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I've been playing Lone Fungus for a few hours now and so far I feel like it's been fun. It feels closest to Hollow Knight in terms of movement of all the 'vanias I've played in recent years. Bosses have been mostly "get close and spam your attack" so not much room for tactics as of yet. I've made it to Acid Dungeon via small sequence break, I guess, since the statue said I'm not supposed to cross this gap yet (how did he know?) but I'm guessing the way I did it gets you there maybe one movement ability earlier than intended? The last boss I killed was The big butterfly in lower Grottos which was the hardest boss yet, IMO. The collectible hunting challenges feel really difficult, though, I probably won't be bothering with most of them. Although I am definitely starting to feel what someone said earlier there being just too much of stuff. From what I understand you don't even need half of these advanced movement techniques to actually beat the game. e: Also if anyone is looking for a slightly more obscure 'vania, check out Vigil: The longest night. It almost seems like I'm the only person I know who has played it and I liked it a lot. Reminds me quite a bit from Salt & Sanctuary. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Jun 8, 2023 |
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Jun 8, 2023 19:06
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I just finished both Lone Fungus and Haiku the Robot recently. Lone Fungus was harder of the two, bigger, larger. The different areas felt adequately diverse from each other. It has a great ambient atmosphere and can evoke that familiar "I wonder where I can get with THIS ability" feel. I already wrote a bit about it so I won't go on for too long, but someone wrote that it simply has too much of everything and that was kinda my sentiment too - I barely used many relics, had the auto-parry on the whole game and barely even scratched the surface with the movement options and different challenges. By the time you get the wall jump you barely even get to use it for anything. The various challenges feel like a thing that was added later on because they very rarely have any bearing on the "actual" gameplay. But one thing that Lone Fungus has is one of the most satisfying final boss battles I've had in these kinds of games. It kinda reminds me of the True Ending bossfight in Hollow Knight where I was constantly at the edge of my seat, palms sweating, learning patterns. Nothing the boss does feels cheap, it's all down to you reacting to its moves properly. Haiku, on the other hand, was very condensed, even short. The game constantly guides you forward and shows you where to progress. In this sense it's almost pretty linear. But it's also a very atmospheric experience and has some of the best movement options in 'vanias. It's also very easy, I don't think I've died once in any boss battle before the final boss encounters and I'm by no means a master player. Now I'm wondering what to tackle next. Rain World sounds like it's a painful experience. I remember I played Dark Devotion a lot (have 13 hours on the steam clock) and then just quit in some later game area. Perhaps it was too hard or something. (although now that I'm playing it I kinda remember it's more like a roguelike than a metroidvania, I guess) TeaJay fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Jun 14, 2023 |
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Jun 14, 2023 20:54
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I think I used two of those... but like I said, I may or may not be a super gamer, lol (I still tend to finish these games, though!) A lot of guides and videos I watched recommend/use spin attack for bosses but I never really got the hang of using it, all it did was make me bump into the boss and take damage myself. So I mostly used normal attacks.
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Jun 15, 2023 08:01
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Anybody played Chasm? https://store.steampowered.com/app/312200/Chasm/ A friend recommended it for me, saying it's a decent game, and it seems like an odd mix of metroidvania and a roguelite, seeing that it has a random generated world (with certain set rooms) but otherwise progress is 'vania, with upgrades and stuff.
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Jun 21, 2023 19:13
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One thing in Ender Lilies would be nice is the ability to put markers so you'd remember where was that one locked door you could return to now that you have the ability to do so. The map is terrible for that (but the secrets remaining function is good).
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Jul 17, 2023 19:44
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I think the most common opinion I've heard from friends on Aeterna noctis was that it has good controls, looks good, but is way too hard and kinda overstays its welcome with the sheer length and huge maps. I do want to try it out myself, but I'm already a bit wary on the difficulty (unless there's a way to tone it down). When I played Lone Fungus, they at least knew had the right idea to make the precision platforming puzzles almost completely optional and something that completionists could do (or if you are into that sort of thing). To comment on the earlier discussion; I think the best games of the genre in question I've played have been Super Metroid, SOTN and Hollow Knight, each kinda representing an era. Don't think anything has come close as of yet, although I have liked a lot of modern indie options (I even liked Bloodstained despite the funky graphics - any game with a cooking mini-game piques my interest) TeaJay fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Jul 22, 2023 |
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Jul 22, 2023 18:41
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Yeah I'm gonna have to give it a go myself at some point. For me personally, I found that the older I get, the more I appreciate games that have fair fights and less tolerance for hair-pulling difficulty I have. Better yet if there are some mechanics to adjust difficulty - cases in point Tunic and Chained Echoes, even if not in this genre, but I doubt I could've been able to finish either if you could not adjust on the fly. I don't remember off-hand how many 'vanias offer this kind of settings, but there usually is something to make things easier if you so desire. Still think that the most satisfying gaming moment of recent years is beating the true ending boss in Hollow Knight, I remember my palms sweating going up, up, up, getting those final hits in... For example, I earlier talked about Lone Fungus, where the end fight was tough, but satisfying, since there was no bullshit moments, and the boss had pretty good patterns and tells. Ender Lilies was pretty tough at times, but of course in that game using the right spirits might make all the difference. Vigil: The longest night had some rough bosses, but I think the only game I played seriously and had to quit is Dark Devotion, although more like a roguelite than a 'vania.
