Interesting art style and premise, but the gameplay is way too janky, unresponsive and doesn't feel good.
Dodging and attacking aren't responsive or smooth enough for this type of game. The game world has weird edges and pieces don't fit together properly so you're sometimes unsure of what exactly you're looking at and what path you can take. The same holds true of large enemies, where you can literally stand inside their model and be safe from getting hit, but then be hit by the back of their claw or something and take damage. Having to hold UP to grab ledges while platforming feels bad man. Finally, having to reload a save upon death in a Dark Soul's-like is a cardinal sin against humanity.
I was gonna shelve it for maybe a return later on, but I don't think I'll pick it up again. Which is a shame because I actually liked the world that was presented and the multiple ongoing quests and levelling system.
Dodging and attacking aren't responsive or smooth enough for this type of game. The game world has weird edges and pieces don't fit together properly so you're sometimes unsure of what exactly you're looking at and what path you can take. The same holds true of large enemies, where you can literally stand inside their model and be safe from getting hit, but then be hit by the back of their claw or something and take damage. Having to hold UP to grab ledges while platforming feels bad man. Finally, having to reload a save upon death in a Dark Soul's-like is a cardinal sin against humanity.
I was gonna shelve it for maybe a return later on, but I don't think I'll pick it up again. Which is a shame because I actually liked the world that was presented and the multiple ongoing quests and levelling system.
3 Comments
It's such an interesting game, and I agree with you, I really like the charm and presentation of it, but the gameplay just doesn't feel good lol. And the edges thing is really annoying. I literally fell into a boss pit coz I was unsure what the fuck I was looking at at one point and just happened to press down and jump on a particular piece of the scenery that happened to be a droppable ledge lol.
Maybe I should go back to it at some point, honestly. It definitely left an interesting impression on me.
Maybe I should go back to it at some point, honestly. It definitely left an interesting impression on me.
I know exactly which boss you're talking about because the same thing happened to me, and I definitely got wrecked for doing it. If I recall, there's an alternate route into there and I ended up taking that route later to get back to the boss properly, but I could be just mixing two bosses up.
I could see your grief with the "gotcha!" deal with that drop, though -- I sometimes think devs feel like capturing the "Souls" design is done by just getting one over on the players, regardless of how it might feel to the players. Sometimes, those moments can be hallmarks of great design (the first time you learn the importance of looking up in Dark Souls, for instance), but sometimes they just feel like Mega Man platforming moments (you had no way to be ready for what was coming on your first run, so you probably die and you learn to prepare yourself for the next time that way). Having the agency to quite literally look before you leap in a situation can make all the difference in enjoyment.
I could see your grief with the "gotcha!" deal with that drop, though -- I sometimes think devs feel like capturing the "Souls" design is done by just getting one over on the players, regardless of how it might feel to the players. Sometimes, those moments can be hallmarks of great design (the first time you learn the importance of looking up in Dark Souls, for instance), but sometimes they just feel like Mega Man platforming moments (you had no way to be ready for what was coming on your first run, so you probably die and you learn to prepare yourself for the next time that way). Having the agency to quite literally look before you leap in a situation can make all the difference in enjoyment.
Shenobi
1 year ago
I came back to it briefly a couple of times, but kept getting frustrated with that particular aspect of the game. I finally just started a fresh run and for whatever reason, everything clicked way better (although I ran into that same problem with the "where to go" aspect of things a few times, including when I killed one boss WAY EARLIER than expected because I thought it was the only direction I could head in. The game just has so much charm, that I couldn't help but overlook the things that did bother me (including the timing for Soulslike questlines that can start and vanish in a moment's notice).