Returnal (30th April 2021)

[Julius]

On 06/12/2021 at 10:45 AM, Julius said:

In terms of gameplay, it hasn't quite fully clicked for me yet

Well: it clicked. 

Beat the first boss on my first run yesterday on probably my third or fourth attempt at it. I found that ranged attacks and, as @drahkon pointed out, dodging (a lot) really helped. That last phase definitely gets wild, though! 

Put the game down after as it was a bit late, but then picked it up in the second biome today. Yeah, this game still looked gorgeous in a completely different hue, and the enemy variety and enemy composition of some of these rooms was just a whole lot of fun to take on. And man, some of those enemy designs are just so...alien, for lack of a better word, that I've got to double down on what I said before about some of them looking Lovecraftian. This game is basically the lovechild of Prometheus and Edge of Tomorrow, and I love it. 

There were a few times today where I was on the brink of death but really getting to grips with different types of weapons, all of the abilities at my disposal, and learning about new mechanics through experimentation (though I do think the lack of explanation of some mechanics does make the game a little tough to get a read on early on) really pushed me to feel like, even this early on, I've already got some level of mastery over Selene's capabilities, and have the confidence to turn the odds around. This is to say: it feels good. 

Today I got about two thirds through in the second biome on my first attempt at it (continuing yesterday's run), before dying in a room where I learned far too late that dodging was disabled...meaning that I tried to dodge phase through some lasers as I finished reading that the dodge was disabled at the bottom of the screen  

Second run of the day, spent a fair bit of time in the first biome getting the right gear before carrying on, and got all the way to the second biome boss...and I killed it on my first try! An Astronaut Figurine did save the run, but I managed to get it down to a sixth of it's final health bar before I needed it to kick in, which I was pretty chuffed with! Such a fun but challenging boss fight (the shmup-styled craziness was ramped up here, and I imagine it will be with every boss), I would love a Boss Rush or survival mode because it's so rewarding to just dial in and focus. Very intense at times, but man, it's really just clicked the last few runs. There's a definite flow of the game and understanding of it which is making it very satisfying to wade through. 

Stepped into the third biome where I suspended my cycle and will kick on tomorrow! 

[drahkon]

10 hours ago, Julius said:

Well: it clicked. 

 YES!

10 hours ago, Julius said:

There were a few times today where I was on the brink of death but really getting to grips with different types of weapons, all of the abilities at my disposal, and learning about new mechanics through experimentation (though I do think the lack of explanation of some mechanics does make the game a little tough to get a read on early on) really pushed me to feel like, even this early on, I've already got some level of mastery over Selene's capabilities, and have the confidence to turn the odds around. This is to say: it feels good. 

This is what makes Returnal so great, in my opinion (aside from it being a technical marvel and it having perfect arcadey-gameplay). Mastering Selene's capabilites (or in turn, realizing how good you actually are/can get) is such an incredible feeling. And it's constant right up until you see the end. The game throws new things at you and you slowly but surely (sometimes immediately) get better at dealing with them and it...you said it...feels good.

10 hours ago, Julius said:

the second biome boss...

Did you play with headphones on? Did you notice the directional sound cues? Did you notice the directional haptic feedback cues? Did you notice the incredible music? DID YOU NOTICE IT, JULIUS? 
I love this boss  

Reading your impressions kinda makes me want to fire this up again and see how I'll fare after a long hiatus.  

Oh boy, I can't wait to hear about your experience with the next boss. 

[Julius]

12 hours ago, drahkon said:

Did you play with headphones on? Did you notice the directional sound cues? Did you notice the directional haptic feedback cues? Did you notice the incredible music? DID YOU NOTICE IT, JULIUS? 

I did  though admittedly the first time it kind of swoops in I was already spinning in circles trying to figure out where it went like a bit of a mad man

12 hours ago, drahkon said:

Reading your impressions kinda makes me want to fire this up again and see how I'll fare after a long hiatus.

Honestly, I think you'd fare pretty well.

