I'm on the final 2 levels to go I believe.
I'm waiting to wrap it up and then see arcade mode, or if there's difficulty unlocks.
If I had to judge it right now 80% complete I would have the most mixed feelings ever. The game struggles in so many facets just like ragebound but also in many ways ragebound doesn't.
The ultimate question I ask myself when I play this of any game is "am I having fun?" And more often than not with this title it's a resounding no.
I put it in the other thread but some of my issues are:
-You can't slash up
-The wall jump mechanic is retarded. Why can't I jump on the same wall? This was solved back on what, megaman X 1?
-The pacing of levels never hits the flow state. You're not going fast due to exploring, and they just feel award. A few small jumps, one or two enemies, then an arena to fight enemies.
-Getting new moves or upgrades is good but do they even matter in the end if the game never challenges you?
-The combo system and combat is actually great but the execution system derails it because enemies have awkward health pools of your damage is so it's extremely rare to not overkill things on a regular basis before getting the execution off.
-I wish there was a mechanic or tool to always deal with projectile enemies. They often are the most frustrating to have to deal with. Can't roll through them can't slash them back or stop them or parry.
-The dodge isn't capable to be done on a whim to avoid being hit. If you're in a 3 hit combo and want to dodge, the enemy does an attack you don't get invincibility frames. You have to predict enemy attack timings to be able to dodge in advance not on reaction. It breaks up the combat flow and speed.
The game obviously looks great. Likely the best looking game of the year. It's got a good soundtrack. When you are in a good combat arena room and racking up the combo hits juggling baddies it feels soooo good. But it's so fucking rare to enter the flow state (my term I use) in combat or in platforming in this game. It just wants to spoil it so bad.
Ragebound doesn't have flow state often either for other reasons.
The game this year that nailed this feeling is Rogue Prince of Persia. It feels soooo good to move fast and fight fast in that game.
Yeah these points are valid.
Level design I addressed as well, there is no good flow to it since its a metroidvania lite (meaning zones are broken up, but each one is a small maze). Revenge is methodical but you can advance quickly if you know what to do.
In Shinobi 3 you can dash, dive kick enemies, wall jump, and just continue to the goal. It has a fantastic pacing because its more linear and most enemies still only take 1 shot. Its a beautifully crafted game.
I just don't like Metroidvania design in action games such as Shinobi. Strider I ended up appreciating (I had less issues with its navigation), but I'd still prefer a classic Strider 3. Metroidvania means exactly what you describe; you get large open rooms with a few fixed enemies, some corridors with dead ends, lots of locked doors and back an forth travel. The pacing generally goes out of the window. Lots of loose and nonsensical rings and platforms, meaning often you don't have to time a jump at all.
Enemy projectiles are fucking annoying, and I beat Revenge and 3 like 10 times, in this new one its just annoying. Esp. on moving platforms, scrolling sections or with cluttered foregrounds. Combined with the awkward shuriken timing (which was for me never an issue in Shinobi), I generally hate drones in this game. Even the jump kick arc tends to prioritize eating a bullet (again, never an issue in 3)
Hell, in Revenge and 3 you could block, in 3 even without power up I think. This means you could close distance to gun enemies.
TLDR its a good game, but I would prefer Shinobi 4.
mèx
for the GIFs you see in this OT.
