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Post by RadicalRex on Aug 17, 2024 11:33:13 GMT
Death's Gambit: Afterlife is free this week on EGS.
It's a soulslike metroidvania with all those stats and stuff similar to Salt & Sanctuary, but goes a little more in a SotN direction in art style and combat, I believe. I haven't played far because this isn't the type of game I enjoy, but they say it's pretty good, so check out if you're interested.
If you've played and disliked Death's Gambit on release, from what I hear the Afterlife upgrade massively improved and expanded the game, so even then it might be worth another try.
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Aug 17, 2024 19:52:35 GMT
Anyone played Bo: Path of the Tea Lotus? It certainly looks great. I took a punt on it this afternoon, and... it's not as good as it should be. The core gameplay mechanic is that after you hit anything your jump resets - á la Guacamelee - in theory making you a dynamic airborne delight. In reality the game is far too strict with it for it to feel fun, and rather than feeling in control there are too many times where you end up spamming attack and jump, plus the fall gravity feels too heavy so you often don't get a chance to recover from a mistake and end up having to repeat climbs from the start. The jump mechanic is usually for me the most important part of a Metroidvania, and it's disappointing this feels short of the mark. Combat is very much secondary at this point, save for some decent mini-bosses. But the most frustrating thing so far - and the reason I've switched my PS5 off feeling cross - is it makes the same mistake Ori did, and includes an early auto chase sequence which (a) is bloody tricky, (b) has no checkpoints, and (c) restarts immediately on death 😠 It sets itself out pretty flagrantly as an alternative to Hollow Knight, but it's currently some way off the mark. I will persevere! |
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Youthist
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Post by Youthist on Aug 17, 2024 21:35:08 GMT
Anyone played Bo: Path of the Tea Lotus? It certainly looks great. I took a punt on it this afternoon, and... it's not as good as it should be. The core gameplay mechanic is that after you hit anything your jump resets - á la Guacamelee - in theory making you a dynamic airborne delight. In reality the game is far too strict with it for it to feel fun, and rather than feeling in control there are too many times where you end up spamming attack and jump, plus the fall gravity feels too heavy so you often don't get a chance to recover from a mistake and end up having to repeat climbs from the start. The jump mechanic is usually for me the most important part of a Metroidvania, and it's disappointing this feels short of the mark. Combat is very much secondary at this point, save for some decent mini-bosses. But the most frustrating thing so far - and the reason I've switched my PS5 off feeling cross - is it makes the same mistake Ori did, and includes an early auto chase sequence which (a) is bloody tricky, (b) has no checkpoints, and (c) restarts immediately on death 😠 It sets itself out pretty flagrantly as an alternative to Hollow Knight, but it's currently some way off the mark. I will persevere! Literally just got past the bridge sequence and the witch boss fight right after, . Both were massive spikes in difficultly. Once complete you enter a city and things get more chilled. The witch boss fight definitely hones your airborne attack strategy and timing! I am enjoying it. |
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Aug 18, 2024 18:21:38 GMT
Got past that now, but it feels very box-ticky for the genre - I'm now jumping through a forest with a spiky maze... The ambiance is keeping me going, a lovely soundtrack and some nice cut-scene animations.
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Blue_Mike
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Post by Blue_Mike on Aug 22, 2024 0:47:12 GMT
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Post by RadicalRex on Aug 25, 2024 16:11:37 GMT
Abandoned: Ghost Song
Seriously the worst and most tedious combat I've ever seen in a metroidvania, and possibly among the worst of any 2D platform game. I understand this isn't meant to be a tight action game and you're supposed to feel weak, but I think the gameplay of any game should still be enjoyable in some way or another. The action here is so clunky with such insanely spongy enemies that getting anywhere becomes an utter chore, and that's even after I spent my first 10 level ups or so just on gun damage. It's so bad that removing all enemies would genuinely improve the game.
To make matters worse, there's the usual derivative Souls/HK copypasta (corpse run, estus flasks, charm system, crappy charms, map/inventory doesn't pause the game, and so on and so forth). Not enough? Remember hollowing, that Dark Souls 2 mechanic that was so bad even Fromsoft scrapped it? Yeah let's have that too. I find this game baffling, it feels like it's intended to be an awful experience.
