The biggest problem with Deadlight is all the misinformation towards the game and what it really is.
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Deadlight |OT|
- Thread starter Daigoro
- Start date
The biggest problem with Deadlight is all the misinformation towards the game and what it really is.
I was wondering about that, because from the demo it seems to live up to classics like Another World or Flashback(framerate issues aside), but it doesn't fare too well with reviewers(69 at Metacritic). Considering how good the demo was I kinda figured that something has to go wrong later on or that people today don't appreciate the cinematic platformer like they used to, which is fair enough, since they typically exhibit some pretty obvious flaws.
Is Deadlight bad/mediocre because of poor workmanship/design or because the flaws are less forgivable today? Regardless, I enjoyed the demo very much and will buy it tomorrow.
Phonomezer
Banned
Just finished it... took me at least 4 to 5 hours to complete, even though the leaderboard is telling me 2 hours.
The game is a little rough around the edges; some inputs don't register occasionally, the zombies are awfully annoying and there are times when it just comes down to trial and error.
In terms of visuals and atmosphere, it might be right up there with LiMBO as far as XBLA games go. Absolutely gorgeous. I really enjoyed it, but I can understand why people might be a little upset about the 1200MSP, but really, most people spend more money on bullshit each week, so I think it's worth diving in.
The only real complaint I have about the game is the writing, specifically the Diary entries. May just be because the developer is located in Spain, but it's really, really bad in some places.
The story is forgettable, but it isn't the focus of a game like this imo. Reviewers trying to compare it to TWD are doing it wrong.
The game is a little rough around the edges; some inputs don't register occasionally, the zombies are awfully annoying and there are times when it just comes down to trial and error.
In terms of visuals and atmosphere, it might be right up there with LiMBO as far as XBLA games go. Absolutely gorgeous. I really enjoyed it, but I can understand why people might be a little upset about the 1200MSP, but really, most people spend more money on bullshit each week, so I think it's worth diving in.
The only real complaint I have about the game is the writing, specifically the Diary entries. May just be because the developer is located in Spain, but it's really, really bad in some places.
The story is forgettable, but it isn't the focus of a game like this imo. Reviewers trying to compare it to TWD are doing it wrong.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Well I beat Homefront in 3 and half hours, although it was garbage....90mins for $15 seems like real good value in comparison
AHA-Lambda
Member
And this is what I was fearing from everything else I've heard =/
Guess I'm going to just skip it until a cheap sale comes along.
This was the one bad point I thought from the demo, some of the writing there was pretty damn bad =s
BruiserBear
Banned
For those freaked out by the "Time Played" counter in the menu, it is NOT accurate. I interviewed Raul Rubio, Tequila Works CEO and Creative Director on Deadlight, and after we stopped recording and started bullshitting he told me that the counter is a bug that will be fixed in a patch. Hopefully he doesn't get pissed off at me for saying that.
Check out the interview here if you're curious. It starts in the middle of the show somewhere (no timecodes handy, sorry). He actually has great stories about how the game was originally in black-and-white before Limbo came along, what Tim Schafer has to do with Deadlight, and more. Raul seems like a really cool, really humble dude.
and now we come back to reality about the length of the game........
I finished the first act earlier and it took me well over an hour to finish it.
I bought it and played about 1 1/2 hrs this morning before I had to quit. So far I'm enjoying it a lot. Looking forward to finishing it up.
Too bad about the leadboard issues.
For the record I disagree that the demo is the best part. I found the game got more enjoyable after the demo section personally.
Too bad about the leadboard issues.
For the record I disagree that the demo is the best part. I found the game got more enjoyable after the demo section personally.
Problems with the displayed timer or not, the game's still short. It just ends up being however long it is for you depending on how quickly you can figure out the parts where a solution to progression might not be clear at first.
And I don't just mean short in terms of time—I mean short in terms of it feeling like the game just suddenly ends before it was meant to end.
And I don't just mean short in terms of time—I mean short in terms of it feeling like the game just suddenly ends before it was meant to end.
Soyongdori
Member
Game looks good enough for XBLA.
And this means what? Because some of the greatest games in history have been released on xbla (Trials for instance).