There's an intimacy you need with the weapons and their abilities, Overloads, range and fluidity of movement, dodge timings, cooldowns, etc., that reminds me of how getting to know your weapons and character in a From game thoroughly is going to do you plenty of massive favours down the road, so I'd have to imagine it'd be like getting back on a bike. It's a bit different obviously in that each run can throw a different weapon at you to get to grips with, but because there aren't so many, it's feasible to still get really comfortable with all of them. 

Speaking of which, was there a weapon you favoured when playing the game, even if only marginally? I've found the Tachyomatic Carbine really suits my range run-and-gun approach  though there is a cool weapon you first see in the second biome which is also a blast (heh)

[Sheikah]

Honestly, I think you'd fare pretty well.
There's an intimacy you need with the weapons and their abilities, Overloads, range and fluidity of movement, dodge timings, cooldowns, etc., that reminds me of how getting to know your weapons and character in a From game thoroughly is going to do you plenty of massive favours down the road, so I'd have to imagine it'd be like getting back on a bike. It's a bit different obviously in that each run can throw a different weapon at you to get to grips with, but because there aren't so many, it's feasible to still get really comfortable with all of them. 
Speaking of which, was there a weapon you favoured when playing the game, even if only marginally? I've found the Tachyomatic Carbine really suits my range run-and-gun approach  though there is a cool weapon you first see in the second biome which is also a blast (heh)

The Carbine is easily my favourite weapon. Get one with leech rounds at higher levels and it makes it quite easy to stay at full health throughout the game.

I'm like you in that I've just recently got it during Black Friday. I've already completed all the biomes and am just working through the extra stuff now.

[drahkon]

9 hours ago, Julius said:

I did  though admittedly the first time it kind of swoops in I was already spinning in circles trying to figure out where it went like a bit of a mad man

I see. So you were still in the "panic mode" phase whenever something new happens in this game  After this boss I got out of it, coincidentally. Literally because during this boss fight I started to subconsciously use all the different little cues Returnal gives you via audio, visuals and haptic feedback. I'll re-post my second boss gif:

Spoiler

 

This is where everything clicked and the game reached an even higher level of awesomeness  

9 hours ago, Julius said:

Speaking of which, was there a weapon you favoured when playing the game, even if only marginally?

Not really.

Spoiler

I can only say that I always avoided the Rotgland Lobber and Spitmaw Blaster because grenade launchers and shotguns aren't my thing  If I had to choose a weapon that I liked most...it's probably the Hollowseeker.

Edit: Hope you haven't seen the weapons spoiler, yet. I've mentioned a few guns you may have not encountered, yet. Sorry if I spoiled something for you 

Edited December 10, 2021 by drahkon

[Julius]

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

So you were still in the "panic mode" phase whenever something new happens in this game

Yes and no I guess?

Being this far into a run and getting to a boss for the first time definitely brings a bit of panic with it, though I think jumping around, just dodging and focusing on not attacking for the first 30 seconds did me a lot of favours in staying my nerves.

The panic in that instance I think was compounded from the waves of bullet hell style projectiles just before to not knowing if this thing was somehow going to suddenly be behind me and fly through a pillar, I was expecting a maddening shriek or something when it turned back up to scare the life out of me 

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

Hope you haven't seen the weapons spoiler, yet. I've mentioned a few guns you may have not encountered, yet. Sorry if I spoiled something for you 

I haven't yet, don't worry!

Only just woke up from my Game Awards-induced coma... 

[Julius]

Made more progress on Saturday. 

Third boss reaction:

Spoiler

Took a fair few attempts, first 5 times was with a Hollowseeker which just didn't do enough damage. Got a Thermogenic Launcher and beat it on my second try with that, the damage output and accuracy really helped. 

Still got crazy tight though. One last jump in that final phase where I unloaded my Alt-Fire with a marginal amount of health left...good stuff. 

And that fourth boss...

Spoiler

Not as interesting as the third boss fight, but I love setting the scene and creating an atmosphere, so hearing the alien organs while ascending the spire, and seeing how it was incorporated into the boss fight itself, was awesome! 

This game is goooooood 

[Sheikah]

Yeah, this game is great. I've basically fully completed it now except for doing the surveys for the platinum. I've done everything else so now I'd really like to complete this last bit for the trophy, but man....

