Coelacanth

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

I’m back on a NG+ run of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. I had to take a break from the misery of Blasphemous. I might play both in parallel this week. I already missed out on the “true ending” of Blasphemous by not doing the DLC early apparently so now I need to decide if I can bother going for the “good ending” or just try to rush through the final area so I can get some credit rolling action and uninstall the game for good.

Mandragora has been fun though! NG+ could maybe use a balance pass perhaps, but it’s hard to tell with the amount of build variety. So far NG+ has felt more like a victory lap than a challenge, but I did go for a fairly greedy multiclass build so it really only came together towards the end of NG. And even then, the gameplay is fun enough and traversing these beautiful locations is fun enough that I don’t mind. And there is a certain ARPG style satisfaction in seeing your character grow in power and your build come to fruition. Easy free dopamine.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Also some of the “non-lethal” fates you subject people to are way worse than just killing them.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Additionally, so many games struggle with implementing evil choices or quest resolutions that are actually satisfying or at least interesting. For example, how many times have you seen an NPC ask for a favour and the Good option is “okay I’ll accept this sidequest” and the Evil is “fuck you, I’ll decline your side quest”? How many times does the Evil option just involve murder hobo-ing to the extent that you lose a ton of content because you kill off companions and quest givers?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Yes, I was talking about video games.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Hope you’re all well, and enjoying gaming lately. Again, all apologies for my absence from Lemmy lately :)

I do miss you and your content dearly but please don’t apologise for looking after your health!

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Games that I really enjoyed:

• Final Fantasy 7 through 10
• Final Fantasy 5

So… did you skip FF VI or did you specifically not like it?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu (edited 5 miesięcy temu)

Interesting, it’s my absolute favourite personally. I don’t hear many people dislike it.

On the subject of pixel art retro styled RPGs though I want to make a case for https://store.steampowered.com/app/1069160/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory/. It doesn’t have voice acting, but otherwise should satisfy your demands given you say you tolerate pixel art. It’s very short for an RPG (16-20h) but that also means it’s very concise, has no filler and no grinding. Should play well on a Steam Deck too. I played it back in January I think and had an absolute blast with it. Cool story and world building, fun somewhat simple combat. Very enjoyable.

EDIT: though there is some dice rolling in dialogue, so maybe that’s a no go.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Still suffering my way through Blasphemous. I think I misjudged the length of it initially as I had heard it’s fairly short. I’m probably over halfway now, though. I’ve played about 13 hours and just killed Exposito.

My notes are more or less unchanged from last week. I love the story, lore and world building. The atmosphere is cool as hell and the art is great. Gameplay is janky, clunky and has an overabundance of platforming for a game that strews instant-death hazards generously all over the place and has a bunch of projectile-launching enemies hand placed to cause maximum annoyance. Plus the controls are clunky, hitboxes are janky and jumping onto and grabbing a ladder is way harder than it should be. And did I mention every single enemy deals contact damage that jolts you to the side and often knocks you off an edge?

The bosses meanwhile have been cool designs, but not really that complex or challenging. I think it’s been 3-4 tries per boss on average. They’ve been fine, but not really worth trudging through the rest of the game for.

So overall it’s been a mixed bag. I respect the game for its artistic vision, and I understand that having the player suffer is meant as a sort of method acting to go along with the game’s theme of the virtue of suffering. But I don’t know, I’m not really having fun playing it.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

No shame in enjoying a serving of slop every now and then. You can’t be expected to eat broccoli and celery all the time, sometimes you just need a burger.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Also like, the whole selling point initially for making a Bloodlines 2 was getting Brian Mitsoda back to write the script. But they’ve thrown it out to make their own story and it will be like BG3 in that sense - a sequel in name only but no actual connection to the original game(s).

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Same, all the Star Wars slop Disney has churned out has completely washed any lingering magic out of the fabric of the franchise for me. I don’t even feel the desire to watch supposedly good Star Wars products like Andor these days.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Here is where I was surprised. My second case the game makes me choose. Between placing Blame, Ascend or Descend the spirit and its most loved one. That shapes the game for you each case choice matters in the end.