Sounds like a shitty drive by troll job.
WheelHoss1
Member
Once again, reviewers are idiots. Just like Demon's Souls, SOCOM, and a million other great games.
If you don't like this game, you don't like gaming. Chill out and enjoy simple pleasures at their best. Play it at night!
If you don't like this game, you don't like gaming. Chill out and enjoy simple pleasures at their best. Play it at night!
Different people have different tastes. I liked the game, but it's got some big problems.
WheelHoss1
Member
All games have problems. But not all games let you just stand in the rain and watch the wind blows the trees around...and that is enough.
I'm just saying that a game like this getting such a low score and a game like Mass Effect 3 getting such great scores says something to me about an agenda to push bigger games and not give smaller games a chance (sometimes).
I'm just saying that a game like this getting such a low score and a game like Mass Effect 3 getting such great scores says something to me about an agenda to push bigger games and not give smaller games a chance (sometimes).
Vinterbird
Member
Thanks. Lovely to know I'm an idiot because I thought the level design and story was bad.
Uhh, I don't think that's true at all. There have been many celebrated indie games released this year to very good scores.
Dyad, Spelunky, Sine Mora, Dust Force, Legend of Grimrock, Journey, Closure, Fez etc. All games released this year that did very well with the press.
I don't think it's fair to drag Mass Effect 3 into this simply because you're not happy with Deadlight scores. Mass Effect 3 is a solid game in its own right.
I'm loving Deadlight myself, but I don't think there is some conspiracy in play to bring it down. A lot of people were really excited for the game and were clearly disappointed with the end results.
Wow, what a great demo. A shame so many have stated the gameplay goes downhill after that since it has given me pause regarding a purchase. I suspect I'll wait for a sale or PC version.
For those complaining about play time, I think $15 for 4-5 hours of gameplay is reasonable. Though it varies by genre, one shouldn't forget that full price games are considered long at the 20 hour mark, with 10 hour campaigns not being all that rare. Obviously whether a game feels short or long may be a different issue, but we shouldnt penalize short games provided they're cheaper. I always use Portal as the reference. It wasn't short, it was the right length.
For those complaining about play time, I think $15 for 4-5 hours of gameplay is reasonable. Though it varies by genre, one shouldn't forget that full price games are considered long at the 20 hour mark, with 10 hour campaigns not being all that rare. Obviously whether a game feels short or long may be a different issue, but we shouldnt penalize short games provided they're cheaper. I always use Portal as the reference. It wasn't short, it was the right length.
Dance Inferno
Unconfirmed Member
I am really excited about this game, have been for a while now. I was going to buy it the first chance I got, but then I looked at my backlog and was shamed into holding off. I will probably buy this game when it goes on sale for $10 or less.
For the record I would totally buy this at full price, but I just have so many arcade/indie games I still need to finish first (LIMBO, Trine 2, Superbrothers: Swords and Sorcery EP, Bastion, Psychonauts) that I can't justify getting this game just yet.
For the record I would totally buy this at full price, but I just have so many arcade/indie games I still need to finish first (LIMBO, Trine 2, Superbrothers: Swords and Sorcery EP, Bastion, Psychonauts) that I can't justify getting this game just yet.
BruiserBear
Banned
lol
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Wasn't really impressed with the demo, but I like the style so I'll pick it up down the road... on PC.
I personally believe that's the case with Deadlight.
Nothing - apart that weird profile/HDD error message and one single glitchy fall when I was messing around a platform - seems to me badly designed/developed.
I loved Deadlight, and its way to constantly reminding me of Another World's and classic Prince of Persia's mechanics.
Sure, the game progression is linear - if you just try and pick the alternate path you won't get anything if not a bonus 'room' with its little reward - but the game has never been presented as the next metroidvania... So sad people may believe to other people whining 'awww, it's not my Shadow Complex 2 that I totally made up Deadlight would have been! I hate it! It's sooo bad!'
Tequila's game seems to expect the player to follow a certain rythm and use alot of precision, while playing: some platforming needs a good amount of calibration (just to say... Don't expect any kind of lock on to any object) but the controls never failed me. There's some tricky trial'n error, here and here, but I've seen so much worse in AAA retail masterpieces.
