All parts of this game intertwine in a way that's amazing. The atmosphere fits, the art style fits, the music fits, the level design and progression build a great base and the movement ties it all together.
You can access almost every extra area early if you are good enough at the movement. I would spend an hour trying to get a cosmetic and then find out later that there was an unlock that made that cosmetic infinitely easier to get, but it didn't even make me mad.
The time trial crystals were so well mapped out, some required you to do movements that a non-indie game would never have their players think of let alone do. Including jumping off the map on purpose to respawn in a place that gets you to your next crystal faster.
There's never one beaten path to follow on how to get where you want, there are always endless ways you can use the movement system to get where you want.
I couldn't give an analysis on the atmosphere of the game in this kind of review but it really makes the game a unique experience. I know I'll definitely come back to this one some day with a random craving.
You can access almost every extra area early if you are good enough at the movement. I would spend an hour trying to get a cosmetic and then find out later that there was an unlock that made that cosmetic infinitely easier to get, but it didn't even make me mad.
The time trial crystals were so well mapped out, some required you to do movements that a non-indie game would never have their players think of let alone do. Including jumping off the map on purpose to respawn in a place that gets you to your next crystal faster.
There's never one beaten path to follow on how to get where you want, there are always endless ways you can use the movement system to get where you want.
I couldn't give an analysis on the atmosphere of the game in this kind of review but it really makes the game a unique experience. I know I'll definitely come back to this one some day with a random craving.
The movement. THE MOVEMENT. Very excited to see how this is followed up as the level design can leave a bit to be desired, but I also appreciate how there is never a cut and dry method to getting through any area. It gives you this excellent movement system and mostly lets you run wild. I think the combat needs some work too, but again...THE MOVEMENT. Awesome game, gimme the sequel.
Pseudoregalia is a 3D platformer/Metroidvania hybrid. As a lover of both genres, it was only a matter of time before I checked this out. So, does it live up to the hype?
Yes and no. The game’s greatest strength is the sublime movement. Most of Sybil’s abilities are platforming staples, such as a slide, long jump, spring jump, somersault, and wall kick. The uniqueness comes from how deliberate everything feels. Actions need to be carefully planned and executed to progress. The long jump, for example, is fully committal. Unlike Mario Odyssey, you can’t make minute adjustments during the jump. The wall kick is similar. Only three are allowed per jump and the angle of the kick affects Sybil’s trajectory. When combined with other moves, there’s rarely one specific method for reaching your destination. Mario Sunshine has long been my gold standard for 3D movement, and Pseudoregalia is the closest anything has come to rivaling its fluidity and technicality in my experience. Doubly impressive for something developed in just four months.
That being said, I frequently wasn’t enjoying the experience on a moment-to-moment basis. Part of that is the exccedingly simple combat. I’m not inherently opposed to its inclusion, and fighting thankfully doesn’t halt your momentum, but there’s absolutely no reason to fight anything unless you’re desperate for health, something that checkpoints also restore. Enemies in Castle Sansa are few and far between, none of which remotely pose a threat aside from two mandatory bosses. It’s far easier to dodge enemies in 3D than in 2D, a fact made all the stronger by Sybil’s slide and general platforming prowess. A game like Ori and the Blind Forest, which also had a simple combat system alongside acrobatic platforming, often put enemies in the middle of spike mazes to challenge the player. Killing them not only granted XP, but could be dealt with in different ways beyond the default homing attack, such as reflecting projectiles back at them with Bash. With Sybil, you’re hacking everything with the same three-hit combo until it dies. I also need to mention the subpar feedback. When fighting the first boss, I couldn’t tell if I was damaging him since enemy health is never shown and he wasn’t visibly reacting to any of my swings. After I beat him by surprise, I saw every enemy lacked hit reactions, so I got used to it, but it’s not up to the standard of the platforming feedback. The health upgrades also let you ignore combat even more, so it really feels half-baked.
