After following this game for quite some time and being interested in the fresh idea of using an umbrella for defence, I was really looking forward to playing this one and came into it with the best of intentions. However, the finished game leaves much to be desired.
Playtime: Finished playthrough at almost 7 hours, with all optional quests finished as far as I can tell.
Pros:
+ Cool Gunbrella movement and combat options
+ Neo-Noir setting is a fresh take
+ Quest book is detailed enough to not get stuck
+ Progression is generally quick and the pacing is fine
+ Decisions in dialogue scenes actively affect the plot
+ Bosses are tightly designed and not too difficult
+ Wraith hunting is pretty fun in the endgame
+ Soundtrack is okay for what it is
Cons:
- The game in general feels unfinished and unpolished...
- ...and there are still placeholders in the ending credits!
- Controlling the Gunbrella in mid-air is far too difficult
- Dark art style makes identifying important objects difficult
- Level design is barebones and mostly without surprises
- Most screens have invisible borders
- Enemy design makes no sense and does not fit the setting (frogs?)
- The economy of the world is pretty busted...
- ...and extra ammunition in particular is far too expensive
- Items for upgrading are far too rare (which can be exploited with honeycombs)
- Extra weapons are unnecessary for progress
- Dialog cannot be skipped or fast-forwarded
- Technical performance on Switch is pretty bad
- The fridging of the protagonist's wife is pretty anachronistic
- The story ends on a weird sequence and an unearned downbeat
Blagic Moments: Suffering a hard crash during a boss fight. Re-entering an old stage and not understanding why the literal geography of the place has changed. The final sequence and credits scene with placeholders instead of actual names of the voice actors.
Verdict:
Yes, the setting and central mechanic are as fun as the trailers made them look. But apart from the Gunbrella itself and the Mary Poppins movement and attacks it allows, there are plenty of elements in this game that feel unfinished, unpolished, or simply poorly thought out. From the lack of lighting in most areas and the difficulty or identifying important areas to the weird enemy designs that make no sense in this world and the lack of viable or cheap enough combat options, the team made a lot of weird design decision that keep the finished product from making much of an impact.
In a month - and year - as packed as this, you can safely skip this.
Playtime: Finished playthrough at almost 7 hours, with all optional quests finished as far as I can tell.
Pros:
+ Cool Gunbrella movement and combat options
+ Neo-Noir setting is a fresh take
+ Quest book is detailed enough to not get stuck
+ Progression is generally quick and the pacing is fine
+ Decisions in dialogue scenes actively affect the plot
+ Bosses are tightly designed and not too difficult
+ Wraith hunting is pretty fun in the endgame
+ Soundtrack is okay for what it is
Cons:
- The game in general feels unfinished and unpolished...
- ...and there are still placeholders in the ending credits!
- Controlling the Gunbrella in mid-air is far too difficult
- Dark art style makes identifying important objects difficult
- Level design is barebones and mostly without surprises
- Most screens have invisible borders
- Enemy design makes no sense and does not fit the setting (frogs?)
- The economy of the world is pretty busted...
- ...and extra ammunition in particular is far too expensive
- Items for upgrading are far too rare (which can be exploited with honeycombs)
- Extra weapons are unnecessary for progress
- Dialog cannot be skipped or fast-forwarded
- Technical performance on Switch is pretty bad
- The fridging of the protagonist's wife is pretty anachronistic
- The story ends on a weird sequence and an unearned downbeat
Blagic Moments: Suffering a hard crash during a boss fight. Re-entering an old stage and not understanding why the literal geography of the place has changed. The final sequence and credits scene with placeholders instead of actual names of the voice actors.
Verdict:
Yes, the setting and central mechanic are as fun as the trailers made them look. But apart from the Gunbrella itself and the Mary Poppins movement and attacks it allows, there are plenty of elements in this game that feel unfinished, unpolished, or simply poorly thought out. From the lack of lighting in most areas and the difficulty or identifying important areas to the weird enemy designs that make no sense in this world and the lack of viable or cheap enough combat options, the team made a lot of weird design decision that keep the finished product from making much of an impact.
In a month - and year - as packed as this, you can safely skip this.