Fez (conlang puzzles) meets dark souls (precise and demanding fights that start you back at a bonfire), but a handy "no fail" mode makes this the first soulslike i have finished.
there's.... some stuff to like. the existence of the manual as both extra-game artifact (notes scribbled in it from a fellow player, coffee rings, etc) that shows the game in a low-res blurry mess in the background, but also an in-game Thing (an important collectible that reveals key information to you at gated points and has Implications). and for the most part, barring a few cliches, i liked the way the plot was revealed. the music is fantastic.
but also there's stuff i don't like about Souls and a cute face and an accessibility option don't take away the pain of enemies and hazards that drain your max health, or boss fights with precise and unending patterns, or opaque next steps.
this is a hard balancing act. i don't want the camera to swing towards my next objective every time the state of the world changes, and i don't want my character to mutter "need to get to the armory" every 30 seconds. but also i don't want paths blocked by geometry or to be stuck for an hour because i made a wrong turn and i don't know what to do next and none of the online guides have caught up yet. that's a hard balance. does this game achieve that balance? who am i to say!
there's.... some stuff to like. the existence of the manual as both extra-game artifact (notes scribbled in it from a fellow player, coffee rings, etc) that shows the game in a low-res blurry mess in the background, but also an in-game Thing (an important collectible that reveals key information to you at gated points and has Implications). and for the most part, barring a few cliches, i liked the way the plot was revealed. the music is fantastic.
but also there's stuff i don't like about Souls and a cute face and an accessibility option don't take away the pain of enemies and hazards that drain your max health, or boss fights with precise and unending patterns, or opaque next steps.
this is a hard balancing act. i don't want the camera to swing towards my next objective every time the state of the world changes, and i don't want my character to mutter "need to get to the armory" every 30 seconds. but also i don't want paths blocked by geometry or to be stuck for an hour because i made a wrong turn and i don't know what to do next and none of the online guides have caught up yet. that's a hard balance. does this game achieve that balance? who am i to say!