Not so ignorable is the world design. Individual rooms of the castle utilize Sybil’s abilities fantastically, but backtracking through them to find the next key or upgrade is a slog. I played after a map was added in an update, and I still got lost for hours. It doesn’t display Sybil’s exact position, where locked doors are located, or let you examine areas outside of your current location. I would accept these omissions if so many rooms didn’t feel the same. They are distinct in layout to an extent, but when looking at them together, most rooms are small, boxy corridors devoid of personality. As charming as the low-poly N64 visuals can be, they are too homogeneous to support large-scale exploration like this. A good counterexample is Hazy Maze Cave from Mario 64, which is about half the size of most areas in Castle Sansa. Not only were there wall maps to assist lost players, but also memorable setpieces for specific challenges. You might get lost there for a few minutes at most, whereas the castle can mislead you for a few hours before progress is made. The movement tech is also so advanced that you might be unsure whether you are capable of reaching new rooms yet. The game demands near-total mastery of the controls to reach the end, so discovering you actually can’t yet overcome an obstacle in this labyrinth of a castle is highly deflating.
As a Metroidvania, Pseudoregalia falls flat. As a platformer, however, it is outstanding. If rittzler’s next game has similarly satisfying movement tech, it will be fun. I just want a less dubious structure.
Yes and no. The game’s greatest strength is the sublime movement. Most of Sybil’s abilities are platforming staples, such as a slide, long jump, spring jump, somersault, and wall kick. The uniqueness comes from how deliberate everything feels. Actions need to be carefully planned and executed to progress. The long jump, for example, is fully committal. Unlike Mario Odyssey, you can’t make minute adjustments during the jump. The wall kick is similar. Only three are allowed per jump and the angle of the kick affects Sybil’s trajectory. When combined with other moves, there’s rarely one specific method for reaching your destination. Mario Sunshine has long been my gold standard for 3D movement, and Pseudoregalia is the closest anything has come to rivaling its fluidity and technicality in my experience. Doubly impressive for something developed in just four months.
That being said, I frequently wasn’t enjoying the experience on a moment-to-moment basis. Part of that is the exccedingly simple combat. I’m not inherently opposed to its inclusion, and fighting thankfully doesn’t halt your momentum, but there’s absolutely no reason to fight anything unless you’re desperate for health, something that checkpoints also restore. Enemies in Castle Sansa are few and far between, none of which remotely pose a threat aside from two mandatory bosses. It’s far easier to dodge enemies in 3D than in 2D, a fact made all the stronger by Sybil’s slide and general platforming prowess. A game like Ori and the Blind Forest, which also had a simple combat system alongside acrobatic platforming, often put enemies in the middle of spike mazes to challenge the player. Killing them not only granted XP, but could be dealt with in different ways beyond the default homing attack, such as reflecting projectiles back at them with Bash. With Sybil, you’re hacking everything with the same three-hit combo until it dies. I also need to mention the subpar feedback. When fighting the first boss, I couldn’t tell if I was damaging him since enemy health is never shown and he wasn’t visibly reacting to any of my swings. After I beat him by surprise, I saw every enemy lacked hit reactions, so I got used to it, but it’s not up to the standard of the platforming feedback. The health upgrades also let you ignore combat even more, so it really feels half-baked.
Not so ignorable is the world design. Individual rooms of the castle utilize Sybil’s abilities fantastically, but backtracking through them to find the next key or upgrade is a slog. I played after a map was added in an update, and I still got lost for hours. It doesn’t display Sybil’s exact position, where locked doors are located, or let you examine areas outside of your current location. I would accept these omissions if so many rooms didn’t feel the same. They are distinct in layout to an extent, but when looking at them together, most rooms are small, boxy corridors devoid of personality. As charming as the low-poly N64 visuals can be, they are too homogeneous to support large-scale exploration like this. A good counterexample is Hazy Maze Cave from Mario 64, which is about half the size of most areas in Castle Sansa. Not only were there wall maps to assist lost players, but also memorable setpieces for specific challenges. You might get lost there for a few minutes at most, whereas the castle can mislead you for a few hours before progress is made. The movement tech is also so advanced that you might be unsure whether you are capable of reaching new rooms yet. The game demands near-total mastery of the controls to reach the end, so discovering you actually can’t yet overcome an obstacle in this labyrinth of a castle is highly deflating.
