Scuffed to the point of hilarity. Never before have I seen things like a game just handing you stuff like a spell that gives infinite stamina, or boss matchups in an action game being so ridiculously dependent on the type of weapon that you're using that they're almost impossible with one type, while being a complete cakewalk with another.
Take for example, the final boss. Almost all the openings that it seems the game is giving to you are actually completely invalid, and you'll proceed to get hit by his follow up. This is because of just how much time it takes to walk over to him, get in a hit, and get out of range. EXCEPT... If you use the greatsword with two hands. This is because when using the greatsword, the game will slide you over to an enemy when within a certain range, cutting down on the amount of time you need to walk over to the boss before getting in an attack. It ends up giving you just the right amount of time to safely escape his follow up.
Let that sink in for a moment. It's not safe to try and go for an opening with a non-great axe, but it's safe to go for that exact opening with a greatsword. It's really quite something.
Alright. In all seriousness, I don't think it's quite as bad as its reputation precedes. The bosses, while simplistic, can still act as surprisingly okay tests of spacing and whiff-punishing, though for all I know, it can be just as weapon-dependent as the last boss. Spacing and positioning is still very much present in most other Soulslikes to a degree (See any clear of an Elden Ring boss by Ongbal), but it definitely takes a backseat to tests of timing more often than not. That's usually not the case here.
And beyond the bosses just being "okay", there are some moments where the trifecta of spacing, whiff punishes and "clunky souls" combat actually just pops off. Aside from the archers, I found the encounters with human enemies at the very end of the game to be really fun; Since they're using the same moveset you are, that also means they're just as slow, and stun as easily. Suddenly, it becomes a game of waiting right outside their reach, watching them whiff, and hammering them with a deadly punish, with timed strikes to optimize stamina consumption so you can get in that one last hit that takes them right over the kill threshold. All while knowing that just a couple of hits will end you. At least, if you're like me and didn't bother levelling up your HP, because you were too busy spreading your stats amongst 3 different attack stats to try out different weapons.
Lastly, if there's one thing that I think all of us can acknowledge, landing a hit in this game feels amazing. Just listen to the sound of hitting something with a hammer. Fucking hell, Hexworks really should've just ripped a bunch of the weapon sounds from this game for the sequel, and called it a day.
Of course, that's not the majority of the game, and it's definitely let down by other enemies, and things like the contextual sliding on weapons. I'll let IronPineapple do the talking here. Said knight enemy can be trivialized by other forms of magic, but still, it's poor form to not give you a significant opening after breaking an enemy's guard.
Then there's the encounter design; Lord (heh) help you if you get ganked in this game. For all the complaints about ganks in its sequel, at least your guy is really quick, and has a bunch of projectiles at their fingertips that they can use to make space, and get a breather. Not as much luck here; Have fun trying to wrestle your magic gauntlet to very slowly throw an explosive while you're getting nibbled at by 3 little gremlin dudes that are as fast as any dog from Dark Souls 3.
None of this is helped by so much of the game being set in these cramped indoor corridors that give neither you, or the camera much room to maneuver. Moments where I was stuck in a hallway with my slow-ass weapon, and fast enemies charging at me had to be some of the least fun I've had in any game, period. Many times, I ended up just having to use my magic that slowed down all incoming enemy attacks in an area, and just brute-force my way through them all without giving them a chance to even attack.
So yeah. There's some fun, both unironic and kusoge-esque reasons, to be had with this game, but it's not great overall. If the sequel and Deck13's current output are of any indication, the design direction for this game is kind of a dead-end. Regardless, this game interested me enough that I was left curious as to what Lords of the Fallen 2 originally looked like before Hexworks was formed, and quite surprised at some of the ideas this game had that didn't come back in the new game, or at least were much more de-emphasized. Shield-bashing, timed attacks and variable attack speeds for weapons in a given type for the former, and a kill-based currency multiplier and more whiff-punishable bosses in the latter. Flawed, and amateurish as this game is in many, many ways, I do wish that some of its ideas lived on in a greater manner. Alas, we'll never know.
