Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road Review

With the bombast and spectacle at E3, it’s easy to overlook some of the smaller titles. Both Lunar: Silver Star Harmony and Half-Minute Hero pleaded for attention at the XSeed booth, causing Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road to be neglected. I regretfully admit that when I heard Wizard of Oz and DS mentioned together, I mistakenly assumed that the publisher was moving into the juvenile software market.

In actuality, Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is a crossover game, with an audience that could extend from role-playing game newcomers to seasoned adventures seeking a relaxed experience. The title’s comprehensive tutorial gradually explains each component- from the game’s unique control method, to individual battle strategies. Veterans can easily skip right over each lesson, although they are concise and infrequent enough to not induce fatigue in knowledgeable role-players.

While Beyond makes use of the characters made famous by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film, as the subtitle indicates the game deviates widely from the narrative of the source material. As the story commences, Dorothy’s house is still ravaged by a tornado, which sends her traveling down the illustrious golden path. Each of her famous companions- the Strawman, Lion, and Tin Man are initially opponents, which cheerfully join the adventuring party once defeated. Once Dorothy and her new-found friends converge on the Emerald City, the game forgoes its linearity and offers an adventure with numerous junctions.

The title’s control scheme elevates Beyond above its portable RPG peers. Players move the party along the yellow brick road via a simulated trackball. By whisking the stylus across the screen, a jade sphere spins, controlling Dorothy’s direction and speed. Colliding with the side of a path slows the protagonist slightly, but fortunately doesn’t bring the Kansas native to a complete halt. While sudden directional changes can confuse Beyond’s camera, for the most part the game’s atypical control method is inspired, and helps players avoid directional pad fatigue. The title’s aversion to any standard operational input almost works- being able to change the title’s viewing perspective with the shoulder buttons would have been a valuable addition.

Beyond’s combat is both uncomplicated and habitually succinct. Players may create a line-up based on four actions for each turn. A stronger character like the Tin Man delivers powerful blows, but also demands three of the four action points, while the more delicate Dorothy takes a single point.  Each member of the Emerald City exploring entourage has a particular strength; the scarecrow is effective on sea creatures, while Dorothy brings the hurt against ghosts. For better or worse, the title’s A.I. usually analyzes each encounter for the player.

One of Beyond’s strongest components is the game’s powerful engine. As Dorothy travels down paths, she is bordered by lush flora, flowing water, and an impressive draw distance- all accompanied by a speedy framerate. As DS role-playing games go, Beyond’s level of geometry is consistently impressive; while the game’s 2D cutscene images are respectable, and reminiscent of the W.W. Denslow illustrations from the original text. Those expecting the strains of Somewhere Over the Rainbow or We’re Off to See the Wizard, may be disappointed, the game draws inspiration from the story held in public domain, rather than the copyrighted musical, meaning the familiar songs are not present. Still, the game’s post battle-fanfares are satisfyingly exuberant.