As a Metroidvania, Pseudoregalia falls flat. As a platformer, however, it is outstanding. If rittzler’s next game has similarly satisfying movement tech, it will be fun. I just want a less dubious structure.
Movement is amazing but not explored enough.
The game is about the sick movement mechanics it has but it takes too long to get all the movement skills and there's few platforming sections that actually uses 100% of it. The graphics are nice, if you are a furry you're to love it and if you aren't you can give Sybil pants (lowkey genius).
The game is about the sick movement mechanics it has but it takes too long to get all the movement skills and there's few platforming sections that actually uses 100% of it. The graphics are nice, if you are a furry you're to love it and if you aren't you can give Sybil pants (lowkey genius).
Never level design felt so real
A metroidvania with the movement of a 3D collect-a-thon game, is a combo im really surprised ive not seen before. Combined with its N64 inspired visuals and music, just make for some great vibes.
The slow buildup to unlocking each movement ability, is great as it pushes you to experiment with each individual power to explore further. The abilities themselves feel so good to use especially once you have them all together; the game feel is really on point.
The areas themselves can definitely be a bit barren, especially when backtracking through them, since there isnt a ton to find outside of your main abilities. The combat ended up feeling very underutilized, since it leads you to believe there will be more after having you fight a boss in the starting area. Except y dont end up fighting a whole lot other than regular enemies for most of the game, but this isnt too major of an issue since the core gameplay of movement/exploration does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Also the main character is so cute, and you can get snazzy outfits for her.
Really tempted to score this higher because it ticks so many of the boxes for what i love in a game, however i dont think it quite hits the level of greatness i want it to see.
The slow buildup to unlocking each movement ability, is great as it pushes you to experiment with each individual power to explore further. The abilities themselves feel so good to use especially once you have them all together; the game feel is really on point.
The areas themselves can definitely be a bit barren, especially when backtracking through them, since there isnt a ton to find outside of your main abilities. The combat ended up feeling very underutilized, since it leads you to believe there will be more after having you fight a boss in the starting area. Except y dont end up fighting a whole lot other than regular enemies for most of the game, but this isnt too major of an issue since the core gameplay of movement/exploration does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Also the main character is so cute, and you can get snazzy outfits for her.
Really tempted to score this higher because it ticks so many of the boxes for what i love in a game, however i dont think it quite hits the level of greatness i want it to see.
Pseudoregalia is exactly what I expected: a short and satisfying platformer. The game does not hold your hand at all, which can be a little infuriating at times when navigating the giant world trying to discern collectables from key items. Additionally, enemy variety is extremely low. The final boss is quite fun, though.
The visuals and music are nothing too special, but fitting for a tight platformer like this. I'm glad the developers focused on providing a great movement and ability system instead of focusing on visuals. And that is exactly how I will remember it: a fun 3D platformer.
The visuals and music are nothing too special, but fitting for a tight platformer like this. I'm glad the developers focused on providing a great movement and ability system instead of focusing on visuals. And that is exactly how I will remember it: a fun 3D platformer.
Best movement in platforming since Celeste.
I was completely lost in that castle from the very beginning and (mostly) up until the very end.
I was so invested in exploring it I finished Pseudoregalia in one day. So yeah... It is worth it <3
I was so invested in exploring it I finished Pseudoregalia in one day. So yeah... It is worth it <3
1. Very elegant. Movement feels perfect, it has the perfect amount of depth, levels perfectly balance efficient teaching and satisfying execution. Platforming across the board feels so polished, despite the short development time.
2. In comparison, the combat didn't feel polished at all. Your moveset just isn't made for combat encounters - or, at least, these combat encounters. I was grateful there were only the two boss fights; both feel sluggish, end abruptly, and don't match the rest of the game. I did have more fun with the second boss, which you'll have a complete moveset for.
3. Splitting levels into collections of rooms was a good choice. Most 3D platformers with large open levels have a feeling of emptiness, which isn't always a bad feeling, but comes across as wasteful. Pseudoregalia feels more cohesive by comparison.
4. Implementation was noticeably glitchy, but the map was really appreciated. It let me explore and feel lost, the main feeling of Pseudoregalia. I've always loved getting lost in a world until I understand it's structure completely, and this nails that.
