So, I came back to this one more recently to commit to Hard Mode. I enjoyed my first playthrough, but I didn't really "get" the new mechanics and the balance of them- while I definitely had the initial highs of more surface-level stuff like, say;
"Holy shit I have a chainsaw gun!"
"Holy shit, you can shoulder check the bosses too???"
"Oh my god I got a MOTHER FUCKING GATLING GUN"
I knew I wasn't good at the game, and I wasn't sure how much of it was really an improvement over the previous games. Most people weren't happy with the changes from the previous games, because 1 airdash as opposed to 3 is, well, limiting. And I can see how that'd be frustrating if the new mechanics to replace it don't offer much depth to make up for it.
Now that I've gotten a few X ranks though, I dunno. I'm singing a different tune. Copen doesn't feel nerfed at all.
I think.... he's simply just been rebalanced into a character whose strengths have to be earned. They realized that the airdash mechanic was a little bit excessive, and they wanted to encourage more aggressive play.
GV2 and IX1 Copen have a very passive playstyle where you can kinda just bounce your way around the arena and float just out of harm's way. You were always locked on to the opponent, and always capable of stacking on extra layers of damage with your EX weapons. Stellar Spark gave you that reliably from the start, but bosses granted you even more ridiculous shit like the twin sabers in GV2 or... well, literally anything in IX1, really.
IX2 sidesteps that in favor of the Razor Wheel. Racking up points requires that you get in an enemy's face and slash them up. Whether that's through your triple slash combo, bashing them out of their attack animations, or locking on for safer homing shots; you HAVE to find a safe angle to approach, and you need to find a way to focus your damage before an enemy can hit you. Damage output is high, and you're rewarded for your efficiency- every quick kill nets you 30 points, so if anything, you're scoring HIGHER than in previous games as long as you're just careful about spacing.
It's when you finally get 1000 and go into Overdrive that the game opens up. While Copen starts with 1 airdash, once he enters Overdrive.... he has a meter that grants him infinite airdashes for a set amount of time. The amount of flexibility he has in Overdrive is absolutely NUTS, and when paired with the significantly higher damage output of both your Razor Wheel and this game's EX weapons... it's really a treat to breeze through levels ripping through enemies like nothing. Infinite Anchor Nexus + Whirling Chopper covers so much ground that it doesn't even feel fair anymore. But with the way the levels are designed and how much more capable some enemies are, you still have that routing aspect, so nothing's really been lost.
I get that it kind of sucks that you have to earn it now, but I feel like the game gave you all of the tools necessary to succeed. You just have to apply them.
This is my favorite of Inti's new games. The plotline is absolute nonsense and I don't... really think I care about Gunvolt lore anymore? But the gameplay, the graphics, the music and the stage / boss design all feel top notch, better than anything that they've offered in previous games... or even in GV3.
Really looking forward to an eventual IX3. I HOPE they build on the Razor Wheel, but I'm not sure if they'll go in that direction after the reception they got...
"Holy shit I have a chainsaw gun!"
"Holy shit, you can shoulder check the bosses too???"
"Oh my god I got a MOTHER FUCKING GATLING GUN"
I knew I wasn't good at the game, and I wasn't sure how much of it was really an improvement over the previous games. Most people weren't happy with the changes from the previous games, because 1 airdash as opposed to 3 is, well, limiting. And I can see how that'd be frustrating if the new mechanics to replace it don't offer much depth to make up for it.
Now that I've gotten a few X ranks though, I dunno. I'm singing a different tune. Copen doesn't feel nerfed at all.
I think.... he's simply just been rebalanced into a character whose strengths have to be earned. They realized that the airdash mechanic was a little bit excessive, and they wanted to encourage more aggressive play.
GV2 and IX1 Copen have a very passive playstyle where you can kinda just bounce your way around the arena and float just out of harm's way. You were always locked on to the opponent, and always capable of stacking on extra layers of damage with your EX weapons. Stellar Spark gave you that reliably from the start, but bosses granted you even more ridiculous shit like the twin sabers in GV2 or... well, literally anything in IX1, really.
IX2 sidesteps that in favor of the Razor Wheel. Racking up points requires that you get in an enemy's face and slash them up. Whether that's through your triple slash combo, bashing them out of their attack animations, or locking on for safer homing shots; you HAVE to find a safe angle to approach, and you need to find a way to focus your damage before an enemy can hit you. Damage output is high, and you're rewarded for your efficiency- every quick kill nets you 30 points, so if anything, you're scoring HIGHER than in previous games as long as you're just careful about spacing.
It's when you finally get 1000 and go into Overdrive that the game opens up. While Copen starts with 1 airdash, once he enters Overdrive.... he has a meter that grants him infinite airdashes for a set amount of time. The amount of flexibility he has in Overdrive is absolutely NUTS, and when paired with the significantly higher damage output of both your Razor Wheel and this game's EX weapons... it's really a treat to breeze through levels ripping through enemies like nothing. Infinite Anchor Nexus + Whirling Chopper covers so much ground that it doesn't even feel fair anymore. But with the way the levels are designed and how much more capable some enemies are, you still have that routing aspect, so nothing's really been lost.
I get that it kind of sucks that you have to earn it now, but I feel like the game gave you all of the tools necessary to succeed. You just have to apply them.
This is my favorite of Inti's new games. The plotline is absolute nonsense and I don't... really think I care about Gunvolt lore anymore? But the gameplay, the graphics, the music and the stage / boss design all feel top notch, better than anything that they've offered in previous games... or even in GV3.
Really looking forward to an eventual IX3. I HOPE they build on the Razor Wheel, but I'm not sure if they'll go in that direction after the reception they got...