Also, why the melee and gunfire should be classified as bad/frustrating? If you just run forward, mindlessly swinging your axe, you'll be quickly out of stamina and overwhelmed by the zombies but... Where exactly is this bad or unfair? Especially since the game usually leaves the player a few other ways to come out of an unconvenient situation.
Really, the last few minutes of Deadlight - which I'm sure so many people will hate with a passion - are a proper love letter to Eric Chahi, in my opinion (no spoilers here, I'm not talking about actual contents).
The Bookerman
Member
Hmmm Has anybody picked up on this, I found an ID, the name on it was : Karla L Homolka.
Wiki Entry
That shit freaked me out(She probably one of the most well known serial killer here in canada)
From wiki page said:
Wiki Entry
That shit freaked me out(She probably one of the most well known serial killer here in canada)
It's well known.
From Tequila: ALL the IDs belong to famous serial killers. Its a private joke about madness and how serial killers may be mostly the most prepared to survive a zombie outbreak.
FateBreaker
Member
I've been an idiot for years too, apparently. I know that feel bro.
From the WorthPlaying review:
WorthPlaying said:
It's pretty obvious once you start playing (though Homolka's ID isn't the first to find in terms of progression) so I'd expect most reviewers would have noticed it, even if they don't call it out specifically in their reviews.
IIRC, the first two I found were John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer.
In most games such a focus on the depraved members of society might have seemed out of place and having a mass-murderer currently front and center in the news headlines these days helps raise the question of focus, but for Deadlight it works. With everything that the game is trying to convey, it is another layer to the horror.
toythatkills
Member
That section might be a love letter to Eric Chahi, but it's scrawled onto the living room wall in wax crayon.
There's one particular thing in Deadlight that really annoys me, which can only be put down to bad (or lazy) design. It's a very minor thing, of basically no importance at all, but it just says "we don't care." A whole bunch of things in the game aren't solid. When you get your slingshot, you can shoot it at ceilings or at walls on the side of levels, and a lot of the time your projectile won't bounce off, it'll just go right through and arc down as if the ceiling/wall wasn't there. As I say, it's of no importance at all, but all I can picture are developers going "ah, players probably won't interact with that, I can't really be bothered to make it properly."
ThatCrazyGuy
Member
played the demo late last night. Loved it. My backlog is pretty big right now, so I will pick this when it gets a little smaller.
Dog Problems
Banned
The diary is hard to read at times. I keep going right up to the TV in hopes of seeing it better.
Just finished it and thought it was wonderful. Great atmosphere, decent gameplay and a predictable but enjoyable (and a lot of the time well presented) story. I really hope people play this because it's up there with Limbo, Braid and BC:R in terms of sidescrolling games on XBLA.
Yes, it's a great game. Been playing it all day and I am now near the end after about five hours. It's trial & error but it's not worse than Limbo or similar games. Controls are fantastic, graphics are gorgeous and while the game is linear and the story shallow it still has that "just one more time" appeal to reach the next area. It's demanding but at the same time rewarding. It's a great puzzle platformer.
I was dying at every shadow encounter during the second half as I wanted to conserve my 38 special and shotgun ammo. I decided that since I'm gonna have to reload the checkpoint anyway I would go into a area with guns blazing then take my time to find a way to the next room/area, then I would reload the checkpoint and do it without the guns
toythatkills
Member
It's far worse than LIMBO for trial and error. LIMBO isn't trial and error at all, everything in LIMBO you can see/hear coming if you're careful.
In Deadlight you walk into a building and it collapses and it's impossible to predict.
beat it today and got 400/400. pretty easy 400 pts. there were a couple of annoying/troublesome spots, but nothing overwhelming. i enjoyed my time with the game.
a solid B game (this is no C level game). it had its issues, but i liked it. i think it was probably around the right length. too much longer would have been overkill for me honestly. another 20-30 minutes tops and i wouldve gotten bored.
i can see not wanting to spend $15 on it and waiting for a sale, probably a good idea. but i was fine paying for it.
a solid B game (this is no C level game). it had its issues, but i liked it. i think it was probably around the right length. too much longer would have been overkill for me honestly. another 20-30 minutes tops and i wouldve gotten bored.
i can see not wanting to spend $15 on it and waiting for a sale, probably a good idea. but i was fine paying for it.