2. In comparison, the combat didn't feel polished at all. Your moveset just isn't made for combat encounters - or, at least, these combat encounters. I was grateful there were only the two boss fights; both feel sluggish, end abruptly, and don't match the rest of the game. I did have more fun with the second boss, which you'll have a complete moveset for.
3. Splitting levels into collections of rooms was a good choice. Most 3D platformers with large open levels have a feeling of emptiness, which isn't always a bad feeling, but comes across as wasteful. Pseudoregalia feels more cohesive by comparison.
4. Implementation was noticeably glitchy, but the map was really appreciated. It let me explore and feel lost, the main feeling of Pseudoregalia. I've always loved getting lost in a world until I understand it's structure completely, and this nails that.
hard to think of a game in recent memory where exploring strange places, subsequently getting lost and doing lost of trial & error... slowly getting a sense of place... and then finally figuring out how to get on top of what seemed like an impossible platform felt more rewarding. its movement tech philosophy one where abilities are not strictly a restriction of what you can do, but serve as an ease of traversal.
loved the score, too. excited for what the devs do next!
loved the score, too. excited for what the devs do next!
satisfying controls that make the game really fun to just toy with, wish it was a bit longer also soundtrack is a bit dull but otherwise pretty awesomesauce. also sybil makes the corys of the world drool
No game has done as much damage to the perception I have of my tastes than Hollow Knight. Such a woefully disappointing time with a game heralded as the pinnacle of metroidvanias left me with a blanket cynicism towards the genre. Bit by bit, however, my affliction has been cured by playing a series of incredible metroidvanias. Pseudoregalia is the latest of said games.
The movement is smooth and nimble. You can get so damn fancy with it. Every move has 20 different applications, each one chaining into another. It is so fancy in fact, one might accidentally convince one's self they are gliding amongst the ballroom of a royal manor. Though, you must remind yourself that you are instead playing a furry videogame.
Pseudoregalia’s second most impressive feat is its conviction to its visual cohesion. Every single asset, sound and animation are perfectly designed. The result is a perfect modernisation of the style it takes unapologetic inspiration from. I dream of a world where there exists a version of every N64 game that looks and runs like this game. Or at least just Ocarina of Time. Please just make 60fps Ocarina of time. I will do whatever you want.
So yeah anyway this game rules.
The movement is smooth and nimble. You can get so damn fancy with it. Every move has 20 different applications, each one chaining into another. It is so fancy in fact, one might accidentally convince one's self they are gliding amongst the ballroom of a royal manor. Though, you must remind yourself that you are instead playing a furry videogame.
Pseudoregalia’s second most impressive feat is its conviction to its visual cohesion. Every single asset, sound and animation are perfectly designed. The result is a perfect modernisation of the style it takes unapologetic inspiration from. I dream of a world where there exists a version of every N64 game that looks and runs like this game. Or at least just Ocarina of Time. Please just make 60fps Ocarina of time. I will do whatever you want.
So yeah anyway this game rules.
Very cool little game, starts a bit slow but ramps up when you get wall jump. Movement is very satisfying!!!
Some of the best schmoovement in a 3D platformer. The wall jump system is probably my favourite in any 3D platformer, and the camera is simple but extremely effective. Gives a great sense of freedom to explore and to use your tools to go places without the "needed" abilities. The movement has enough depth to let you learn things about it and have those "Aha!" moments when everything comes together to complete an "unintended" platforming sequence that you once were afraid might be impossible.
The early game doesn't do a great job of showing off the games strengths but it doesn't take too long before the game gets going and lets you get into the fun.
Make sure to keep mental tabs on how you get from place to place because there's no map [SINCE I ORIGINALLY WROTE THIS REVIEW THEY HAVE ADDED A MAP] and the environment design within areas can get pretty homogeneous.
The early game doesn't do a great job of showing off the games strengths but it doesn't take too long before the game gets going and lets you get into the fun.
Make sure to keep mental tabs on how you get from place to place because there's no map [SINCE I ORIGINALLY WROTE THIS REVIEW THEY HAVE ADDED A MAP] and the environment design within areas can get pretty homogeneous.
