Back in the 1990s on both the Gameboy Color and the PlayStation, Konami released a title known simply as Azure Dreams. This title was based around a traveler up a monster tower who had to reach to newer heights to succeed in his goal while working with and fighting against monsters, and finding a few interesting things on the way. Around the tower was just a solitary base town where various people, standard leveling items, and other gear could be acquired. Fast forward into the next decade, and what we are presented here with is the same basic formula tossed onto the Nintendo DS using a strong emphasis on stylus control to perform most basic actions. Tao’s Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal could basically be seen as more magic based sequel to the classic Azure Dreams.

Presentation
For a time before it was known to be leaving Japanese shores Tao was known to the rest of the world as the interesting looking 3D based RPG adventure for the Nintendo DS. On the surface visually speaking the game is actually pretty interesting to say the least. On the top panel of the handheld the game has the full adventure play out in a full 3D environment. Everything from Tao, villagers, monsters, buildings and more are all full 3D models which are formed with fairly detailed designs. Within the tower where most gameplay occurs is detailed yet starkly less interesting to view. but not bad by any means either. The tower typically consists of just a platform to walk on between 3D rooms which have decent common stone like walls, but where the most detail happens are with the various enemy monsters and bosses every five floors. The spells which are cast within the game do have a decent bit of detail and lighting in some cases to them which add to an otherwise simple tower environment. On the bottom panel of the handheld it is a fully 2D affair with a minimalist approach to nearly everything that is displayed. Whether it is the menus, the map, or various books and things aside from the detailed (a few) pictures of items and things it’s fairly bland, basically functional. The most detailed bit of the 2D end of the package is the animated circular figure that appears when it’s time to draw in a figure to cast a spell and really nothing more than that.

The not so funny thing that should be said when it comes to the audio is that it is much like the visual end of the game. The audio is quite good, in parts, but like the visual end has some mighty find levels of mediocrity. When it comes down to the musical scoring of the game the first flash I come up with is that it reminds me a bit of the lighter and few heavier MIDI scores from the Nintendo 64 game Quest 64. The music is decent, not so memorable, but really does set the tone for where you are at the moment in the game. Sound effects from the game though are mostly where the hit and miss lead up was heading to. Bland would be what best comes to mind, and that followed by, "Didn’t I hear this sound in at least three other games before?" The problem here as you can probably guess is not that the sound effects are bad by any means, it’s just that they’re nothing new and feel like they came from a common sound effects file people keep for video games and movie sound effects.

Gameplay
Tao’s Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal as mentioned in the introduction of the review is much like the earlier Konami title Azure Dreams. Tao’s adventure in this game is set off by a series of events in which monsters turn nearly everyone in his home island town to stone. Protected by a spell during training with his father Tao is sent off by the four remaining unstoned villagers to Mondominio with the knowledge that the stone spell can only be broken by finding the egg of the monster that cast the spell. The town of Mondominio though will be the only place in this entire game you will end up getting to know at all as it’s the central return point and plot driving source of the game. Within town Tao will at first be a spurned traveler due to some bad history with the Bente (his people) from 50 years ago, but through his own helpful efforts, kindness, and repeat business the locals will warm up to him. The town will supply everything he needs to succeed in his adventures at the basic level, though much more will end up being acquired in the tower itself.