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Severed (PS Vita/PSN) |OT| Swiping your way to victory limb by limb

R

RoKKeR

Member
I haven't bought a newly released/*day one* Vita game in years, but I'm doing it for Severed. Drinkbox has yet to disappoint, and this is the kind of game I am happy to support. Looks great.
 
O

oggob

Member
Available on the AU Store... will buy, can't play as I'm working... :(

AU$20.65 (inclusive of 10% discount)
 
F

Fisty

Member
Tried it at PSX, loved it. Drinkbox is quality.

The demo didnt grab me, but it was very tough to get into at that moment since Tim Schafer was like 10 ft away.
 
D

drangleic tourism

Member
FDC1 said:
After playing it for 3 hours, I'm not sure I would qualify Severed of DRPG. Sure it has that traditional aspect à la Wizardry(first person, moving case by case) but gameplay wise, the RPG component is very limited, it's much closer of a Metroidvania for me.
Click to expand...

Really? Interesting. How are you finding it so far?
 
J

Joni

Member
FDC1 said:
Yes exploration is the main componant for me: hidden rooms, backtracking after getting a skill to discover new places, etc...
Click to expand...

Which is very useful if you are stuck a bit, there are always other secrets to discover which will often give you a bit enough of a boost to get further.
Too bad the review embargo seems calculated for the US release, so I can't go too much in detail. But it is worth buying. I should be able to say that at least.
 
N

Number45

Member
This will be waiting for me when I get home (forgot to bring the Vita to work!). Looking forward to it, as I do all of their content now - turning into one of my favourite developers.
 
L

lcap

Member
How are the controls? Is it comfortable to swipe the screen every time and control with the sticks?
 
R

RoKKeR

Member
All I'm saying is it's been Tuesday for a long ass time here in Japan haha.

It's been a while since I've waited on a PSN store update.
 
P

PaulloDEC

Member
Right, I've got maybe an hour and a half in this now, so time for some impressions.

First and foremost, it's a very Drinkbox game. There's traces of Guacamelee in everything from the visuals to the writing to the design, which is a very good thing as far as I'm concerned. The world is both surreal and beautiful, as are the disturbing creatures you encounter. Even the protagonist, whom you see very little of outside of menus, has a really great look to her.

The combat is really cool so far, in that it demands timing and precision while also being very simple. You can always face in one of four different directions, and when an encounter begins you'll find a foe at one or more of those sides. The challenge is to monitor each of your foes (both by looking at them and by watching an icon representing their status at the bottom of your screen), getting hits in (slashing/swiping the touchscreen) when they're all idle or winding up and switching back to face them in time to counter incoming attacks.

Each type of creature has its own behaviors and reactions to being attacked, and each is only vulnerable to certain moves at certain times. Some have moving weak spots you need to target, while others will shield parts of their bodies from attack at different times. The ultimate goal of combat is to land many successful hits without messing up to build up a focus meter; when you do, finishing an enemy will give you the chance to slash off parts of their bodies to augment your own.

Aside from combat, I've been doing lots of exploring, some light puzzle solving and a little upgrading. It's all very nice.

Happy to take any questions from those on the fence!

lcap said:
How are the controls? Is it comfortable to swipe the screen every time and control with the sticks?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. I've been switching modes as things go along; when I'm exploring, I hold the Vita like a controller. When I enter an encounter, I hold it like a tablet (left hand top and bottom, right hand for swiping with index finger).

Takes a little getting used to, but works well once you do.
 
T

Takiyah

Member
PaulloDEC said:
The combat is really cool so far, in that it demands timing and precision while also being very simple. You can always face in one of four different directions, and when an encounter begins you'll find a foe at one or more of those sides. The challenge is to monitor each of your foes (both by looking at them and by watching an icon representing their status at the bottom of your screen), getting hits in (slashing/swiping the touchscreen) when they're all idle or winding up and switching back to face them in time to counter incoming attacks.

Each type of creature has its own behaviors and reactions to being attacked, and each is only vulnerable to certain moves at certain times. Some have moving weak spots you need to target, while others will shield parts of their bodies from attack at different times. The ultimate goal of combat is to land many successful hits without messing up to build up a focus meter; when you do, finishing an enemy will give you the chance to slash off parts of their bodies to augment your own.
Click to expand...

Wow - that is summed up really well.
 
G

get2sammyb

Member
I suspect I'll be in the minority as I said in the other thread, but it all got a bit too swipey for me. Hopefully y'all enjoy my review even if you end up loving the game:

A valiant attempt at creating a touch screen-based action experience with real depth, Severed struts confidently for four or five hours – before ultimately devolving into the same old swipe-fest that it seems to detest. Still, this is a wonderfully presented experience, with a mystifying world and some intelligent level design. If you're the kind of person who appreciates tailored Vita titles, then you'll more than get your money's worth here. It's just a shame that the studio fails to cut the foray off before it gets stale.
Click to expand...

http://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvita/severed
 
S

SmiteOfHand

Member
get2sammyb said:
I suspect I'll be in the minority as I said in the other thread, but it all got a bit too swipey for me. Hopefully y'all enjoy my review even if you end up loving the game:

http://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvita/severed
Click to expand...