As someone who is not familiar with the entirety of the Metroidvania genre, but my favorite game being Megaman ZX I have little to say about that aspect of the game. This game gets most of its praise from the movement alone, and holy shit i agree. It felt insanely fluid and fun playing as sybil and getting more and more of my movement options. What I don't see a lot of talk about is the music. The score is insanely good with there only being a handful of track in the entire game. The final boss theme, Twilight Theatre, and Dilapidated Dungeon just to name a few. This game is fun and would feel like a great way to get into the metroidvania genre.
plus sybil is hot so i can't complain dawg.
plus sybil is hot so i can't complain dawg.
Gracias, señora cabra-conejito-gato.
A fun throwback to 3D platformers of old, with a modern twist, of course. The barren maze-like world had some strong Team Ico vibes, which I enjoy immensely. Maybe the combat is a bit understated, but it still sticks the landing. Also, Sybil has a big ass.
... I might've got lost a couple of times. Oh, and I did the majority of platforming challenges without the Cling Gem because I saved Tower Remains for last. The air kick is excellent in this game!
I love early 3d and how it can be used to create special spaces with special atmosphere. Liminal, empty, dreamy, mysterious, etc etc. This game sometimes gets there. Absolutely loved a few of such spaces here, especially the Underbelly. But most of the castle is unfortunately not very interesting visually.
The platforming became satisfying once I collected all the necessary abilities, before that it would get extremely frustrating at times (library time trial looking at you). The most satisfying moment for me was figuring out the strategy for the Empty Bailey time trial, that location is extremely fun to navigate.
In some other places though navigation was the worst part of the game for me. Out of 11 hours of my playtime I spent maybe 3 wandering aimlessly. Getting stuck in the depths of Underbelly because I didn't have the necessary abilities and having to backtrack all the way to a different location (which was itself pretty hard to do, some ways would be blocked, some others inaccessible) made me think to myself that I actually hated this game. But getting over this bumpy part of the journey and learning some important jumping techniques thanks to the internet made my enjoyment of this go back and way up. One other thing that really annoyed me was some bug with the menu where it wouldn't go away when returning to the game. I had to go to the closest save point and restart it.
I didn't 100% the game, some time trials seemed too hard for me to be worth it. But in the end I was very satisfied with how much I accomplished.
And it goes without saying but I will still say it - incredible protagonist design and great animations.
Sleepytime and Guardian are the best outfits btw
The platforming became satisfying once I collected all the necessary abilities, before that it would get extremely frustrating at times (library time trial looking at you). The most satisfying moment for me was figuring out the strategy for the Empty Bailey time trial, that location is extremely fun to navigate.
In some other places though navigation was the worst part of the game for me. Out of 11 hours of my playtime I spent maybe 3 wandering aimlessly. Getting stuck in the depths of Underbelly because I didn't have the necessary abilities and having to backtrack all the way to a different location (which was itself pretty hard to do, some ways would be blocked, some others inaccessible) made me think to myself that I actually hated this game. But getting over this bumpy part of the journey and learning some important jumping techniques thanks to the internet made my enjoyment of this go back and way up. One other thing that really annoyed me was some bug with the menu where it wouldn't go away when returning to the game. I had to go to the closest save point and restart it.
I didn't 100% the game, some time trials seemed too hard for me to be worth it. But in the end I was very satisfied with how much I accomplished.
And it goes without saying but I will still say it - incredible protagonist design and great animations.