Basically, completing a survey means scanning all ciphers and finding all audio logs (plus a few other things) in each biome. Trouble is some ciphers only have something like a 1 in 5 chance of appearing in a given run.

[Julius]

Fifth boss beat last night, great fight. Definitely one of the easier ones I think, but I thought it was really enjoyable in that you needed to pace yourself and fight a bit more smartly than you needed to with some of the other bosses. 

Credits have rolled, and while overall I enjoyed it, with some excellent highs (some of those bosses have to be up there for me in the Top 10 I've faced, especially the third), it was honestly a bit more of a mixed bag for me than I sense it was for others. It's one of those games where I can see why it clicked for others, and I'm happy to see that it did, but even though the gameplay itself clicked for me, the actual core of the game - going on runs until you drop - really didn't. 

Spoiler

The game hints that the last thing to do is on the ship, but seeing Act 3 was a thing in the trophies after seeing credits roll, I rolled my eyes after looking it up and seeing I was actually in for an item hunt to see the true ending. Fetch quests in side quests or activities is one thing for me, because it's optional, but having one in the last half/third of the game (kind of like Dark Souls) doesn't have me excited, and I think it's a cheap way to lengthen the game.

If it were in a new biome, or if the biome's were shaken up in a radical way (say, having Biome 2's weather in Biome 1 for instance), or even if the enemies were remixed between all of the biomes, I might have been tempted, but that's not the case, and so I'm happy leaving the game there. 

I do want to speak to the positives first, because there are plenty of them. The boss fights are some of the most exhilarating I've played this year, and I would love a Boss Rush mode to be added at some point down the line -- how it essentially becomes a third person shmup is insane (imagine some of NieR Automata's bosses but much more intense). It's very much a skill-based game, which was perhaps my favourite part of the boss fights, because you really need to get to grips with Selene, as I've mentioned before. Yes, there are OP weapons and such that will put things in your favour, but even then, you're unlikely to be walking all over bosses, and even some of the mini-bosses, without really getting to grips with your weapon and the timing of dodges and jumps. It's one of the best looking and best sounding games on the PS5 so far, and Housemarque did an amazing job at making it feel cohesive, from it's biome variety with native alien fauna, to the sound profile of each biome's inhabitants, and the game simply looks gorgeous. It's yet another experience enhanced greatly by the DualSense's haptics and adaptive triggers, and the game's soundtrack is gripping. 

Now onto why it just didn't click for me, in terms of the gameplay loop. In part, I think this is because some weapon and perk combos are OP as all heck, so there's less of an incentive to go with what you know rather than something that will demolish everything on sight (see: my experience with the third boss). 99% of the time, parasites and the like seemed kind of useless, and if they weren't, the game did a terrible job of making me want to use them, so the risk-reward nature of the game had little bearing on my playthrough in the end, and along similar lines, as my first roguelike that wasn't a Mystery Dungeon game, I think it doesn't do a great job of explaining things or highlighting things that are going to be particularly helpful (see: my experience with the Astronaut Figurine; also my experience in the penultimate biome, where I accidentally attached a parasite which slowed my dodging and melee recharge time considerably while trying to grapple to a higher platform during battle). I also think the last biome sucked. It really, really sucked, to the point that it almost felt like it was inviting me to sprint from room to room. 

And - a pretty big one - the mini-map was pretty atrocious. The mini-map is like a bird's-eye view of the map you get from opening up the map from the touchpad, which distorts floors into overlapping where there is no clear overlap. I last count of the times I would head to where some resin was on the mini-map to be left looking up and down to see if it was above or below me, before opening up the map and manipulating it to see it was in a different part of that room all along. 

I think the major sticking point for me with this game is that I struggle to see why it needed to be a roguelike, because even by roguelike standards (from what I know of other games), there just wasn't enough variety for me on each run. I quite enjoyed the story, but it felt like the story itself was promised part and parcel with the game being a roguelike -- but it could just as well have been a linear game with longer levels consisting of more rooms being included with more paths to head down, and I think could've been a stronger experience because of it. 

