I want to add Black Souls 2 but I can't CAN I JUST PLEASE ADD BLACK SOULS 2
Ahem.
The question of the ages since... uh, dark souls 1 released; What is a soulslike? It's a confusing question that nobody has a good answer to. What makes a soulslike? Is it simple combat with a stamina meter? Is it the atmosphere? Is it a storytelling style predominately told by item descriptions and vague npc dialogue? Is it crash bandicoot? Mysteries, mysteries.
Black Souls is definitively a soulslike, despite being an rpg maker game. It misses a lot of typical checkboxes, but I think any single person that has played a single souls game will turn on Black Souls 1 and feel IMMEDIATELY what it's inspirations are. Not just because you start in a prison filled with undead where you are given your estus flask, but even further than that.
The way the maps spread out and sometimes coil on each-other, this bizarre atmosphere of a land that is simultaneously alive and dead. The NPC's actually feel a lot more direct in what they say, but their ambiguous goals and directives that all progress as you progress, it all feels the same. In a good way!
Indeed, while Black Souls is incredibly derivative in a way some might find distracting, the obvious combat system change due to... being an rpg maker game gives it a different flavor, and the theming across different fairy tale stories also let it tackle ground that the souls games never did.
The main issue of the game is... mostly, the game is busted to bits. It's not hard to break, and it's sadly not all that fun to break either. Combat becomes same-y quickly, and you'll find yourself going through the motions fast. A lot of the cool presentation and story of the game lacks punch because of it.
I will say, the story and hints at the greater setting are both intriguing to me. Maybe it's my own love for the works it references, but the ideas presented, both lovecraftian and whimsical in nature, go together and create something unique to it.
Anyways, I think Black Souls 1 feels like a large prototype to Black Souls 2, and the dlc that it would bring forth. I'd like to write a review for that, if this damn site would let me.
Ahem.
The question of the ages since... uh, dark souls 1 released; What is a soulslike? It's a confusing question that nobody has a good answer to. What makes a soulslike? Is it simple combat with a stamina meter? Is it the atmosphere? Is it a storytelling style predominately told by item descriptions and vague npc dialogue? Is it crash bandicoot? Mysteries, mysteries.
Black Souls is definitively a soulslike, despite being an rpg maker game. It misses a lot of typical checkboxes, but I think any single person that has played a single souls game will turn on Black Souls 1 and feel IMMEDIATELY what it's inspirations are. Not just because you start in a prison filled with undead where you are given your estus flask, but even further than that.
The way the maps spread out and sometimes coil on each-other, this bizarre atmosphere of a land that is simultaneously alive and dead. The NPC's actually feel a lot more direct in what they say, but their ambiguous goals and directives that all progress as you progress, it all feels the same. In a good way!
Indeed, while Black Souls is incredibly derivative in a way some might find distracting, the obvious combat system change due to... being an rpg maker game gives it a different flavor, and the theming across different fairy tale stories also let it tackle ground that the souls games never did.
The main issue of the game is... mostly, the game is busted to bits. It's not hard to break, and it's sadly not all that fun to break either. Combat becomes same-y quickly, and you'll find yourself going through the motions fast. A lot of the cool presentation and story of the game lacks punch because of it.
I will say, the story and hints at the greater setting are both intriguing to me. Maybe it's my own love for the works it references, but the ideas presented, both lovecraftian and whimsical in nature, go together and create something unique to it.
Anyways, I think Black Souls 1 feels like a large prototype to Black Souls 2, and the dlc that it would bring forth. I'd like to write a review for that, if this damn site would let me.