Posted on: November 21, 2023
swiftswordrush
Verified ownerGames: 87 Reviews: 1
Needs Polish Yet Solid
I've played through the game and experienced just about everything it has to offer at 90% completion. It's a solid game, but I think it still needs a few touches to bring it from good to great. The game has atmosphere, art, weapon design, animations, and map size--holy crap the map is freaking huge--all done well. It isn't winning any prizes in innovating on classic Metroidvania gameloops/mechanics, but it isn't trying to be. It's trying to present a *somewhat* Bloodborne-esque experience in a 2D setting--and for that, I would say they accomplished it (with the caveat that there's an argument it's more of a Castlevania experience with Bloodborne-esque twist). Here's the unfortunate stuff. Movement is slow. Not just slow; I would use the word sluggish. There's no going fast through areas: you've got one movement speed, and it constantly feels like it's too slow (it isn't too slow for combat, but the map is huge, remember). Furthermore, the dodge input has a built-in delay so you can't over-rely on it...and that delay, while understandable for preventing panic rolling, also feels longer than it should. Which means it adds to that tangible sluggishness in a way that stops the game and combat from feeling smooth. Buttery smooth, like its peers Hollow Knight and Blasphemous feel. There is also the matter of collision box problems and an egregious amount of ledge grabbing issues the game has (yes, sometimes I would have to jump at a ledge 3-7 times to get the game to register I wanted to climb up). There's a nugget of greatness here, and I'm hoping the developer continues to polish this game to reach that level of flawless gameplay I know it's capable of.
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