I'm approaching Steam's refund time limit, so I'm calling it quits.
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Post by RadicalRex on Aug 26, 2024 21:59:42 GMT
While we're at it, abandoned: Rebel Transmute
I actually abandoned this months ago, always thought maybe I'll give it another try... but no. I was looking forward to this for a long time, had it wishlisted since playing an early demo years ago. It's an alien world themed metroidvania with a really pretty pixel art style, reminiscent of Metroid games, especially early ones thanks to the short-range 4-way gun you start out with.
So I thought I'd get something leaning into the oldschool Metroid side of things here and expected weapon upgrades like in those games. But it turns out this is actually Yet Another Hollow Knight Fan Game and the "gun" is basically a re-skin of HK's Nail. Short range, 4 directions, can bounce off enemies' heads with it. Literally the same, except less tight and satisfying. Turns out it didn't just carry over some of the mechanics (e.g. healing/charms) but the enemies are just reskins of HK enemies too. Like there are the same vertical shafts and they have literally the same enemies as in HK just with different graphics. Sometimes not even that, e.g. there are floating jellyfish that turn into missiles when you attack them. Seriously...?
Also there's the ubiquitous corpse run, only that you can opt to just get your lost stuff back for a small fee. Look, if you don't want to have that mechanic because it's too punishing, then just don't do it. It's so annoying when developers think something must be in the game because that's what HK/Souls does and there can be no other way. This is one of those games that feel like HK is the only game the dev's ever played.
I'm really not interested in playing yet another HK knockoff, especially not one with less tight combat, movement, boss designs etc. If I want to play HK I play HK, not an inferior copycat. Several times I took a break from the game because of this but returned to it after a week or so because again, I like the style and it's not even an outright bad game (it better not be if it's so blatantly copy&pasting the most revered game in the genre). But as soon as I come across any enemies, they're all just copy&pasted from HK with the same AI and the same attacks and the same patterns and it annoys the shit out of me. And so I stop playing again.
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Post by convercide on Aug 27, 2024 19:05:58 GMT
Already added to the 'games that don't have their own threads' thread.
This is out now on PS5, Switch and PC too.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Aug 27, 2024 19:12:54 GMT
Eep, let's put this question in the right thread.
As I've only played a few of them Metroidvania Castlevanias (feels redundant), which collection do you guys think has the best games? The Advance one or this DS one?
Circle of the Moon is great, whereas Portrait of Ruin was just okay imo, but I haven't played any of the other ones to tell. Well aside from SOTN, obviously. That one feels like a given. But it's not included, so.
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Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Aug 27, 2024 19:16:27 GMT
I personally feel that Order of Ecclesia is the next best after SOTN. But the other DS games are also great that other people can make a claim it's the best game in the series and I wouldn't necessarily disagree. But I do wonder how they adapt the touch screen parts of the gameplay to these games. Some of it is integral.
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Post by convercide on Aug 27, 2024 19:17:38 GMT
Eep, let's put this question in the right thread. As I've only played a few of them Metroidvania Castlevanias (feels redundant), which collection do you guys think has the best games? The Advance one or this DS one? Circle of the Moon is great, whereas Portrait of Ruin was just okay imo, but I haven't played any of the other ones to tell. Well aside from SOTN, obviously. That one feels like a given. But it's not included, so. Personally the Advance one just about wins it for me. But it is a very close call. Circle of the Moon has such a deep card system that makes you want to try every combination to see what they do. Aria of Sorrow is the best Metroidvania after Symphony of the Night. Harmony of Dissonance is the weakest of the 3 but still perfectly playable and has my favourite version of Vampire Killer to date. |
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Aug 27, 2024 19:31:01 GMT
On a side note, it's weird that Castlevania Chronicles was never seen again after the PS1. Adding it to some collection would be a better idea than constantly re-releasing Castlevania NES. Or maybe have them both.
