Proof that fanfiction has meaning and value, and this is a double - for a beloved Italian puppet story and for an wet hat eldritch slasher.
So let's start with the story. I didn't care about the plot - the sequence of events, the moments in which I made decisions, or why/what characters changed. The story though - that's a success. A richly detailed environment with the right drops, the right enemy placement, all tells the story of a city in freefall, in the chaos our young hero enters into. And that tone of wondering, Huh?, and then, Snuh?, matches the excellent standard set by FROM. For me, the implication of story carried this for my first playthrough, like every FROM game.
But the real hook here is the mechanics and feel. Carrying from the story, the stats and progression have enough obfuscation to make it feel strange, and then understood - in that familiar way a FROM game unlocks for you after 10 hours. You're hunting through maps, getting bizarrely titles items of questionable worth and use, and then you find the use. There are QOL changes - the fast travel screen has icons to show when a new thing is happening or has changed - but it has the tone down.
But all of that is nice. It's nice! But would be worthless without the Gamefeel. This game comes as close as you can to nailing a sweet spot between DSIII, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, with movement, attack options, and blocking/parrying. It's a wonderful combination, clearly designed by devs with a schoolboy wish to have all of the styles in one. That being said, I don't feel I ever got the blocking right? But that might come with time, and the game doesn't force it, unlike Sekiro. Heck, I beat the last boss by throwing elemental explosives.
My other complaints are merely preference. I wanted some more optional content, more to explore and discover. This is about as linear as you can be, and a little more variety in locales could've gone a long way. But even then, I don't fault it too much for it.
Yes, this is derivative, but so is all art. Every poet must confront his poetic fathers, and this game absolutely stands tall before FROM. I'm shocked.
So let's start with the story. I didn't care about the plot - the sequence of events, the moments in which I made decisions, or why/what characters changed. The story though - that's a success. A richly detailed environment with the right drops, the right enemy placement, all tells the story of a city in freefall, in the chaos our young hero enters into. And that tone of wondering, Huh?, and then, Snuh?, matches the excellent standard set by FROM. For me, the implication of story carried this for my first playthrough, like every FROM game.
But the real hook here is the mechanics and feel. Carrying from the story, the stats and progression have enough obfuscation to make it feel strange, and then understood - in that familiar way a FROM game unlocks for you after 10 hours. You're hunting through maps, getting bizarrely titles items of questionable worth and use, and then you find the use. There are QOL changes - the fast travel screen has icons to show when a new thing is happening or has changed - but it has the tone down.
But all of that is nice. It's nice! But would be worthless without the Gamefeel. This game comes as close as you can to nailing a sweet spot between DSIII, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, with movement, attack options, and blocking/parrying. It's a wonderful combination, clearly designed by devs with a schoolboy wish to have all of the styles in one. That being said, I don't feel I ever got the blocking right? But that might come with time, and the game doesn't force it, unlike Sekiro. Heck, I beat the last boss by throwing elemental explosives.
My other complaints are merely preference. I wanted some more optional content, more to explore and discover. This is about as linear as you can be, and a little more variety in locales could've gone a long way. But even then, I don't fault it too much for it.
Yes, this is derivative, but so is all art. Every poet must confront his poetic fathers, and this game absolutely stands tall before FROM. I'm shocked.