It sucks, because it's one of those rare cases where it sounds like I'm tearing the game apart when I also think it's one of the most exhilarating and visceral gameplay experiences I've had this year, but the loop just didn't work for me, which is the very foundation of this game, so I'm grappling with it a bit. I think it's a tough game to recommend to someone not already pretty deep into gaming - either very good at them, or very interested in the medium - and even then I think it has its flaws -- very high highs, and some middling lows. It just wasn't completely for me in more ways than one, and that's okay. 

Still, I'm very excited to see what Housemarque does next. I want more boss fights like this please! 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Julius

[drahkon]

22 minutes ago, Julius said:

the actual core of the game - going on runs until you drop - really didn't. 

Looks like the roguelite genre isn't for you then  

23 minutes ago, Julius said:

I think the major sticking point for me with this game is that I struggle to see why it needed to be a roguelike, because even by roguelike standards (from what I know of other games), there just wasn't enough variety for me on each run. I quite enjoyed the story, but it felt like the story itself was promised part and parcel with the game being a roguelike -- but it could just as well have been a linear game with longer levels consisting of more rooms being included with more paths to head down, and I think could've been a stronger experience because of it. 

While I can see the point with most of your criticism (and not necessarily agree with it ), I have to disagree with you there.
I think the story benefits from the game being of that genre.

Spoiler

Selene's decent into madness is amplified by constantly having to return to the world she (maybe) made up for herself. If the game was more linear, the story would've had to change, in my opinion.

With the repeating runs, she had to endure her pain over and over again. And I think the roguelite genre is perfect to encapsulate that.

Sure, the story could've been told differently, but then the game would've had to ditch the roguelite aspect.

Now, whether this would've been better? Who knows, but I guess that's a different discussion  

Glad to see you mostly enjoyed your time with it  

But sad to see you apparently didn't appreciate the fourth both and the build up to it as much as you should have. Your enthusiasm levels are too low  

[Sheikah]

I agree that this game didn't need to be a roguelike, in hindsight. For one, it's far too easy; I could start up a run and be pretty much guaranteed to succeed. All of the bosses are pretty easy.

Second, each run (unless you are really rushing) is much longer than your typical roguelike run. I think a lot of that is down to it being a big game and a 3D one. It starts to feel less like a roguelike anyway, and most runs end up playing exactly the same. It's not like Binding of Isaac where your items and character (and in game route choices) can result in drastically different runs.

Third, they tuck away lore pieces like audio logs and ciphers in specific areas that may not even appear in 20-30 runs. It's just frustrating and poor game design - and annoyingly it's tied to the platinum trophy to get them all.

I say this as someone who absolutely loves roguelikes too, and has played loads of them. I really like this game but I don't think it really needed to be a roguelike. If there was much more variety, and perhaps different characters, it would justify being a roguelike. As it stands though I'm really only playing through it now to find some ciphers and audio logs.

[Julius]

3 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Looks like the roguelite genre isn't for you then  

Eh, we'll see. I think it's possible it's not, but I also think this might just be a case of it not being a great entry point to the genre? 

5 minutes ago, drahkon said:

While I can see the point with most of your criticism (and not necessarily agree with it ), I have to disagree with you there.

I think the story benefits from the game being of that genre.

  Story spoilers (Reveal hidden contents)

Selene's decent into madness is amplified by constantly having to return to the world she (maybe) made up for herself. If the game was more linear, the story would've had to change, in my opinion.

With the repeating runs, she had to endure her pain over and over again. And I think the roguelite genre is perfect to encapsulate that.

Sure, the story could've been told differently, but then the game would've had to ditch the roguelite aspect.

Now, whether this would've been better? Who knows, but I guess that's a different discussion  

 

I'll always appreciate respectful discourse, so thanks 

I think some of my below point kind of touches on @Sheikah's second:

Spoiler

I think I agree with you for the most part Drahkon re: the story suiting the genre, think I actually edited out one of my key points, so that's my bad. I absolutely agree that it does a good job of showing her descent into madness, and yeah, I didn't talk about that much -- they do a great job with it. I think they could've gone further but streamlined it a bit more, because repeat runs can get pretty long. 

