The MH Clone that definitely lacks the most in terms of the overall gameplay loop and other mechanics in exchange for focusing on the story and presentation which it makes up for immensely.
SSD basically presents everything through you the player, navigating a talking book to start missions, change your loadout, read enemy lore and everything else. This is also how it tells it's depressing tale on an unnamed sorcerer and his partner's descents to madness in a completely bleak world, split through multiple chapters where said sorcerer crosses paths with fellow sorcerers of different beliefs and their very unique predicaments that really get you attached to them by the end of your very brief meetings.
All the monsters are also these grotesque monstrosities that are all named after legends, mythical creatures, and fairy tale characters like Red Riding Hood, Unicorn, and Jack O' Lantern to name a few, which add a lot to the overall uniqueness of the game. Fights are then fought by using Offerings which work like spells of different kinds like charging your arm into an axe or donning an armor of stone, some spells you can even combine which make for the most unique combat system in an MH/Clone game for sure.
As for it's faults, the game definitely lacks in terms of the base gameplay loop and there's really not much to do after doing all the story chapters which can take about 40 hours. Add this to the extremely RNG Essence system which is basically your carved materials every time you kill a monster which you only get 1 of every kill, makes for a very frustrating and unfun grind when you want to get very specific things. Building a character can also get quite frustrating especially midway through the game once things get spongier if you really don't have an idea what you're doing even with grinding the games level system. I managed to actually decimate things by the end of the game after realizing how loadouts and builds should be done but it can definitely get a bit grating to feel like swinging pool noodles at monsters for 20 minutes.
All these said, it's an extremely good game and for sure one of the most unique experiences not even just by MH/Clone standards but by games in general and it's definitely sad to see it die on the vita. Definitely play it if you're able.
SSD basically presents everything through you the player, navigating a talking book to start missions, change your loadout, read enemy lore and everything else. This is also how it tells it's depressing tale on an unnamed sorcerer and his partner's descents to madness in a completely bleak world, split through multiple chapters where said sorcerer crosses paths with fellow sorcerers of different beliefs and their very unique predicaments that really get you attached to them by the end of your very brief meetings.
All the monsters are also these grotesque monstrosities that are all named after legends, mythical creatures, and fairy tale characters like Red Riding Hood, Unicorn, and Jack O' Lantern to name a few, which add a lot to the overall uniqueness of the game. Fights are then fought by using Offerings which work like spells of different kinds like charging your arm into an axe or donning an armor of stone, some spells you can even combine which make for the most unique combat system in an MH/Clone game for sure.
As for it's faults, the game definitely lacks in terms of the base gameplay loop and there's really not much to do after doing all the story chapters which can take about 40 hours. Add this to the extremely RNG Essence system which is basically your carved materials every time you kill a monster which you only get 1 of every kill, makes for a very frustrating and unfun grind when you want to get very specific things. Building a character can also get quite frustrating especially midway through the game once things get spongier if you really don't have an idea what you're doing even with grinding the games level system. I managed to actually decimate things by the end of the game after realizing how loadouts and builds should be done but it can definitely get a bit grating to feel like swinging pool noodles at monsters for 20 minutes.
All these said, it's an extremely good game and for sure one of the most unique experiences not even just by MH/Clone standards but by games in general and it's definitely sad to see it die on the vita. Definitely play it if you're able.