Sleepytime and Guardian are the best outfits btw
There were things about this game I really liked, and there were things that I didn't - and I'm not sure how much of that was a skill issue on my part, which makes it hard to review Pseudoregalia
When you know you're making progress, the game is fantastic - the movement (generally) flows extremely well, with a ton of hidden techs to find. Realizing you can bunnyhop for extra speed was super cool. Unlike other metroidvanias, there's not many unlockables and most of the ones you get are movement based, meaning it's often up to player skill to get to new areas. And this can be absolutely enthralling as you grab a ledge that feels inaccessible, or just about make a wall jump
Unfortunately, I also struggled with progression a few times and knowing where to go, which slowed things down for me a lot. More towards the first half of the game, it sometimes wasn't clear if an area was inaccessible because I didn't have the right thing, or if I wasn't good enough at the movement yet and just hadn't hit the right angle. There was one powerup (a very important one might I add) that I could've collected hours earlier than I did, but I got to its location very early in the game, couldn't see a way to progress and then didn't think to go back to until much later
Basically, my playtime of Pseudoregalia went like this: I was really enjoying the game, then spent 1-2 hours lost and unsure where to go, then started making progress again and had a great time until credits were hit. That lull in the middle definitely dampened things for me, but as I said, it's kinda hard to guage if it was a skill issue on my part, versus the game itself having flaws
The world - which feels both very big and very small - being a bit confusing to navigate doesn't help, which it seems a lot of players struggled with. Although I'm grateful there IS an ingame map, as there wasn't one at all when the game launched, it's pretty basic. I would've liked to have seen where Sybil was on it, rather than just highlighting the room you're in, because I sometimes had to keep checking it to align myself. Also the bottom/top half of the map would get cut off my screen quite often lol
Also one thing I do wanna say - I found the wall jumping/kick ability a big slippery at times. Only after I beat the game did I learn from a Steam review that was also frustrated by this, that you can cancel it early by attacking. I wish the game had told me this in the ability's description, as it would've prevented almost every frustration I had with the movement. There were also moments where Sybil would not grab onto walls to do the wall slide and I wasn't sure why :(
As for plot/story/lore, there isn't a whole lot and what there is is quite cryptic so all I'll say is, I love Sybil's design and I'm never beating the furry allegations
When you know you're making progress, the game is fantastic - the movement (generally) flows extremely well, with a ton of hidden techs to find. Realizing you can bunnyhop for extra speed was super cool. Unlike other metroidvanias, there's not many unlockables and most of the ones you get are movement based, meaning it's often up to player skill to get to new areas. And this can be absolutely enthralling as you grab a ledge that feels inaccessible, or just about make a wall jump
Unfortunately, I also struggled with progression a few times and knowing where to go, which slowed things down for me a lot. More towards the first half of the game, it sometimes wasn't clear if an area was inaccessible because I didn't have the right thing, or if I wasn't good enough at the movement yet and just hadn't hit the right angle. There was one powerup (a very important one might I add) that I could've collected hours earlier than I did, but I got to its location very early in the game, couldn't see a way to progress and then didn't think to go back to until much later
Basically, my playtime of Pseudoregalia went like this: I was really enjoying the game, then spent 1-2 hours lost and unsure where to go, then started making progress again and had a great time until credits were hit. That lull in the middle definitely dampened things for me, but as I said, it's kinda hard to guage if it was a skill issue on my part, versus the game itself having flaws
The world - which feels both very big and very small - being a bit confusing to navigate doesn't help, which it seems a lot of players struggled with. Although I'm grateful there IS an ingame map, as there wasn't one at all when the game launched, it's pretty basic. I would've liked to have seen where Sybil was on it, rather than just highlighting the room you're in, because I sometimes had to keep checking it to align myself. Also the bottom/top half of the map would get cut off my screen quite often lol
Also one thing I do wanna say - I found the wall jumping/kick ability a big slippery at times. Only after I beat the game did I learn from a Steam review that was also frustrated by this, that you can cancel it early by attacking. I wish the game had told me this in the ability's description, as it would've prevented almost every frustration I had with the movement. There were also moments where Sybil would not grab onto walls to do the wall slide and I wasn't sure why :(
As for plot/story/lore, there isn't a whole lot and what there is is quite cryptic so all I'll say is, I love Sybil's design and I'm never beating the furry allegations
I can't describe how good does it feels to play this game, not a big fan of the combat though but you can easily ignore most encounters by just going fast as fuck, and isn't that the entire point of this? excelent game
Pretty awesome as a mesh of a 3D platformer and metroidvania. There’s something real fun and fascinating about the way movement tech works here from the early game kit to the entire, unlocked end game set. The beginning is daunting with little to no abilities available, but it doesn’t railroad you towards a specific ability to completely open the world as other possibilities, whether intended or not, already exist with the few early skills to reach far away and high locales if precise enough. Even if an area was inaccessible either for obviously a later power up or just kept pretty vague, there was always something pushing me to attempt it anyways through experimenting with what I had so far like creative air kicks off the walls, high jumps, or eventually slide jumping which really break open the movement possibilities along with wall sliding. In the end with all the capabilities unlocked, the levels become slight playgrounds to mess around with in finding new ways to clear a previous or undiscovered spot in a different and faster way. Love how this game operates as a 3D Metroidvania with a focus on motion as expression rather than the combat or larger world itself and once you get going the movement going, this game is a dream sliding and flowing all across the map.