Nah, Limbo also has plenty of trial and error and stuff that kills you out of nowhere the first time.
Beat the game today. Really good stuff. Planning on replaying this weekend.
After reading the diary, which I haven't completed, i get the weird feeling that
Anyways, nothing really factual, just a weird feeling.
After reading the diary, which I haven't completed, i get the weird feeling that
Randall is a serial killer.
There are two pages that mention the two hippie girls that came back to the mountain, and he writes "I can't stop myself from defending it. My homeland. I am an animal that defends its territory. I'm in charge and the vermin finish the job."
He also hates people, had a tough childhood, collected Karla's hair as a reminder (nothing indicates that he killed her before she was zombied, but it's weird), has fucked up dreams and drawings in his diary, especially the one with the two dead kittens, which occured before he killed his wife and child. Also, y'know, he killed his family rather easily.
There are two pages that mention the two hippie girls that came back to the mountain, and he writes "I can't stop myself from defending it. My homeland. I am an animal that defends its territory. I'm in charge and the vermin finish the job."
He also hates people, had a tough childhood, collected Karla's hair as a reminder (nothing indicates that he killed her before she was zombied, but it's weird), has fucked up dreams and drawings in his diary, especially the one with the two dead kittens, which occured before he killed his wife and child. Also, y'know, he killed his family rather easily.
Anyways, nothing really factual, just a weird feeling.
Well,
Randall, Randy, Wayne... They are all names of real serial killers, as well as the IDs you can find on the way. And about those girls, I had the same feeling: first thing I thought has been 'wtf, did he just kill them?'
Dog Problems
Banned
Well I finished it yesterday and I'd say it took 5 to 6 hours. Up until the end, and I guess even now that it's over, it's felt like the first episode of a series. I don't know why. I totally saw the ending coming, too. So predictable. Anyway, I liked it and if it shows up on Steam one day I'll buy it again.
Dog Problems
Banned
Nah, I read maybe one. Once I finished I went back to read all of them. My completion rate is 95%, if I'm remembering right.
You're not basing your time on what the game is telling you, are you? I'm pretty sure as of now it's reporting wrong times.
Well, when you go to leaderboards in the menu it says 1:45:xx for me, so yes, I am basing it on that. But it felt longer than that, so maybe 3 to 4 hours.
Dog Problems
Banned
Yeah, mine says something like 2:30 and I know for a fact that's wrong.
toythatkills
Member
The timer doesn't count deaths, it only counts the time that you got past each part.
Plasticine
Member
I picked up a couple IDs, but didn't notice the names -- I'm very bad about paying attention to the details on things like that. I did notice Arthur L. Allen, and thought it was a strange reference to make. But since Karla Homolka was used as well, I think I'll start paying attention to the details of what I'm picking up.
Edit: After playing a bit more of the game, I checked the other IDs I found. So far I have Aileen Wurnos, Ottis Toole and Richard Chase. It's an interesting selection of serial killers. I wonder if it means anything.
That's exactly what I'm trying to say here. The game only counts the playtime without deaths. It took me about 5 hours to complete for the first time, while the ingame clock said I played 1 hour and 58 minutes. I played through the game twice more, one time for the collectibles and one time as a speedrun (1 hour and 8 minutes). The only comparison I'm trying to make is the one that you are defending with your post.
Man, two big trail and error levels back to back was kind of testing my patience. Cinematic gameplay doesn't work so well when you've failed over and over and over. It's not enough to where I would quit the level and come back but it was just enough not to be fun anymore.
Game has some great atmosphere though and it really does feel like a 2D survival horror at points thanks to the low ammo count and the fact that if you get swarmed you're dead.
Game has some great atmosphere though and it really does feel like a 2D survival horror at points thanks to the low ammo count and the fact that if you get swarmed you're dead.