This is my first AC game and I did really enjoy myself. I've been saying for some time that I'd like Fromsoftware to make stuff outside the Souls formula and this did not disappoint.
Firstly I'll mention my favorite parts. The boss fights were really fucking good. Like legit some of the best in video games. There's a late-game boss in particular I really enjoyed (people who have played that part probably already know which one).
Your mech is pretty enjoyable to control as well. I really enjoy the freedom of movement. It really lets them get crazy with some of the boss movesets too. They really took advantage of all three dimensions here.
I'll also mention that the customization is robust to a pretty insane degree. The emblem editor basically just lets you make any image. The number of weapons and parts is also pretty fun (though I would've liked it if there were more legs of each type). You can really transform how your character feels to play by changing just one or two things.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. My first major issue is that it feels like the game never really gets harder. With the exception of one or two bosses, it felt like just about every enemy was roughly the same strength as the ones I was fighting at the very start of the game. These enemies weren't particularly difficult near the start of the game either, mind you! You can basically turn your brain off for the majority of enemies.
Fortunately there's usually at least one or two minibosses per mission, with a full boss every couple missions. These minibosses aren't always major tests of skill, but they do at the very least require me to be careful and pay attention, which is a step over the standard enemies.
I'll also mention that the game balance isn't the best. I do think people tend to overvalue balance, but in a game all about customization, it's more important than it would be in many other games. It's a little frustrating trying out and experimenting with weapons to find out what you enjoy, only to find that nothing is as effective as just using tank treads and two miniguns. To be completely fair, this is sometimes a non-issue as a result of the aforementioned low difficulty, but on a few of the boss fights where the game actually does start testing your skill, it can be kind of annoying how you can basically just use the same two mechs to kill all of them easily.
I did have my share of complaints but I actually bothered to finish the game twice which I fucking never do these days. It's a good game, there are just a fair few issues I'd like to see ironed out in a potential sequel.
Firstly I'll mention my favorite parts. The boss fights were really fucking good. Like legit some of the best in video games. There's a late-game boss in particular I really enjoyed (people who have played that part probably already know which one).
Your mech is pretty enjoyable to control as well. I really enjoy the freedom of movement. It really lets them get crazy with some of the boss movesets too. They really took advantage of all three dimensions here.
I'll also mention that the customization is robust to a pretty insane degree. The emblem editor basically just lets you make any image. The number of weapons and parts is also pretty fun (though I would've liked it if there were more legs of each type). You can really transform how your character feels to play by changing just one or two things.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. My first major issue is that it feels like the game never really gets harder. With the exception of one or two bosses, it felt like just about every enemy was roughly the same strength as the ones I was fighting at the very start of the game. These enemies weren't particularly difficult near the start of the game either, mind you! You can basically turn your brain off for the majority of enemies.
Fortunately there's usually at least one or two minibosses per mission, with a full boss every couple missions. These minibosses aren't always major tests of skill, but they do at the very least require me to be careful and pay attention, which is a step over the standard enemies.
I'll also mention that the game balance isn't the best. I do think people tend to overvalue balance, but in a game all about customization, it's more important than it would be in many other games. It's a little frustrating trying out and experimenting with weapons to find out what you enjoy, only to find that nothing is as effective as just using tank treads and two miniguns. To be completely fair, this is sometimes a non-issue as a result of the aforementioned low difficulty, but on a few of the boss fights where the game actually does start testing your skill, it can be kind of annoying how you can basically just use the same two mechs to kill all of them easily.
I did have my share of complaints but I actually bothered to finish the game twice which I fucking never do these days. It's a good game, there are just a fair few issues I'd like to see ironed out in a potential sequel.