Essentially, I think the main path could've been kept the same on each run - to keep it linear and have a crafted progression through each level - while things like gate locations, the item workshop-type places, and side routes could've been kept randomised. That way I think there'd be a sense of progression in terms of learning the level's design and enemy composition, while also being able to master a level and blast through as soon as you find that weapon/perk you want on a run, and there'd still be that sense of madness setting in I think when Selene is constantly questioning "hey, this wasn't here before?", "where's that damn Carbine?!", etc, kind like she already does, but contextualised in terms of things she really needs (weapons, perks, etc., are normally better off the beaten path, so I think you'd still likely need to check out a few rooms anyways). 

 

18 minutes ago, drahkon said:

But sad to see you apparently didn't appreciate the fourth both and the build up to it as much as you should have. Your enthusiasm levels are too low  

I actually really did love that fourth boss fight! Think I was just tired when I typed it up 

Actually, speaking of the boss fights, how would everyone rank them? For me it would probably be...

Spoiler

1. Nemesis (Biome 3) 

2. Hyperion (Biome 4)

3. Ophion (Biome 5)

4. Ixion (Biome 2)

5. Phrike (Biome 1)

 

[drahkon]

4 minutes ago, Julius said:

  Story spoilers (Reveal hidden contents)

I think I agree with you for the most part Drahkon re: the story suiting the genre, think I actually edited out one of my key points, so that's my bad. I absolutely agree that it does a good job of showing her descent into madness, and yeah, I didn't talk about that much -- they do a great job with it. I think they could've gone further but streamlined it a bit more, because repeat runs can get pretty long. 

Essentially, I think the main path could've been kept the same on each run - to keep it linear and have a crafted progression through each level - while things like gate locations, the item workshop-type places, and side routes could've been kept randomised. That way I think there'd be a sense of progression in terms of learning the level's design and enemy composition, while also being able to master a level and blast through as soon as you find that weapon/perk you want on a run, and there'd still be that sense of madness setting in I think when Selene is constantly questioning "hey, this wasn't here before?", "where's that damn Carbine?!", etc, kind like she already does, but contextualised in terms of things she really needs (weapons, perks, etc., are normally better off the beaten path, so I think you'd still likely need to check out a few rooms anyways). 

 

Yeah, I can see this work.

4 minutes ago, Julius said:

Actually, speaking of the boss fights, how would everyone rank them?

Spoiler

1. Nemesis
2. Ixion
3. Ophion
4. Hyperion
5. Phrike

Spoiler

1. Hyperion
2. Hyperion
3. Hyperion
4. Hyperion
5. Hyperion

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by drahkon

[Beast]

Instantly had to play this as soon as I got my PS5 and I do not regret my decision. This game is fucking insane in the best way possible! I love it! I love the fact nothing is the same. I died once by this big git and all I had was a pistol. I was thinking "okay, I'll get the bastard back now because I got this shit", right? Nope, the whole bastard game changed on me and I am here for every single second of this shit! I have buckled up! I have to try and find technology to destroy the xenotech shit on the gates but I've had so much fun trying to avenge people (avenged two so far) that I completely forgot about the mission!

[Hero-of-Time]

I started playing this yesterday evening and have just defeated the first boss and moved to the next area. I've mixed feelings on the game so far.

Having recently played through most of Housemarque's back catalogue, one thing I loved about their games was how quick everything was in terms of getting going and also how simple the games were to play. There is certainly a 'pick up and play' charm to them all. This seems to be the complete opposite. There's so much thrown at the player at the start (pick ups, weapons, moves, story) it's honestly a bit overwhelming. I've no idea what half the stuff I'm collecting even does due to the terminology used.

The actual gameplay is really good though. The traversal and combat feels really fast and fluid. Just what I'd expect from Housemarque. Dodging through the enemy fire feels a lot like Nex Machina or Matterfall. Very satisfying.

My weapon of choice at the moment seems to be the Carbine rifle. It's fast firing rate suits how I play. Is there a specific secondary fire function I should be keeping an eye out for?

[drahkon]

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Is there a specific secondary fire function I should be keeping an eye out for?

I liked Trackerswarm a lot. enable the DualSense features!!!
It's nice to have a method of hitting enemies without having to aim. Works wonders when you gotta dodge and move around. enable the DualSense features!!!

