On the surface, yet another "derivative" 'vania, which can also be said about
Afterimage (didn't like) or
Elderand (liked). I mean:
- General 3D aesthetic silimilar to Bloodstained:
- "Heavy" gothic mood kinda similar to Blasphemous (but less "crazy christian" and more "WTF cryptic"):
- Combat / weapons system similar to Dark Souls:
But!
It combines all these elements perfectly, and adds at least two important things.
1) Game's size. This is one of the biggest 'vanias (or even games in general), that I've played. Explorationfags will jizz their pants. I did.
2) Bizarre story enhanced with fantastic quests system:
(other) Pros:
- Billions of hidden areas, secrets, optional things, etc.
- Very useful "spells" (arcane): stealing stuff from enemies (even bosses), blocking their movement, familiars - you name it.
Good luck finding some of them, though. Unless you get your dirty girly hands on this baby first:
- Hard and interesting bosses. Mostly of the "filling up the entire screen" kind. But as often, the "smaller" ones can be the worst ones:
- Very good EXP + skills system (no "automatic" stat increases after level up, only skill points to distribute):
- Equipment enhancing (better stats) & enchanting (additional effects) plus crafting (blueprints + materials):
- Loved some "technical" aspects of the game. Like the fact, that every piece of equipment is visible on the character:
Or fantastic character's animations:
- Very C&C heavy. You decide who lives and who dies (in a painful way). From regular villagers to the goddesses of dark / light.
- Well-hidden and hard to pull off "true" ending. Fortunately, I was able to get it during my 1st playthrough (being an exploration sperg helped):
Cons:
- Engine (Unity) sometimes can't handle all the assets (visible slowdowns in "effects-heavy" areas).
- Kinda jumpy vertical screen scrolling.
- After some point, "regular" enemies become a joke (even when they can poison / bleed / burn / curse you). Fortunately, some bosses (esp. optional ones) are a different story...
- You can fall to your death in this game. A lot. Until you find this little baby:
- Can be too big for some little boys & girls. It took me over 24 hours to complete (level 70), but it felt much longer. In a good way (I've enjoyed every minute), but it's def. not a "short" game.
- Quicksaves require the usage of special items, which are scarce and can't be bought in shops. Save often.
- Rewards for most quests are meh, which is realistic I guess (what can you get as a reward from some poor schmuck?).
Bonus: anti-vaxxers' wet dream: