. In fact, I'm going to play this one more time after I'm done typing this review.
Overall I give the sound: 10/10!!
Wow, my first review where i gave the game all 10s. The reasons make sense that this game deserves them. This d-mod was very well written and ran smoothly with no errors.
Overall I give the story: 10/10.
Next up, the graphics. I really enjoyed the snowy landscape. It was so well done, I thought at some points I could be playing an Elder Scrolls game. I found that there was a lot of new a beautifully done graphics which must have taken a long time to perfect. Madstalker did a great job on this mod. I STILL would give this mod 10/10 if it was possible. Keep up the good work, Madstalker!!
Overall I give the graphics: 10/10.
Lastly is the sound, which went really well with everything in the game: The music, and the sound all around. Hey, it rhymed. Anyways I think the timing for each and every sound was fit for the moment, and I would definitely play this game over and over for that reason. In fact, I'm going to play this one more time after I'm done typing this review.
Overall I give the sound: 10/10!!
Wow, my first review where i gave the game all 10s. The reasons make sense that this game deserves them. This d-mod was very well written and ran smoothly with no errors.
