randospacecat
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2 Years of Service
Being part of the Backloggd community for 2 years
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HLD is a game that gets all the little things right. Sound design, exploration as a driver of the story, graphics all really work to immerse you. The combat is challenging, but not brutal, and maybe I need a playthrough on Hard Mode but the bosses seemed just a little bit easier than I'd like. Overall, though, can't recommend highly enough.
I think the biggest thing is, if you like a 2D Metroid game, you'll really enjoy this, if not then there are some things to critique. There a lot of re-used enemies; the bosses are cool and challenging, but not frequent enough; I found the game routed you really well so no level grew stale, but the constant hopping between areas didn't lend itself to creating a sense of progress or forward momentum (esp. with the loading screens, Switch Pro plz Nintendo!). All that said, fighting the final boss and learning the dodges/attack windows really delivered and leaves a lasting memory, so I really enjoyed it overall.
I wasn't sure what to expect coming in, I never tried parrying in the DS games but did a lot in Bloodborne, and I feel like the challenge was steeper as a curve than those, but a bit easier once you got the hang of it, and once you do it's a much higher sense of accomplishment to beat a boss. Level design A+, enemies maybe a little less varied, but the ways the timings and patterns change kept it feeling fresh. Disclaimer: FromSoft fanboy but not like, capital-F Fanboy.