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

This seems to be the complete opposite.

Not surprising, since they announced their departure from arcade-style games years ago  enable the DualSense features!!!

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I've no idea what half the stuff I'm collecting even does due to the terminology used.

It'll get easier to track equipment and all that jazz once you've done a few runs. enable the DualSense features!!!

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The actual gameplay is really good though.

It's awesome, isn't? I'm still waiting for an arcade mode with preset rooms to clear...enable the DualSense features!!!

enable the DualSense features!!! enable the DualSense features!!! enable the DualSense features!!! enable the DualSense features!!!

Edited February 1, 2022 by drahkon

[Julius]

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

There is certainly a 'pick up and play' charm to them all. This seems to be the complete opposite. There's so much thrown at the player at the start (pick ups, weapons, moves, story) it's honestly a bit overwhelming. I've no idea what half the stuff I'm collecting even does due to the terminology used.

Yeah, glad to see I'm not the only one who thought the game did a pretty poor job of preparing the player from the start! You definitely learn a lot as you go on, but I think there were some things I could and probably should have been told much earlier on in the game than I figured it out. 

Earliest example of this for me was the Astronaut Figurine. Was super confused when I got a second chance for the first time. I just figured that it was a key story item and so didn't check it in my inventory, because it probably wouldn't have much use based on how little attention they bring to its actual functionality 

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

My weapon of choice at the moment seems to be the Carbine rifle. It's fast firing rate suits how I play. Is there a specific secondary fire function I should be keeping an eye out for?

Yeah, the Carbine is honestly probably the best all-around gun in the game. I'd also suggest if you ever come up against a wall in the form of a boss or an enemy with a load of health that the Thermogenic Launcher could be the way to go. It's not great on normal enemy types, but has massive damage output and forces you to be a bit more deliberate and slow down because of how few rounds you can get off before needing to reload. 

I'd agree with @drahkon that Trackerswarm is probably the best alt-fire for its accuracy (homing) and damage output, probably followed for me by Vertical Barrage, then Voidbeam, then Horizontal Barrage (the thing putting it so low for me would be the arc it takes meaning you need to calculate where you aim a bit more precisely than with the others). 

Look forward to reading more of your thoughts! 

29 minutes ago, drahkon said:

I'm still waiting for an arcade mode with preset rooms to clear...

Yes! 

This + Boss Rush. Pleaseeeeeee Housemarque. 

Also I hope H-o-T notices your message  because I agree. I really liked it in Returnal to be honest! 

[Sheikah]

22 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I started playing this yesterday evening and have just defeated the first boss and moved to the next area. I've mixed feelings on the game so far.

Having recently played through most of Housemarque's back catalogue, one thing I loved about their games was how quick everything was in terms of getting going and also how simple the games were to play. There is certainly a 'pick up and play' charm to them all. This seems to be the complete opposite. There's so much thrown at the player at the start (pick ups, weapons, moves, story) it's honestly a bit overwhelming. I've no idea what half the stuff I'm collecting even does due to the terminology used.

The actual gameplay is really good though. The traversal and combat feels really fast and fluid. Just what I'd expect from Housemarque. Dodging through the enemy fire feels a lot like Nex Machina or Matterfall. Very satisfying.

My weapon of choice at the moment seems to be the Carbine rifle. It's fast firing rate suits how I play. Is there a specific secondary fire function I should be keeping an eye out for?

The carbine was my favourite weapon too. My favourite secondary fire was Doom Bringer. You charge the alt fire and release a big moving purple ball that damages everything nearby, and does extra damage at whatever it hits. It has a fairly long cooldown and you need to charge it, but it really does clear the shit out of the room and do loads of damage. Voidbeam is also good for concentration a lot of damage on a single target (and bosses), and shockstream can be good for taking out annoying flying enemies that are hard to hit. I would always avoid vertical barrage if I could, didn't find that very useful at all.

As for passive weapon traits, definitely taking leech rounds for the carbine if you see it. Heals you quite often when attacking, it's so very useful. Rising pitch is also great for increasing your rate of fire (and therefore chance to trigger the healing effect of leech rounds). I would keep hold of a carbine with these abilities even if I was much further on and seeing much higher level weapons. It's just that good.

