More reviews? Nice. Game could certainly use the coverage.
Speaking of reviews, I don't suppose y'all have already rated the game on eShop?
I'm still on Chapter 1, but if this is really all the gameplay has to offer ... I don't know how this scored above a 5/10 anywhere.
I am pretty early on though, so I hope it gets better. But so far it's basically just spam one button to attack, lift them in the air, spam attack again, then end with a strong hit. Your super meter fills up super fast. Nothing even hits me.
I've played about 10 levels, and I'm already very bored. And they want you to replay each level with each character, and then again in Frantic mode which is even easier. And the 3D effect looks a little unstable at times.
Does the combat actually get better? I don't think I'm asking too much to hope that a beat em up has at least as much combat depth as Streets of Rage 2, a 20 year old game ... but so few live up to even that standard.
I think everyone here can attest to how easy Frantic is -not- later on in the game.
Anyways, Chapter 1's a drag story-wise as it's mostly character intros. It's also, well, the intro, so missions will be understandably easy. If you're getting A-ranks effortlessly or don't care about ranks at all, you won't be having much fun finishing the chapter, maybe even the rest of the game.
If you do care about ranks though, later chapters introduce tougher, more varied enemies in larger groups. While they probably won't be killing you unless you're in Frantic Mode, they'll be just enough of a threat to make beating them up satisfying (at least for me) and enough of a threat to deny you an A-rank if you aren't careful. Certainly cost me a few, especially with characters I don't normally use (i.e. everyone that isn't Katsuragi). Story also gets MUCH better, so that's a plus.
Chapter four and five aren't getting done on Frantic. I can't seem to invincible enough, and there's no way in hell to dodge all the crap they throw at you.
Can't say about Chapter Five as I've not Frantic'd it yet, but Chapter Four's definitely possible. Stick to the sides if you can and do full-on runs. You can quickly scout an area for crossbow users that way then move in to unload a Ninja Art. No invincibility when running, but enemies generally don't attack until you're close enough and by the time they do attack, you'll have run past them.
so what does it mean when you occasionally get the message ' new flash thing unlocked check your tech list' ?
It means check your tech list.
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Combos will slowly expand as you level up. Will differ slightly depending on which mode you're in. Checking your tech list (top-right corner of the touchscreen during missions) will save you a bit of experimentation.
So far I'm finding the biggest challenge to be knowing when to stop comboing a group of enemies since they're all dead, haha.
Helps to check the enemy health bar (top screen top-right corner).