Take for example, the final boss. Almost all the openings that it seems the game is giving to you are actually completely invalid, and you'll proceed to get hit by his follow up. This is because of just how much time it takes to walk over to him, get in a hit, and get out of range. EXCEPT... If you use the greatsword with two hands. This is because when using the greatsword, the game will slide you over to an enemy when within a certain range, cutting down on the amount of time you need to walk over to the boss before getting in an attack. It ends up giving you just the right amount of time to safely escape his follow up.
Let that sink in for a moment. It's not safe to try and go for an opening with a non-great axe, but it's safe to go for that exact opening with a greatsword. It's really quite something.
Alright. In all seriousness, I don't think it's quite as bad as its reputation precedes. The bosses, while simplistic, can still act as surprisingly okay tests of spacing and whiff-punishing, though for all I know, it can be just as weapon-dependent as the last boss. Spacing and positioning is still very much present in most other Soulslikes to a degree (See any clear of an Elden Ring boss by Ongbal), but it definitely takes a backseat to tests of timing more often than not. That's usually not the case here.
And beyond the bosses just being "okay", there are some moments where the trifecta of spacing, whiff punishes and "clunky souls" combat actually just pops off. Aside from the archers, I found the encounters with human enemies at the very end of the game to be really fun; Since they're using the same moveset you are, that also means they're just as slow, and stun as easily. Suddenly, it becomes a game of waiting right outside their reach, watching them whiff, and hammering them with a deadly punish, with timed strikes to optimize stamina consumption so you can get in that one last hit that takes them right over the kill threshold. All while knowing that just a couple of hits will end you. At least, if you're like me and didn't bother levelling up your HP, because you were too busy spreading your stats amongst 3 different attack stats to try out different weapons.
Lastly, if there's one thing that I think all of us can acknowledge, landing a hit in this game feels amazing. Just listen to the sound of hitting something with a hammer. Fucking hell, Hexworks really should've just ripped a bunch of the weapon sounds from this game for the sequel, and called it a day.
Of course, that's not the majority of the game, and it's definitely let down by other enemies, and things like the contextual sliding on weapons. I'll let IronPineapple do the talking here. Said knight enemy can be trivialized by other forms of magic, but still, it's poor form to not give you a significant opening after breaking an enemy's guard.
Then there's the encounter design; Lord (heh) help you if you get ganked in this game. For all the complaints about ganks in its sequel, at least your guy is really quick, and has a bunch of projectiles at their fingertips that they can use to make space, and get a breather. Not as much luck here; Have fun trying to wrestle your magic gauntlet to very slowly throw an explosive while you're getting nibbled at by 3 little gremlin dudes that are as fast as any dog from Dark Souls 3.
None of this is helped by so much of the game being set in these cramped indoor corridors that give neither you, or the camera much room to maneuver. Moments where I was stuck in a hallway with my slow-ass weapon, and fast enemies charging at me had to be some of the least fun I've had in any game, period. Many times, I ended up just having to use my magic that slowed down all incoming enemy attacks in an area, and just brute-force my way through them all without giving them a chance to even attack.
So yeah. There's some fun, both unironic and kusoge-esque reasons, to be had with this game, but it's not great overall. If the sequel and Deck13's current output are of any indication, the design direction for this game is kind of a dead-end. Regardless, this game interested me enough that I was left curious as to what Lords of the Fallen 2 originally looked like before Hexworks was formed, and quite surprised at some of the ideas this game had that didn't come back in the new game, or at least were much more de-emphasized. Shield-bashing, timed attacks and variable attack speeds for weapons in a given type for the former, and a kill-based currency multiplier and more whiff-punishable bosses in the latter. Flawed, and amateurish as this game is in many, many ways, I do wish that some of its ideas lived on in a greater manner. Alas, we'll never know.