|
It's definitely not just a mid-game problem. Even at the very end, when I've discovered most everything (I think), it still takes a solid half-hour to go from a fresh run to super rod. Think about how many times you've seen the same drat screens over and over.
|
#
?
May 9, 2024 23:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 17:54 |
|
|
Oh, another annoying thing: it's possible to set a brand for yourself that's too small to input into B023. e.g. mine  Edit: nevermind (big spoilers)  
Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 23:37 on May 9, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 9, 2024 23:32
|
|
|
I think this is just going to be something that folks agree to disagree on. You absolutely repeat puzzles, but at a certain point you don't have to think about the common ones, and they continually incentivize you to master the Void and all that entails. Out of curiosity, I just looked up a "True Ending" speedrun on YT and using a mix of UI manipulation of locust counts, Bee statue floor skips, and brand entries, while the video cut out loading screens, they had the Super Void Rod in 1:30 of video. One thing they did that you probably haven't, given your previous comments about having to go way past Gor to find a Cif statue to do a reset, is they used the 6x6 floor on B157 to enter Tail's brand, which skipped them back to B056 easily where they could then vault to B000. I personally did a lot of extra backtracking and running through things since I was avoiding discussions and hints almost entirely and didn't unlock DIS until like 70 hours in and even then I was constantly learning new shortcuts and tips as I went along. It took me a long time to realize B023 can get you down to Cif's room in B223 easily . That kind of thing is why I think the design is incredibly cool in how openended it is, though I won't fault folks for having less patience on the whole thing than I did.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2024 23:43
|
|
|
I guess I'm kind of an impatient person by nature, so maybe that's the problem. Speaking of...that mimic was part of a larger ARG that revealed the EX mode brand. I'm on E020 right now, and this is as close as I can get. Any hints? 
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 01:29
|
|
|
I did find all the backtracking to be a bit of a pain as well, even after learning all the shortcut tricks. It's a difficult design problem because on the one-hand, making it too easy to get around might end up making the game tip its hand a bit too early that there's more to it than "just" a bunch of block pushing puzzles, but on the other hand, after a certain point it's a lot of re-solving the same set of puzzles over and over just to get to the places you need to be where it's like, you've already demonstrated you know what to do here.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 02:21
|
|
|
I think I know the answer to this, but post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-post-postgame question: is EX mode just a new set of puzzles, or does it have anything interesting in it? EDIT: eh, you know what? I'm gonna youtube the rest of this, I'm feeling quite done now. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 02:29 on May 10, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 02:26
|
|
|
Thoom posted:On the other hand, this is fundamentally a game about noticing secrets, and that kind of game requires a big haystack for the needles to be hidden in to avoid making it too obvious. I also have a strong respect for games like this and Outer Wilds that commit hard to their model of the world and require you to do some things via in-game means that would just be menu options (like resetting a run, or traveling to a distant location) in less opinionated games. IMO, Void Stranger is as great as it is because it commits so hard to the premise. Unfortunately that means some players will bounce off or feel friction. I wouldn't want the game any other way and I'm stunned I got 70 hours out of a $15 game. It helps that I was living in the discovery zeitgeist while the commnuity dug up obscure secrets, sure.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 03:06
|
|
|
I think I’m just all puzzled out, honestly.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 03:12
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:
you've fond pretty much all of it. it's meant to be open, but then they kind of gently caress that up by having too much lore. the character stories are the good part, the lore just sort of feels like it does nothing satisfying. it's lore for lore's sake in the worst way, none of it made me more interested about cool ideas. I think this is just a flaw with the game, personally. part of that is, as you said, half these fuckin twists are just stock game twists, it's not doing much interesting with it and none of them are executed in a particularly cool way. It feels like the game is coolest when the void is mostly unexplained and strange, and they just keep explaining it more and more. the puzzlebox of figuring out game mechanics and mechanical horseshit? Awesome, loved that, every time i went 'oh gently caress, you can do that' was great however this falls apart when you apply the same method to the story. it's just not satisfying! Nea fucked around with this message at 03:37 on May 10, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 03:35
|
|
|
If you’re already tired of puzzles then by all means do not subject yourself to EX mode at this time, there are some absolutely ghastly puzzles in there I love it Anyway, at the end of the day I can see how certain aspects of the design can be irksome but it was my GOTY last year because it found this extremely tiny needle to thread in the way that tiny dev teams are willing to do unlike bigger studios, and it just landed hard for me. They had their design mapped out, they knew it wasn’t going to be for everyone, and they didn’t compromise on that vision. I respect that sort of thing.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 05:03
|
|
|
A bunch of the "lore for lore's sake" stuff either ties in to ZeroRanger (which is supposed to be getting more content that could intertwine further) or is set up for whatever third game they're planning.Tortolia posted:Anyway, at the end of the day I can see how certain aspects of the design can be irksome but it was my GOTY last year because it found this extremely tiny needle to thread in the way that tiny dev teams are willing to do unlike bigger studios, and it just landed hard for me. They had their design mapped out, they knew it wasn’t going to be for everyone, and they didn’t compromise on that vision. I respect that sort of thing. 
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 06:54
|
|
|
oh, i know, and that makes me like it yet less. And i like zero ranger! but its a shmup of vibes and spectacle. Trying to flesh it out won't get you anywhere, at least nor without bringing stuff to the table from more than just anime. Very narrow pool of influences it's working with.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 07:20
|
|
|
Keep in mind that I don’t think this is a bad game, far far from it! If I thought it was bad I wouldn’t have even posted. Just that there’s a couple things I wish were better. If System Erasure’s next game is in one of the genres I’m used to, I’ll definitely pick it up. Tortolia posted:If you’re already tired of puzzles then by all means do not subject yourself to EX mode at this time, there are some absolutely ghastly puzzles in there 
Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 15:36 on May 10, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 15:33
|
|
|
I for one think tying in to your old IPs is sick as hell especially when it's unexpected, but it does lead to stuff like my friend going "okay who is ZERO Judge" and I had to go "uh okay remember when I tried to tell you to beat Zero Ranger a few months back? Yeah" It's not as if any of that is critical to enjoying VS. It's basically guaranteed they'll connect parts of it to their third game and I'll throw money at them regardless of what they make
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 17:04
|
|
|
That’s where video essays fill in the gap 
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2024 18:14
|
|
|
Been going though the soundtrack. For all the poo poo I give this game, the music is still pretty fuckin’ dope.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 16:50
|
|
|
eebrozgi is crazy talented. To the point where I didn't know Void Stranger was an SE game while watching the trailer and immediately realized it within about five seconds due to the soundtrack. Simply amazing tunes all the way down.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 23:33
|
|
|
Got around to doing the EX mode puzzles, some great stuff in there, also a bunch of awful mimic puzzles which I hate.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 02:58
|
|
|
the music through that section is the kind of perfect poo poo that manages to not get old even as long as you're stuck listening to it
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 07:11
|
|
|
Zodack posted:eebrozgi is crazy talented. To the point where I didn't know Void Stranger was an SE game while watching the trailer and immediately realized it within about five seconds due to the soundtrack. Simply amazing tunes all the way down. One day I want to make music like that too.  In theory I could program a game as well, but unfortunately I’m an experienced enough developer to know how much it loving suuuuuucks and I don’t have the spoons for it.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 16:08
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:Been going though the soundtrack. For all the poo poo I give this game, the music is still pretty fuckin’ dope. 
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2024 00:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 17:54 |
|
|
the lore in this game is sick as hell and evocative for me so its good. also gray is a really cool character
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2024 18:05
|
|
