I know I've been sayin' this a lot lately with games I finish, but holy shit did this game blow my expectations out of the water. I really didn't know what to expect going in, Papa & Yo meets Legend of Zelda I guess, but I certainly didn't expect a game so compelling and so fun! Even though most of the game centers around the two main characters, they really are made out very well in the few cutscenes the game does have. The exposition before and after boss fights, as well as the almost Thief Gold-esque 2D story bits you get occasionally really put together a nice picture of the world you're in. The graphics are also bright, colorful, and look great, with only very occasionally FPS hiccups.
Most of the game is combat against the forces of darkness with the Majin. He's your constant companion and battle partner throughout the game. You can direct him with simple commands (wait, follow, attack X-enemy) to both fight and solve puzzles. The terrain occasionally makes it a bit slower for him to get around, but he does a good job keeping up with you, so it doesn't feel like you're constantly babysitting him. He does have a health bar, but it's very big. He can heal you when you're hurt, and he's healed by killing enemies. This combined with how manual Majin-healing items are common, it was enough that I never had problems with him dying. He can even revive you if you're near him when you die, although I never personally had it happen.
You slowly unlock powers he can use for both puzzles and combat, and they really feel good to throw around in combat. The feedback given when you pull off special moves, and when you execute finishers in a sort of Splatterhouse-style fashion, is great. When an enemy has been sufficiently damaged by Majin, it'll go into a stunned mode. Whack it a couple times, and you'll be able to do a special combination move depending on your positioning in relation to Majin. Killing enemies in this fashion gets you friendship-XP. This is different than the XP your hero normally gets, as while the hero's level-ups just increase his attack and health, friendship levels affect things like the speed of Majin's heals, different kinds of combo moves you can do, and how fast you build up finishers.
The puzzles are also very fun, and I'd say at least as good as your average 3D Zelda. There was more than one where I had to really think about how I was supposed to go forward, because it's fairly hard to cheat the system and just go around a puzzle. They were never horribly stumping though, and always felt fair. The puzzles were made even more fun by all of the hidden chests and power-ups throughout the world. The Majin is such a fun character, it was always exciting finding a new health or strength power-up to feed him. There are also costumes you can find, which in addition to looking cool, give passive bonuses (usually defense against a specific enemy group). I found all the collectables in the game, but I never had to use a guide to find any. Some are rather cleverly hidden, but they're always sitting in a place you could see them if you just stood in the right place.
Verdict: I know Sarge has already sung this game's praises a while back, but damn, I have to do it to. I'd say it's certainly one of the best 3D-Zelda-style games not on a Nintendo Console. Adamantly recommended to any Zelda fan looking for something a little different.
Most of the game is combat against the forces of darkness with the Majin. He's your constant companion and battle partner throughout the game. You can direct him with simple commands (wait, follow, attack X-enemy) to both fight and solve puzzles. The terrain occasionally makes it a bit slower for him to get around, but he does a good job keeping up with you, so it doesn't feel like you're constantly babysitting him. He does have a health bar, but it's very big. He can heal you when you're hurt, and he's healed by killing enemies. This combined with how manual Majin-healing items are common, it was enough that I never had problems with him dying. He can even revive you if you're near him when you die, although I never personally had it happen.
You slowly unlock powers he can use for both puzzles and combat, and they really feel good to throw around in combat. The feedback given when you pull off special moves, and when you execute finishers in a sort of Splatterhouse-style fashion, is great. When an enemy has been sufficiently damaged by Majin, it'll go into a stunned mode. Whack it a couple times, and you'll be able to do a special combination move depending on your positioning in relation to Majin. Killing enemies in this fashion gets you friendship-XP. This is different than the XP your hero normally gets, as while the hero's level-ups just increase his attack and health, friendship levels affect things like the speed of Majin's heals, different kinds of combo moves you can do, and how fast you build up finishers.
The puzzles are also very fun, and I'd say at least as good as your average 3D Zelda. There was more than one where I had to really think about how I was supposed to go forward, because it's fairly hard to cheat the system and just go around a puzzle. They were never horribly stumping though, and always felt fair. The puzzles were made even more fun by all of the hidden chests and power-ups throughout the world. The Majin is such a fun character, it was always exciting finding a new health or strength power-up to feed him. There are also costumes you can find, which in addition to looking cool, give passive bonuses (usually defense against a specific enemy group). I found all the collectables in the game, but I never had to use a guide to find any. Some are rather cleverly hidden, but they're always sitting in a place you could see them if you just stood in the right place.
Verdict: I know Sarge has already sung this game's praises a while back, but damn, I have to do it to. I'd say it's certainly one of the best 3D-Zelda-style games not on a Nintendo Console. Adamantly recommended to any Zelda fan looking for something a little different.