[Hero-of-Time]

Defeated the second boss this morning. Really enjoyed this battle and found it easier than the first. It felt like a 3D version of one of the bosses from Nex Machina.

I'm starting to get to grips with the game's systems a little more now. Collecting parasites has pros and cons and so I'm trying to weigh up my options before deciding to pick one up. The currency I acquire I tend to use for buying health packs. Still not sure what the best way is to spend my Ether though.

At times, the game reminds me a bit of Metroid Prime. The look of the map is quite similar and seeing points of interest scattered about the place and then knowing I'll be getting an item to reach said points at a later date makes me eager to push forward, just like it did with Prime.

[Hero-of-Time]

Nemesis is beaten. Dude was an absolute pushover and a massive step down compared to the previous two bosses. Saying that, the final phase was pretty cool, despite how easy it was.

I wish the game would drop me a decent gun. I've been running around with a proficiency 8 carbine when I can arm myself with weapons that are level 13.

Still haven't a clue what's going on with the story. The thing is all over the place.

[Hero-of-Time]

Spoiler

Just fired the game back up to find that after that boss fight everything gets set back to zero. Well, you keep your main gear but all my health and parasite upgrades are gone. I'm not impressed with this at all. I worked hard for those! 

[Hero-of-Time]

Hyperion has been slain. Loved the build up to the fight. Acending the tower whilst the organ music was playing made for a great atmosphere.

As for the boss, took it down on my first attempt. I was surprised I pulled it off because my health still isn't as high as I originally had it and I wasn't carrying any health packs. Other than when it swooped in for a random melee attack, it didn't pose much of a threat. It was just a case of watching the trajectory of the projectiles and timing my dash.

I swear my time getting the platinum on Nex Machina and Matterfall have prepared me for this. I was already used to dodging through a CRAZY amount of stuff in both those games and this seems very tame in comparison.  

[Hero-of-Time]

Man, the final boss was an absolute joke. I probably could have just stood there and tanked the hits with how fast the thing died. Probably the weakest designed boss in the whole game.

The credits have rolled and honestly I'm not impressed with the game. The combat and traversal is great but that's about it.

The story is vague and just not interesting. Because of the way it is told I wasn't invested at all. I wasn't fussed about what she was going through or what the outcome would be.

I'm also baffled by the choice to make this a rogue style game. I suppose a single run is about 7-10 hours long and maybe they thought it was too short of a game. The fact that everything you earn gets stripped off you halfway through the game and do you need to start from scratch is just awful. That whole thing still annoys me.

Looking at the trophies, yeah, I don't think I have the desire to go for the platinum any time soon. Having to go through the game again numerous times but without all my upgrades doesn't sound like fun, not to mention the massive random element as to whether you'll get the right stage or not.

Dissapointing game, especially coming fresh off playing all their other titles. I think there's a decent game in here somewhere but it's hidden by some baffling choices.

[Sheikah]

Yeah, I agree with a lot of what you said. It didn't need to be a roguelike, it's certainly the roguelike with the longest individual runs that I've ever played.

It's also not difficult at all, yet weirdly has a reputation for being difficult. I died so little in this game. After leaving biome 1 I proceeded to beat every boss in one run without dying.

Also I'd definitely recommend not going for the plat. Huge amount of RNG bullshit in terms of hoping you encounter specific room layouts. I may sound negative in this post, so just want to say I did enjoy this game an awful lot.

[Hero-of-Time]

18 hours ago, Sheikah said:

It's also not difficult at all, yet weirdly has a reputation for being difficult. I died so little in this game. After leaving biome 1 I proceeded to beat every boss in one run without dying.

I think the reputation for the difficulty level comes more from having to restart when you die rather than the game actually being hard. Like you, I never really struggled with the game and the boss fights weren't a patch on some of the things that get thrown at you on Housemarque's previous games.

I have actually started a new run today. It's a little confusing how it works. I was making my way through the first area and all of a sudden I took a door and ended up in the third, completely skipping the second. I then I had to fight the boss in the third in order to make it to the fourth.