What I want to know is: are the choices actually interesting, though? For so many games with choices like this they aren’t really choices. It’s just “do the right thing and get the good ending or don’t and get the bad ending”.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Can’t wait for the next serving of incomprehensible nonsense from the Nomura-Najima dream team…

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Give us one last proper Splinter Cell send-off while Michael Ironside is still alive, you cowards. A “final job” with a retiring Sam Fisher would be an amazing setup for a game. Not that I trust Ubisoft to pull it off, mind. But we can dream.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

I thought he beat cancer and was back to acting? He couldn’t do Sam Fisher in his prime anymore, but maybe an old Sam on his last legs? Though I guess the clock is ticking even for that.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu (edited 5 miesięcy temu)

(…) or the long-expected Dark Souls 3 remaster.

…heh? I mean I’ll take it but, DS3 doesn’t really need a remaster does it? Still looks great, still plays great… why? A Dark Souls 1 full remake on the other hand would be very interesting. Keep the level design, fresh coat of paint, revamp and modernize the bosses and go back and re-do some of the trash endgame areas that they just threw together on a time crunch like Demon Ruins/Lost Izalith. That would be an interesting project.

Though if we disregard the F-games apparently being Dark Souls or Armoured Core traditionally I will dream about this upcoming title being a new Tenchu game.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

They are also extremely good at re-using assets.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

It’s not really the same, but it can be enjoyable in its own way. I watch a lot of Let’s Plays, but I tend to do so mostly for games I’ve already played myself, substituting it for a second playthrough. You can watch it mostly in the background - or skip through the filler - and still get another’s perspective on the best bits.

It’s also perfectly valid to watch playthroughs for games you are interested in experiencing but would not enjoy yourself. Very difficult games like Hollow Knight are a common example for this. It will give you an approximation without driving you to frustration - or getting stuck and unable to finish.

It’s never going to be the same though since the interactive element will be missing, and that aspect is the defining feature of games as an artform.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Absolutely, just keep in mind one thing: try to find Let’s Players who take things slow and pay attention to the story. It makes a huge difference.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

If you like V you might not like VI. Probably more likely to enjoy the Vox Populi mod if you want something fresh.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

That it is. Might as well, right?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

It’s been fun to follow this past year! You’ve been through some bangers, I have an equal love for the Alan Wake games and the New Vegas DLCs are some of the best in gaming imo.

It’s been a very pleasant and cozy daily routine to read, even though I admit I am more interested whenever you’re playing something new and giving your insights and first impressions.

Regardless though these posts have been a fixture of Lemmy I appreciate, so thank you for your persistence!

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

We’ve been in an indie game boom for a while, so you should have a pretty huge variety of amazing titles to choose from. I’ve been mixing in indies with Patient Gaming of older AAA/big name titles and having a blast.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

What type of game are you looking for?

Just yesterday I played through GRIS, which was an absolutely amazing experience (though short). An interactive artwork of a journey through grief. Definitely recommend it as a short in-between game. The same developers released Neva last year, which was also very well reviewed.

Before that I played Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, which is a Soulslike Metroidvania with a PoE style skill tree. Really liked that one, the story was so-so but it has really good gameplay and super fun character customization. Good exploration, lots of secrets and i enjoyed the world as well. Looks pretty, too.

Blue Prince from earlier this year is a phenomenal game if you like escape room type puzzles. It’s an incredibly clever idea - a puzzle roguelite - and I had a great time with it. Gorgeous OST too. Definitely worth checking out, though be warned - taking hundreds of screenshots and 60+ pages of physical notes is almost required.

Earlier this year I played Skald: Against the Black Priory and I have a great amount of fondness for that game. A faux-retro RPG that pays tribute to late 80s style CRPGs it hit just right with me and ended up being my favourite RPG in a while. It’s fairly limited in scope, instead focusing on doing a few things well, and I think it really works out well for it. Beautiful music, great pixel art, great story. Also has some nice CRT emulation filters in the settings!

Which speaking of, right now I’m playing Blasphemous, which is another title with CRT emulation filters. It’s basically 2D Dark Souls but with more platforming. I have mixed feelings about the gameplay (I hate platformers) but the world building, story and lore are all immaculate and super cool.

Lastly, even though it’s in that not-quite-indie AA space you should play Claire Obscur: Expedition 33. Yes, it is actually that good, and much like when Elden Ring or BG3 released it’s kind of “required reading” to understand the zeitgeist.