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Post by convercide on Aug 27, 2024 19:37:31 GMT
Yeah, that Rondo of Blood remake was actually really good.
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Post by RadicalRex on Aug 27, 2024 19:51:22 GMT
Can't say anything about the DS games, but if you haven't played Aria of Sorrow make sure you do. I have a soft spot for Circle of the Moon but Aria is probably "objectively" the best of the Advance games, it's a fan favourite for a reason.
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Aunty Treats
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Post by Aunty Treats on Aug 27, 2024 20:23:37 GMT
Definitely up for Dawn of Sorrow for nostalgia. Portrait of Ruin I played but got the fake early ending and could never work out how to progress past that . Played the third one but not sure if I finished it
Not sure what they'll do with the stylus stuff- I actually liked having to draw the symbols on the screen to kill bosses in Dawn. My guess would be they'll just get rid of them altogether as they were really just a gimmick for the DS |
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Sept 1, 2024 20:55:41 GMT
I've stuck with Bo: Path of the Tea Lotus, and am almost at the end. It picked up midgame with some decent bosses complemented by most of the usual Metroidvania platforming upgrades you'd expect. It's a flagrant Ori x Hollow Knight clone, which is no bad thing, but I'm starting to run into some bullshit difficulty towards the end: climbing up that big skellington thing was shite, and the elevator ride in the Shogun's Palace can do one A decent 7/10, but be warned that, if you're into trophy collecting, some of them look to be nigh on impossible (<3% globally on a couple of them is a red flag). Plus there's an equivalent of Hollow Knight's Delicate Flower quest, which I'm not even bothering to try... |
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Aunty Treats
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Post by Aunty Treats on Sept 1, 2024 22:49:09 GMT
<3% isn't that rare for achievements really. I've had some not particularly difficult ones that are really low. Most people just don't finish games, let alone get all the achievements
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Youthist
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Post by Youthist on Sept 4, 2024 15:33:33 GMT
Anyone played Aeterna Noctis? It looks right up my SOTN alley. How did I miss it? Is it any good?
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Sept 4, 2024 20:56:46 GMT
Finished Bo now. The end game and final boss feels awfully drawn out, and the story peeters to the end somewhat without any real conclusion. Strangely the most prominent images used throughout the marketing, reviews, and even the PS store, are of the absolute final stage - bizarre.
But what's really pissing me off - sitting through them right now - is the end credits. A turgid slow crawl of seemingly hundreds of QA, marketing and translation staff, followed by literally thousands of Kickstarter backers... and it's completely unskippable, not even an option to speed the crawl up, and so far I reckon it's taken about 15 minutes and still going. I think I'll still be here tomorrow morning reading about how kiLLmoNGer77 was a poster backer.
Ironically, while it plays out these lengthy credits, your character is on screen and completely controllable on a blank canvas of a screen, so a brilliant opportunity for some classic interactive credits fun, right guys?? Right guys?!?! FFS.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Sept 5, 2024 0:25:15 GMT
How is Gris?
It looks lovely of course, but I remember the RPS review being a bit cold on it.
Is the gameplay actually fun, or is it entirely about the looks/vibe.
I've been waiting for the first Ori game to have a sale on Switch, but in the meantime Gris is dirt cheap.
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Post by dangerousdave on Sept 5, 2024 3:13:24 GMT
Gris is one of those games you kinda just drift through. It’s nice to look at, but it’s not remotely taxing. Those I know that liked this game aren’t fans of platformers generally, if that makes sense.
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Post by dangerousdave on Sept 5, 2024 4:39:42 GMT
Sorry. I obviously meant Gris. Grid is a terrible platformer. Quite a decent racer, though.
I’d absolutely recommend both Ori games though. The weight and movement in those games is very satisfying. You really feel like you’re throwing the character around the screen once you’ve unlocked all the abilities.
You might be frustrated at 2 or 3 sequenced events during those games, but they’re short and one time events.
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Post by dfunked on Sept 5, 2024 6:36:58 GMT
I loved it, but yeah it's not exactly challenging. More about the journey. Stellar soundtrack, looks lovely and packs a surprising emotional punch without saying a word.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Sept 5, 2024 6:55:26 GMT
I thought Gris was bad. Realllllly boring and the pretty artwork and thin mental health subtext don't make up for the naff platforming.