I haven't played the game so I have no way of knowing, but this particular circumstance is a curiosity of mine so I hope you don't mind some probing. It is common for people to find something that works in a game, and will hold on to that thing for dear life even when new possibilities open up. Is it possible this is the cause of it feeling like a swipe-fest, ie. fixed by utilizing different approaches, or is the game truly a swipe-mash-to-win? The IGN review also mentioned a similar sort of fatigue late game, particularly with the buff system, and it is hard to get a read on if the flaw is in the game, the approach of utilizing systems, or a bit of both.
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
Bought this mainly because it's a dev I like + not a Japanese game + not an indie I've already played on PC which is a rare combo on the Vita. Have to support one of the few western devs giving any love to the platform these days.
 
J

Joni

Member
I gave it a 85/100, which means it seems I'm on the lower end.
http://www.gamed.nl/view/122432
Still, absolutely recommended. Did it in 9h30 for the Platinum.

SmiteOfHand said:
I haven't played the game so I have no way of knowing, but this particular circumstance is a curiosity of mine so I hope you don't mind some probing. It is common for people to find something that works in a game, and will hold on to that thing for dear life even when new possibilities open up. Is it possible this is the cause of it feeling like a swipe-fest, ie. fixed by utilizing different approaches, or is the game truly a swipe-mash-to-win? The IGN review also mentioned a similar sort of fatigue late game, particularly with the buff system, and it is hard to get a read on if the flaw is in the game, the approach of utilizing systems, or a bit of both.
Click to expand...
The buffs are a bit annoying because they stop the usage of some of your own upgrades, so you just have to swipe as hard as possible to win fast. This is mainly important because
there are some sections at the end that are timed through a different mechanic
 
D

darkjedi187

Member
played about 40 min and its really something else. Art style is wonderful and the game play work extremely well. I'm hoping there is some kind of quick travel, there are tons of door and area I will need to come back to.
 
G

get2sammyb

Member
SmiteOfHand said:
I haven't played the game so I have no way of knowing, but this particular circumstance is a curiosity of mine so I hope you don't mind some probing. It is common for people to find something that works in a game, and will hold on to that thing for dear life even when new possibilities open up. Is it possible this is the cause of it feeling like a swipe-fest, ie. fixed by utilizing different approaches, or is the game truly a swipe-mash-to-win? The IGN review also mentioned a similar sort of fatigue late game, particularly with the buff system, and it is hard to get a read on if the flaw is in the game, the approach of utilizing systems, or a bit of both.
Click to expand...

I don't really know how to answer without spoiling anything, so I'll try my best to talk around things. The game starts out exceptionally - battles are almost like Punch Out!! as you puzzle your way through the systems to "win". It then later combines these battles so you essentially have to multitask to stay on top. Incredible fun.

But once it reaches that pinnacle, it fails to reinvent itself towards the end, and it just builds tedium on top of tedium on top of tedium for the final few hours. I won't go into too much detail, but there's one encounter towards the end where you're on a time limit and up against an enemy who can regenerate health almost as fast as you can remove it -- and that's when holding the Vita in an optimal position to slash across the screen as fast as humanly possible.

That's the worst example, but the final couple of hours lean too much on the above and not enough on the cool, clever combat from the start.

And that means that, ultimately, it was a let down for me. The game starts with these grand ambitions to make touch combat good, but it totally runs out of steam in the latter third of the campaign.
 
S

Spiral Insanity

Banned
Severed does not show up in 'New this week' on the NA PS Store website.
But I did notice a banner, allowing me to relatively easily buy it.

But they keep on making those mistakes. Someone write an article about it.
 
E

etrain911

Member
I own and love my Vita, but are there any chances of this coming over to PS4 too? I'm super hype to buy it and would love to experience it on a bigger screen. I feel like the touch pad could be put to good use for once, too.
I feel like my Vita has purpose again.
 
J

Joni

Member
darkjedi187 said:
played about 40 min and its really something else. Art style is wonderful and the game play work extremely well. I'm hoping there is some kind of quick travel, there are tons of door and area I will need to come back to.
Click to expand...

No. But you will get powers that open up shortcuts.

etrain911 said:
I own and love my Vita, but are there any chances of this coming over to PS4 too? I'm super hype to buy it and would love to experience it on a bigger screen. I feel like the touch pad could be put to good use for once, too.
I feel like my Vita has purpose again.
Click to expand...
Touchpad wouldn't be accurate enough.
 
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