But all of this is just my recent experiences off the top of my head, the list really does go on and on and on.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

That’s the best thing to do with Clair Obscur. Don’t even watch a trailer, just play it. I bought it full price, but liked it so much I subsequently upgraded to the Deluxe Edition just because I wanted to support the devs.

Skald was a really great, concise experience that really worked for me. If you like a bit of Cthulu-esque cosmic horror you’ll enjoy the world building I think. I finished it in about 20h I think, and it was very nicely paced. No filler or grinding, just a flowing story. Definitely an indie positive surprise hit.

There are tons more indie darlings though depending on what genre you’re looking for. Tactical Breach Wizards, Vampire Survivors and Balatro are just a couple that are all very different from the ones I already listed.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Those are some insane review scores. Then again Nintendo flagship titles almost always review well.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Any game that allows for a significant amount of visual customisation should have some sort of transmog system. Having to look like a clown for optimal stats is never a fun or enjoyable gameplay experience, while on the other hand feeling like you look awesome adds so much.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Steam is banning porn games!? How will I get my Northernlion Reads Steam Porn Game Reviews content now?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

If you want to be optimal you should be looking out for the Green Gear (Witcher Sets). They are all obscenely broken compared to other gear, to the point where they invalidate almost every unique item in the game. It’s one of the things I hate about the game. For the most part, gear is just a matter of picking the Witcher set that matches your build and play style.

There is a unique Steel Sword you can get at the end of Hearts of Stone depending on your choices that is actually quite good due to its unique ability. Definitely good enough to use for all of Blood and Wine. You can also get a unique Silver Sword in B&W that is very good, though it’s a quest reward that can take a while.

New Moon trousers are not bad, and the Nilfgaardian Guardsman Gauntlets are actually insane gloves, so look out for those. You should still use Witcher gear for the other two armour pieces though, for the set bonus.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) was such a banger.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

I just finished Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree today, after having to go to bed last night in the midst of fighting the last boss and coming back fresh today. That second phase definitely took me for a spin, or at least it did my particular build. Maybe a ranged build would have had an easier time. It was still a cool fight though, and that first phase was pretty much perfect.

I had a really good time with this game. The Soulslike Metroidvania with a PoE style skill tree ended up tickling me juuust right. I love theorycrafting and making builds, and it ended up being amazingly fun in this game. There is some interesting synergy you can setup by mixing and matching various classes’ skill trees, and I’m already thinking about a potential second playthrough. Though I’m actually equally tempted by going straight into NG+, as my Chaos daggers build with two teleport skills ended up being super fun to play.

I definitely recommend it, especially if you like these kinds of games. My playtime ended up at just over 40h, though that was with me exploring basically 100% and finding all the optional bosses. Not bad for a €40 game, and if you can get it on sale I’d call it a bargain.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu (edited 5 miesięcy temu)

Isn’t Celeste supposed to be rather difficult? Or is that the Ori games? Or both? Regardless, I don’t think I’ll ever play these games sadly as I’m not a god gamer, and I especially suck at platforming. Same reason I don’t think I’ll ever attempt Hollow Knight either.

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

How good are these games? Are they worth buying before the delisting just to have them?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

Both look really cool, but I am really not a big platformer guy so I’m unsure. Inside is 90% off on GOG though so might pick it up for a dollar and a half. Limbo is full price and even though it’s just $10 I don’t know that I’d like it enough. How hard is the platforming and the puzzles?

Coelacanth, 5 miesięcy temu

The creepy/dark atmosphere is actually the thing that appeals to me about them! It’s the platforming and puzzles I am worried about.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I just played through Pentiment and even on the fastest speed dialogues were painfully slow. It wouldn’t fix all the other pacing issues, but the text popping up instantly would be a huge improvement.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I have very mixed feelings about it. I also adored the art and setting, and I really appreciate the historical research that has gone into making it. And there were some well written characters in there.

But man, the game is sloooooow. The last act in particular was like pulling teeth. Reading is fine when what you’re reading about is interesting. There were so many banal, shallow and uninteresting conversations in there that really tested my patience.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I played for a while and enjoyed it, but eventually it became clear the developers were taking both the story and the gameplay in directions I didn’t like.

Heavensward was a great story, Stormblood patch quests were amazing. Shadowbringers had its very high peaks of course but even there they had started doing things in the story I hated.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

It stopped being a story with unpredictability and actual stakes. There was a time I felt like anyone was at risk, even “main characters”, and it was awesome. It just turned into more of a Sunday morning cartoon - which is fine - it’s just not for me.

