I'm not really familiar with character action games. This one often comes up in souls-game discussions as being similarly difficult and rewarding, I also know that Nioh has some foundations here so I wanted to try it out before I dive into that.
The combat is the main talking point of this game, it's simple but very fast paced, slicing up enemies is satisfying. Instead of manually locking on or aiming, your character will sort of focus on the nearest target which mostly works but feels a bit sticky, also sometimes you will attack the wrong enemy or just nothing which is frustrating. You have a very strong block which will deflect most attacks or you can roll and jump out of the way. These inputs all combo into each other fluidly which is great and allows for plenty of player expression. The core combat is extremely ambitious and actually quite good considering the game originally released in 2004.
Enemies are just as fast as the player so reacting to their attacks individually isn't really an option, instead you need to be wary of their initiative and what attacks they can do. Blocking is powerful but it's countered by heavy attacks or grab attacks that you must dodge. Enemies also have a strong block and dodge which they will randomly do sometimes. Having your attack phase through an enemy's invincibility-frame dodge is unsatisfying and I'm not sure why that's in the game.
The combat has plenty of depth but sadly a lot of it isn't explained at all in the game. The tutorialisation is woeful and the harsh game design provides a horrific skill wall for new players. Combat sections have enemies swarming you and respawning arbitrarily until you defeat them all. Some enemies will shoot projectiles at you from offscreen or simply teleport to you. Instead of checkpoints, the game uses an ancient system of save points and instant consumable heals which goes further to punish new players. The game has difficulty, sure but unfortunately it feels like a large chunk of it is more reminiscent of arcade era titles that simply want to pad playtime instead of creating a satisfying challenge to overcome.
Despite all this, I really did want to like the game. There were moments where I could see past the flaws and reach the flow state that the combat was designed for. It helped me push forwards through the game but I eventually gave up as I reached levels that were just too boring to justify putting up with the tedium. I think I could really enjoy a modern remake of this game, in fact I may even come back to play this version one day once the Stockholm syndrome kicks in (actually I'll play NGB).
Also, this is another fucking game where the developers decided to express their thinly-veiled bimbo fetish when it comes to the female character design. Expect plenty of authentic tit-wobbling during cutscenes.
The combat is the main talking point of this game, it's simple but very fast paced, slicing up enemies is satisfying. Instead of manually locking on or aiming, your character will sort of focus on the nearest target which mostly works but feels a bit sticky, also sometimes you will attack the wrong enemy or just nothing which is frustrating. You have a very strong block which will deflect most attacks or you can roll and jump out of the way. These inputs all combo into each other fluidly which is great and allows for plenty of player expression. The core combat is extremely ambitious and actually quite good considering the game originally released in 2004.
Enemies are just as fast as the player so reacting to their attacks individually isn't really an option, instead you need to be wary of their initiative and what attacks they can do. Blocking is powerful but it's countered by heavy attacks or grab attacks that you must dodge. Enemies also have a strong block and dodge which they will randomly do sometimes. Having your attack phase through an enemy's invincibility-frame dodge is unsatisfying and I'm not sure why that's in the game.
The combat has plenty of depth but sadly a lot of it isn't explained at all in the game. The tutorialisation is woeful and the harsh game design provides a horrific skill wall for new players. Combat sections have enemies swarming you and respawning arbitrarily until you defeat them all. Some enemies will shoot projectiles at you from offscreen or simply teleport to you. Instead of checkpoints, the game uses an ancient system of save points and instant consumable heals which goes further to punish new players. The game has difficulty, sure but unfortunately it feels like a large chunk of it is more reminiscent of arcade era titles that simply want to pad playtime instead of creating a satisfying challenge to overcome.
Despite all this, I really did want to like the game. There were moments where I could see past the flaws and reach the flow state that the combat was designed for. It helped me push forwards through the game but I eventually gave up as I reached levels that were just too boring to justify putting up with the tedium. I think I could really enjoy a modern remake of this game, in fact I may even come back to play this version one day once the Stockholm syndrome kicks in (actually I'll play NGB).
Also, this is another fucking game where the developers decided to express their thinly-veiled bimbo fetish when it comes to the female character design. Expect plenty of authentic tit-wobbling during cutscenes.