Since this is a private blog only my closest friends can access, you already know of my grudge with Platinum games. Their mechanics are always good, but they also reliably have enough annoyances to outweigh the positives. For Bayonetta, the slow ranking screens, failure to even mention its coolest mechanics (more players have beaten the game than used dodge offset 20 times, according to Steam), and terrible story left me cold. Wonderful 101 has a lot of charm, but a ranked combat system relying on gestures which fail 5% of the time left me 100% annoyed, and so on. However, since Platinum was pretty much the only company working in the genre, I was told that the problem was with me. That this is just what action games are, and if I’m not the kind of person to decide on multiple playthroughs before I’ve finished my first, this genre isn’t a fit for me.
I really appreciate this game providing backup for Devil May Cry in showing how all those things I’ve heard for years were completely untrue. It’s totally possible to enjoy an action game on your first playthrough. It’s totally possible for an action game with a lot of options to explain them without feeling like a tutorial fest. Action games can have really enjoyable stories that enhance the experience, even if they “don’t matter”. They can appeal to casuals and S-rank chasers; this game just reinforces how the genre doesn’t need to be as niche as people think. The combat can be enjoyed even if you’re just light attacking and dodging, but you also have a lot of tools to dig into. The main campaign is organized to have a fairly standard pace with action mixed with platforming and downtime, but after you beat the game, you’re given multiple new game modes where you get straight to the action, and then ALSO a bunch of campaign challenges in case you want to test yourself that way instead. It just… does it right. Almost all the things that annoy me have been polished away.
Of course, I realize I’m yelling at a strawman here, but you have to realize that I’ve gazed too deeply into the bad-take abyss for the last 14 years since Bayonetta came out. The amount of comments I’ve received telling me that I was filtered by a game I already beat on the highest difficulty made me lose my good sense and write a terrible review where all I did was complain to no one with overly long sentences. And also, to be at least a little fair, this game does have flaws. I think the amount of platforming and searching is a bit excessive, especially near the middle of the game. For a game based around its music, most of its soundtrack is actually pretty forgettable, and the low budget is certainly felt with Devil May Cry 5’s OST blowing it out of the water. The lack of a 1-on-1 duel to a waltz beat is an insane missed opportunity that I have to assume they left for the sequel. It also shares one of my least favorite things from Platinum titles, where extremely key skills aren’t given by default, and left at the bottom of the shop menu. Why the directional parry is separate functionality from the normal parry is simply beyond me. There’s certainly room for improvement here, but I just can’t find the same energy to complain about them when everything else is so charming. It got me excited for the genre again. Honestly, that’s all I needed to say.
I really appreciate this game providing backup for Devil May Cry in showing how all those things I’ve heard for years were completely untrue. It’s totally possible to enjoy an action game on your first playthrough. It’s totally possible for an action game with a lot of options to explain them without feeling like a tutorial fest. Action games can have really enjoyable stories that enhance the experience, even if they “don’t matter”. They can appeal to casuals and S-rank chasers; this game just reinforces how the genre doesn’t need to be as niche as people think. The combat can be enjoyed even if you’re just light attacking and dodging, but you also have a lot of tools to dig into. The main campaign is organized to have a fairly standard pace with action mixed with platforming and downtime, but after you beat the game, you’re given multiple new game modes where you get straight to the action, and then ALSO a bunch of campaign challenges in case you want to test yourself that way instead. It just… does it right. Almost all the things that annoy me have been polished away.
Of course, I realize I’m yelling at a strawman here, but you have to realize that I’ve gazed too deeply into the bad-take abyss for the last 14 years since Bayonetta came out. The amount of comments I’ve received telling me that I was filtered by a game I already beat on the highest difficulty made me lose my good sense and write a terrible review where all I did was complain to no one with overly long sentences. And also, to be at least a little fair, this game does have flaws. I think the amount of platforming and searching is a bit excessive, especially near the middle of the game. For a game based around its music, most of its soundtrack is actually pretty forgettable, and the low budget is certainly felt with Devil May Cry 5’s OST blowing it out of the water. The lack of a 1-on-1 duel to a waltz beat is an insane missed opportunity that I have to assume they left for the sequel. It also shares one of my least favorite things from Platinum titles, where extremely key skills aren’t given by default, and left at the bottom of the shop menu. Why the directional parry is separate functionality from the normal parry is simply beyond me. There’s certainly room for improvement here, but I just can’t find the same energy to complain about them when everything else is so charming. It got me excited for the genre again. Honestly, that’s all I needed to say.
3 Comments
It's definitely confused me as well. Again, Devil May Cry 1/3/4/5 are all great on the first run, but I get a lot of guff for "putting too much emphasis on the first playthrough" when I say Wonderful 101 is a slog before you've unlocked everything. Thankfully, since Plat games have been released on Steam, I get to hide behind saying that only ~2% of people end up finishing a second playthrough on Hard. Not exactly a bullet-proof argument, but I think it illustrates how the first-playthrough-is-the-tutorial idea is a bit overstated.
This is weird to hear considering I've heard from Devil May Cry fans that the first playthrough often is weaker than the latter ones. I still don't quite get the action game mentalities in general I've seen echoed, other than saying I feel they make way for uninteresting games if the first playthrough is expected to be boring.
DeltaWDunn
9 months ago
I haven't played Hi-fi Rush (or many other spectacle action games for that matter. The only Platinum games I've played are Astral Chain and Metal Gear Rising), but I'd say another good series beside Devil May Cry is Modern Ninja Gaiden. I've only played Ninja Gaiden II so far, but that one does balance expression in combat with utility moves pretty well, and as long as you stick to just a few weapons it's not super overwhelming. It is really tough though, and it has its rough spots.