I also got sick and tired of them doing the “guess who’s back from the dead?” plotline a bazillion times.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

Love your work as always! I hope your health improves soon ♥️

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

What’s your favourite build?

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

Finishing up Pentiment probably later today, and it will be nice to have it over and done with. I will appreciate having played it, but I can’t say actually playing it was all that fun. It’s beautiful, it’s well-researched and it has some interesting plots and characters in it but… god damn is it ever slow. Between the laboriously slow and often banal and uninteresting conversations and the lack of fast travel leading to half your playing time being watching your character slowly waddling across Tassing the game feels like an absolute slog to play.

I’ve been breaking up the tedium with https://store.steampowered.com/app/1721060/Mandragora_Whispers_of_the_Witch_Tree/. I’ve had my eye on it as it’s written by Bloodlines-writer Brian Mitsoda, and at 25% off on the summer sale I thought why not.

It’s a Metroidvania Soulslike with a skill tree inspired by Path of Exile, and I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. The combat has been solid, the build diversity seems great and the bosses have been good. The game is beautiful with a lovely art style and the level design is really good too.

From what I’ve seen so far I recommend checking it out if you like these types of games!

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

Nice! I gravitate to DEX builds too as it’s just so nice to have bow access. My favourite stylish build is probably dual wielding the Tracers, but that’s basically NG+ only.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

At least Molyneux has put out some good games. Yeah, they don’t have all the earth shattering features he’s promised, but there’s some good titles in his portfolio. I’m not convinced Star Citizen is a good game.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

That’s fair. As far as I know the same was true for Chris Roberts. Well, it wasn’t so much that he had a publisher that would edit him as it was that he was fired and Microsoft came in and cobbled together what was there into an actual game (Freelancer).

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I have a lifelong friend with Addison’s and it always seemed horrible to have to constantly manage and worry about. And he was fortunate enough to not also have Diabetes!

I adore your posts and will miss them dearly, but please take care of yourself and focus on your health. Don’t push yourself, if I understand right extra stress is particularly bad.

Much love ♥️

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I’m about halfway through Pentiment and I’m not sure what to think of it. There are lots of things I love about it: the art, the characters, the writing (mostly) and the historical research that’s gone into making it. All the running around and back tracking hasn’t been great. The first murder was also very unsatisfying, and it’s only now that I realise that that was the point. And I’m not sure what to think of that. It’s a strange game, with its central message seemingly being how powerless we are in the face of history and how restricted we are in our lives. Or at least people were back then. I’ll probably have to wait until I finish for my full judgement of it though.

I also snagged Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree on the Steam summer sale at 25% off. As a passionate VTM: Bloodlines fan I’ve been waiting for a reason to buy it. I’ve felt obliged to check it out as it was also written by Brian Mitsoda. Plus the game itself looked interesting. I’ve only just started playing it, but I’m enjoying it so far. The writing seems okay (not Bloodlines level) but the presentation is beautiful. I really like the splash art for characters and the cutscenes. It’s a Metroidvania Soulslike with a skill tree inspired by Path of Exile, and I can already tell I’ll have a lot of fun crafting builds here. Probably huge replayability too. The combat has felt solid so far, but I’m only at the beginning.

Coelacanth, 6 miesięcy temu

I feel like I’m way more critical of Deus Ex than some, but I’m not sure I agree that it doesn’t need mechanical refinements. From gunplay to AI to stealth there is a ton of jank there and I’d hesitate to call any of it modern feeling. Even Warren Spector was aware of this at the time, with that quote about how it’s basically a 7.5/10 FPS, a 7.5/10 stealth game and a 7.5/10 RPG, but its unique selling point is that it’s all those things at once. Personally I think the story, world, atmosphere and concept still hold up incredibly well. The rest could do with modernizing. Not least the voice acting. But I guess with the Mankind Divided sequel being canned I should have limited hopes about a Deus Ex remake getting funding.

The funding bit makes sense, I thought you were referring to something Nightdive-specific, but the post-COVID slump is something we’ve been reading about for some time now. I had hoped SS1 Remake sold enough to merit funding for a full SS2 remake as well, but maybe I need to temper my expectations.