Pandaren Adventures by stavious

Pandaren Adventures by stavious

Updated in August 26, 2006, you wouldn’t expect much, but I was kinda shocked by the poor quality.  Though AceHart could pump out effectively simple maps.  Stavious had a tougher time polishing off this classic.

For those who don’t know what a Pandaren is, it’s that Panda race featured in Wc3.  A lot of people like the Pandarens, and this short campaign had me eager for something fun and interesting.  However, I only learned that the concept was more interesting than the actual game.  For ten minutes, I sat around and played as Storm, a Pandaren who dreams of making it big.  He collects gold coins (like Mario) and  solves puzzles (like Link in Zelda).  You may think this is a win-win situation like polygamy on Valentines day, but like polygamy, the game comes with some kinks that no one really likes.

The general plot is a bore.  Sure, it’s an adventure game, but there’s no adventure.  The maps are small, and the game just seems like a cheap puzzle rather than an epic campaign of adventures.  My favorite quests involves finding “special plants,” so Earth can make a “cool potion.”  Also, he mentions the fact that the plant only grows on a certain, dangerous island.  Maybe this is a reference to drug trafficking.

Now, while the plot may seem lame, the worst part is the controls.  You use your arrows to move your character around, which doesn’t seem so bad until he refuses to move in certain areas that you may have to get to.  I had to quit at the end of the second level.  I couldn’t afford wasting anymore time yelling at the computer.  You can see my frustration in the picture below.

As for the environment, the map is very well decorated.  Each spot on each island is unique and lively.  The waterfall is rather primitive,  yet I enjoyed it anyways.  Monsters were placed in decent locations, yet the explosions weren’t impressive at all.  A little fire shouldn’t do some of the damage that it does.  But who am I to judge?  It’s not like I speak from experience.  I am not a pyromaniac.

I give Padaren Adventures by stavious a 6 out of 12.

Keep on mappin’, Wc3 fans.