The map provides sublime platforming spaces that ties into the nuances of Sybil’s toolkit to progress the game, though it could have used a bit more interconnectivity and obscure secrets. The platforming challenges are fun exercises with nice costumes and the levels are littered with health and power upgrades, but they don’t really amount to much outside of the final boss providing some attrition if not paying attention to her patterns. Shortcuts would make the map traversal far more interesting and less menial in the later hours, and not necessarily waypoints/teleporters but pathways and caverns adding more memorability and connective tissue to the world’s slightly homogenous design with how much sections bleed into one another, leading to some annoying bouts of backtracking. The patched map feature is functional but felt more frustrating to constantly deal with, which is better than not having it but it couldn’t hurt to have a pinpoint or icon of Cybil while the map is displayed. I don’t think the game needed a very explicit direction of where to go since I enjoy the free flow obscurity that fed naturally into exploration and picking up some detail of the world, but there isn’t a ton to chew on there aside from its striking low poly art style that gives the separate regions their own empty, odd feel.
Combat is pretty inoffensive and stale, but is thankfully sparse to keep the attention to the world and atmosphere. The only challenge that came from it resulted usually from the wonky hitboxes when trying to land an attack on enemies and having to recover health by engaging with them, but this occurred mostly from the beginning with little to no resources at that point. It would have been nice to incorporate the few instances of combat with the game’s focus on movement and momentum like the Ascendant Light ability plays a little into by attacking enemies and objects to bounce off them, but what’s here isn’t appalling with how little it is emphasized across the board versus the puzzles.
Still, Pseudoregalia is a dope as hell game with its own thing going on. Very interested in the next game from rittzler if they keep or expand on the seamless movement here. Perfect game to speed run too.
The map provides sublime platforming spaces that ties into the nuances of Sybil’s toolkit to progress the game, though it could have used a bit more interconnectivity and obscure secrets. The platforming challenges are fun exercises with nice costumes and the levels are littered with health and power upgrades, but they don’t really amount to much outside of the final boss providing some attrition if not paying attention to her patterns. Shortcuts would make the map traversal far more interesting and less menial in the later hours, and not necessarily waypoints/teleporters but pathways and caverns adding more memorability and connective tissue to the world’s slightly homogenous design with how much sections bleed into one another, leading to some annoying bouts of backtracking. The patched map feature is functional but felt more frustrating to constantly deal with, which is better than not having it but it couldn’t hurt to have a pinpoint or icon of Cybil while the map is displayed. I don’t think the game needed a very explicit direction of where to go since I enjoy the free flow obscurity that fed naturally into exploration and picking up some detail of the world, but there isn’t a ton to chew on there aside from its striking low poly art style that gives the separate regions their own empty, odd feel.
Combat is pretty inoffensive and stale, but is thankfully sparse to keep the attention to the world and atmosphere. The only challenge that came from it resulted usually from the wonky hitboxes when trying to land an attack on enemies and having to recover health by engaging with them, but this occurred mostly from the beginning with little to no resources at that point. It would have been nice to incorporate the few instances of combat with the game’s focus on movement and momentum like the Ascendant Light ability plays a little into by attacking enemies and objects to bounce off them, but what’s here isn’t appalling with how little it is emphasized across the board versus the puzzles.
Still, Pseudoregalia is a dope as hell game with its own thing going on. Very interested in the next game from rittzler if they keep or expand on the seamless movement here. Perfect game to speed run too.
This is one of the best 3D platformers on PC, which isn't saying a lot but it is extremely impressive for a $6 title where you need to opt-in to wearing pants.
The movement is basically perfect, and the world is very fun to explore, but the combat feels like something of an afterthought. Luckily the combat is largely pretty easy and doesn't take up a lot of playtime. Exploring the environment and getting new moves is where the game shines and it shines the whole playthrough.
