Valdis Story: Abyssal City

i think i'm about a bit more 50% of the game (maybe a lot more, i cannot tell, i managed to beat about 10 bosses) gameplay needs to be quite precise, and may be frustrating, but with a few hours, you should get the grip of it. But you still rage of being thrown out of a platform :) remember, when you need precision, use directional pad, not the thumbpad... you have a lot of choice of character development, which is really great. the game is beautiful, you feel that a lot of work has been put into game design & graphics. Only complaint for now, the map. The map is crappy, which is a shame for a castlevania like game. *special exit like a red door, are never colored. The map just tells you, there is an exit from this room. For secret inside room, you'll have to backtrack manually. *you cannot parse another section of the global map but the one you are in *connections between maps, are not mapped nor listed :) if section A leds to B & C, i've got no other way than memorize it. Which i don't. I have to walk through the whole world to find it again. very compelling game though, i'll say 4.5/5, because of the bloody map.

Let me start with the positives, the game is really pretty, animates super well, the music is wonderful, the game is colorful and has nice art. What it does, it does well, you even get some character variety in the mix with different play styles and story. The combat is also really fun as well, allowing for a range of combos and moves thanks to the skills and even a new weapon adding to what you can do. The thing that makes this game hard to recommend is the controls...You have a form of dash that allows you to dash forward or straight down and that's usually a useful move. There is no dedicated button for this move, you hit diagonal/down and you dash, hit it in the air and you dash straight down. See where the problem is? I can't say how many times I accidentally dashed straight down a pit and had to retread old ground or tried to dash off an edge only for it to not work. The other issue is, this game has no platforms you can go through, or ladders. Sounds like an odd complaint till you factor in you can wall jump off most walls and instead of being able to move through the floor you now have to go through winding hallways through every area in the game, making it feel like the game is artificially lengthened. This only being more frustrating when you fell because of the controls and have to do all this again. Speaking of the map, you only get a map of the area you're in, so no overworld map meaning you either gotta look one up or know where you're going. I really wanted to like this game, and the thing is I kind of do. But the controls and awkward navigation REALLY made it hard for me to finish the game, and I did finish it and it was really interesting but I can say frustration was equally met with fun which to me is a bit of a miss. It's by no means terrible, it's a good game that just needs refinement....and a dash button.

On somewhat of a whim, I purchased this game about a week ago in a vague hope of re-living a bit of Metroidvania style nostalgia. I settled in for what I thought was going to be a short crack and found myself utterly engrossed until about 6am when my eyes gave out and I passed out dreaming of boss-fights. This is a beautiful game with clear art direction, engrossing and free-flowing combat (thanks to a mechanic called 'skill-cancels') and a sensible smorgasboard of RPG elements. It will not be obvious where you need to go, or how to solve puzzles or even how to beat different bosses (expect to die the first time you face most of the bosses), but you learn each time and feel like you're making progress. I made my first run-through of the game on hard and finished the game but it probably took me 20-25 tries on the final boss to finally get the bugger (at which point I did a victory lap of my house). Some of the reviews paint this game as being nigh impossible or that you need to be 110% perfect to get through on normal difficulty, and I don't find this problem at all, it's a good difficulty for gamers. A great game that is most of all rewarding - each victory feels like a huge accomplishment and a boss fight is actually something to be feared ... you know,.. like the good ol' days.

I really, really wanted to like this game. A graphically gorgeous Metroidvania with a deep combat system and RPG elements? Sign me up. However, this game falls short in too many ways for it to be an overall enjoyable experience. The story here has some surprising depth to it, with a lot of lore and world-building on display. There's also an interesting twist on the usual "good vs evil" formula. However, there's a handful of typos, grammatical errors, and strange delivery in this game, which is indicative of the game's overall quality: great in concept, erratic in execution. The graphic and musical parts of this game are probably its strongest aspects. The game is gorgeous and vibrantly colored throughout, although it goes a bit overboard with the particles in some areas. The game's audio component is similarly beautiful, and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of music on display here. I can tell that there's a good game to be had here, but it's held back by poor design decisions and too much fake difficulty. It's very easy to get lost in this game, and not know where it is you're supposed to go next. Your map will give you a vague idea like "Find X item" or "Go to Y place", but will offer little to no directions on how to achieve your goal, making it into a guessing game. The controls of the game also leave much to be desired. I found myself constantly frustrated as I watched my character get juggled and stun-locked by enemies, often because the controls didn't do what I intended them to do. I don't mind difficult games in the least, but when none of the mistakes feel like my fault, there's a problem. It's also very easy to get knocked off ledges by enemies, falling down several screens and having to re-do some sections. Enemies also felt like they randomly didn't follow their combat script, which made some fights overly difficult. There is definitely enjoyment to be had with this game, but player beware, because it will fight you every step of the way.