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Post by RadicalRex on Sept 8, 2024 15:48:42 GMT
Currently I'm in the last act of Ninja Gaiden (NES). I hate my life.
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Post by dangerousdave on Sept 8, 2024 19:11:39 GMT
Good luck. I remember shuffling foward pixel by pixel to control when enemies spawned in, so as not be be overwhelmed. And then also charging through a ton of other parts because stopping was just death.
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Post by RadicalRex on Sept 8, 2024 20:14:35 GMT
The bullshit just ramps up exponentially over the last two acts, I've now reached the final boss and somehow it just keeps getting worse. It's so shamelessly designed to just screw you over, I really wish developers had kept that sort of arcade cabinet game design out of home console games.
Don't be too afraid of The Messenger, it is a challenging game for sure but it never gets remotely as unfair as this.
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Post by RadicalRex on Sept 9, 2024 14:02:12 GMT
OK so I've beaten Ninja Gaiden now but sadly on the last boss I had to give up on my "play as intended" no-savestate policy because it's downright evil and would've taken entire days and insane frustration otherwise.
For actual arcade games it makes sense to be evil, in fact they have to be evil to be profitable because their purpose is to rob children of as much pocket money as possible. In contrast to e.g. a From game, which is still intended to be a challenge to be overcome, the designers of a proper arcade game don't want you to beat their game, they want you to be trapped in the middle or late game forever.
And even though this version of Ninja Gaiden is made for home consoles, it employs the same arcade game design philosophy. It eases you in early, you think this isn't so bad at all, over the course of the game it gets harder but it's still fine, in act 5 the bullshit starts ramping up but I still found it tolerable. But then act 6 happens and it becomes clear that they don't want you to beat this. All the levels are cheap shot galore, there's a 3-phase boss that's brutally hard for all the wrong reasons, but that's not even the worst of all.
Normally, when you lose a life you go back to the last screen transition and if you lose a continue you go back to the beginning of the stage (not the act). That's part of why you're first fooled into thinking that this game isn't so unfair after all. But if you die to the last boss, it's back to the beginning of the act with you. Even if you have lives left. Basically this is Malenia except her runback is three Dark Souls 2-style runbacks in a row. This is such a giant middle finger to the player that it completely ruins a game that's been mostly good fun until then.
The levels that is, the boss fights range from way too easy to way too hard but in terms of quality they're all shit.
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Post by dangerousdave on Sept 10, 2024 5:49:40 GMT
You’ve put me right back into the room I beat Ninja Gaiden in all those years ago and I remember being so angry all afternoon. Once you hit that last boss you just want it done. And then it has the audacity to throw you back into the two hardest stages in the game for dying just once to that boss. And if I recall it has two evolutions?
Easily the hardest game I’ve ever finished and I think I took a small break from all video games after that. Absolute torture.
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Youthist
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Post by Youthist on Sept 15, 2024 15:24:05 GMT
Finished Bo now. The end game and final boss feels awfully drawn out, and the story peeters to the end somewhat without any real conclusion. Strangely the most prominent images used throughout the marketing, reviews, and even the PS store, are of the absolute final stage - bizarre. But what's really pissing me off - sitting through them right now - is the end credits. A turgid slow crawl of seemingly hundreds of QA, marketing and translation staff, followed by literally thousands of Kickstarter backers... and it's completely unskippable, not even an option to speed the crawl up, and so far I reckon it's taken about 15 minutes and still going. I think I'll still be here tomorrow morning reading about how kiLLmoNGer77 was a poster backer. Ironically, while it plays out these lengthy credits, your character is on screen and completely controllable on a blank canvas of a screen, so a brilliant opportunity for some classic interactive credits fun, right guys?? Right guys?!?! FFS. Just into tu castle now, all quests done and all secrets collected. Really enjoying it. Just had a look at how to 100 per cent it and one of the trophies is “complete the game without using any tea from the kettle”. Fuck that. |
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