The movement is basically perfect, and the world is very fun to explore, but the combat feels like something of an afterthought. Luckily the combat is largely pretty easy and doesn't take up a lot of playtime. Exploring the environment and getting new moves is where the game shines and it shines the whole playthrough.
ne 23 yapımı mıymış amk kahrolduö
Loved the movement, music, atmosphere. Only wish it was longer but at least its very replayable.
madame chevre lapin chat (tres bon level design tres bon feeling satisfaisant de s'approprier les mécaniques mais parfois un peu compliqué de s'y retrouver, et combat un peu moins bon donc dommage que le boss de fin soit centré dessus
Pros:
+Expansive moveset that feels incredibly good to control. Has all the good stuff like slide-jump, wall jump, backflip, etc. The character would feel good to control even on an empty map. This and the character design massively carry the game.
+Mastering the movement allows you to sequence-break which is incredibly satisfying. The game takes this into account, with a playthrough being completable with only the most basic movement abilites.
Cons:
-Too short. The game left me wanting for more at the end of it and there aren't too many mods available right now to extend the playtime.
-The combat sequences feel more like a break from the platforming than actual well thought out parts of the game. This is not necessarily a bad thing but the game shouldn't have had useless combat upgrades to collect and enemy health should have been massively reduced.
-The environments and story aren't too interesting but the gameplay and chara design are so good it doesn't matter.
If the devs are reading this just know that I love you guys
+Expansive moveset that feels incredibly good to control. Has all the good stuff like slide-jump, wall jump, backflip, etc. The character would feel good to control even on an empty map. This and the character design massively carry the game.
+Mastering the movement allows you to sequence-break which is incredibly satisfying. The game takes this into account, with a playthrough being completable with only the most basic movement abilites.
Cons:
-Too short. The game left me wanting for more at the end of it and there aren't too many mods available right now to extend the playtime.
-The combat sequences feel more like a break from the platforming than actual well thought out parts of the game. This is not necessarily a bad thing but the game shouldn't have had useless combat upgrades to collect and enemy health should have been massively reduced.
-The environments and story aren't too interesting but the gameplay and chara design are so good it doesn't matter.
If the devs are reading this just know that I love you guys
This games movement is mind blowing. Vibes are great. My hands hurt really bad.
Behind the protagonist's huge ass is a creative and compelling set of twists on 3D platformer movement conventions, accompanied by strong art design and a great soundtrack.
I felt that the character progression breaks away from metroidvania tradition in that new abilities feel more like suggestions. This works well in that skilled use of earlier abilities can bypass barriers designed for later ones, opening the game up quite a bit.
However, I feel like this openness and emphasis on player expression comes at the cost of pacing and navigation of the world. I didn't end up getting the map until late in my playthrough, and since the environments are rather sparse with detail, I had a hard time navigating the world until I got it. I also ran into an instance where I was able to get to a collectible without the necessary prerequisites (I think), but I had a very difficult time making the trip back. The last powerup I received during my playthough, which I expect would be the last powerup of many other players' runs, also felt pretty anticlimactic.
Still, it's important to consider these flaws in the context of this release being a polished game jam project released at a very generous price point. I definitely look forward to Rittz's future output, if Pseudoregalia is anything to go by.
I felt that the character progression breaks away from metroidvania tradition in that new abilities feel more like suggestions. This works well in that skilled use of earlier abilities can bypass barriers designed for later ones, opening the game up quite a bit.
However, I feel like this openness and emphasis on player expression comes at the cost of pacing and navigation of the world. I didn't end up getting the map until late in my playthrough, and since the environments are rather sparse with detail, I had a hard time navigating the world until I got it. I also ran into an instance where I was able to get to a collectible without the necessary prerequisites (I think), but I had a very difficult time making the trip back. The last powerup I received during my playthough, which I expect would be the last powerup of many other players' runs, also felt pretty anticlimactic.
Still, it's important to consider these flaws in the context of this release being a polished game jam project released at a very generous price point. I definitely look forward to Rittz's future output, if Pseudoregalia is anything to go by.