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Jul 22, 2023 19:08
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I think I'm gonna be trying out Grime next as well, since I picked it up as the Epic freebie. Speaking of which, anyone know what is up with Salt & Sacrifice? It was an Epic exclusive May 2022, IIRC - has there been any info on a potential Steam release? I played it through and enjoyed it, albeit not as much as the original. I think a lot of people were bounced off by the Monster Hunter -style changes instead of a one, big interjoined map.
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Jul 24, 2023 07:50
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Fuligin posted:Anyone played Haiku? Looks v v HK 'inspired' from screenshots I played it, it was very good but also quite short and somewhat linear for a 'vania. It's also on the easier side, which is not always a bad thing. Definitely recommended though.
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Jul 24, 2023 10:20
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Salt & Sanctuary has probably one of the most satisfying weapon upgrade systems and I really liked the Dark Souls 1 style world exploration. Definitely up there for me for best 'vanias of recent years.
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Aug 7, 2023 18:17
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I started Grime yesterday. So far it's been fun, it seems like the parry mechanic (absord/repel) is a lot more prominent here than in some other games. Found a glaive in the second area and went around getting some points into STR and DEX to actually use it. First boss was a bit technical, I checked to see if people were getting stuck on it and sure enough there were talks about it. e: I guess I spoke a bit too soon, since now I've been stuck on the second boss for about an hour. I don't know if it's the difficulty spike or just me, but drat. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 12:24 on Aug 8, 2023 |
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Aug 8, 2023 09:54
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Unfortunately I'm not really feeling Grime either. Graphics are fine, a bit boring and samey so far. My biggest gripes in this current area so far include really long backtracking sections and environmental hazards you can't (?) do anything about (talking about those red spikes) and which screw you over during a fight with other mobs. I think I read some comments about frustration around Nerveroot and how the devs made it a bit easier to navigate, and I wouldn't be surprised this is where a lot of players just quit the game. I was kinda excited to finally find an NPC who upgrades my weapons, so combat would feel a bit easier, but then I just start a new area and the mobs' health is scaled accordingly higher. It's kind of a thing many devs miss, since there needs to be a time in the game where your progress - especially if you go out of your way or grind a bit - needs to feel like you're a bit better than the mobs you're fighting. Then ramp up the difficulty and you'll have the need to upgrade again. Or at least that's how I feel, sometimes in games you also get this kind of feeling that you're barely making it throughout the whole game. But, I mean, why are you spending time and effort upgrading your stuff if you don't feel like you're doing better against mobs? Other than that the game is brutally difficult. You only get one heal, which is a Heal-Over-Time, for a fight and that's it. I dunno if it gets better later on. But if you take damage, good luck. I'm currently fighting this mini-boss (Flowerheart) and I just can't get him even halfway. He has an attack where he throws boulders in the air which you can parry or dodge, but at the same time throws a horizontal boulder at you which is incredibly hard for me to see with the grass on the arena. Again, maybe it's me, but I have cleared some pretty tough 'vanias, this just somehow is not clicking at all. And about that stat respec - it requires 5 thingies and I only have found 2, one of which I spent while re-speccing traits.
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Aug 8, 2023 16:44
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I'm in Toothland now and even the basic movement to get anywhere is basically platforming puzzles using the pull mechanic. You have to use the R stick to pull out a platform and do this mid-air to another platform to get high enough to proceed (and fast enough to get on the original one). And this is the intended route, it's not even some super difficult optional section (or so I assume). Another fun thing in this area are the crabs who have such erratic attack patterns I can never tell which attack they're about to do, making it difficult to parry, so I just run away from them now. There's something about Grime that keeps me playing despite the game actively trying to convince me to stop.
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Aug 8, 2023 19:24
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Yeah, I mean, it might again come down to me being bad, but I don't remember any recent 'vanias having me 1) raise a platform by jumping and pulling down in mid-air 2) again to raise the platform higher 3) then dash off the platform 4) do the pull again in mid-air meaning I'll hover a bit and 5) get some air juggle to reach another platform. And again, that was the intended route! Or I just made some very minor sequence break. The Jawcrab fight was probably the best boss fight so far, every attack he did was very well telegraphed and had ample time to do parrys. I'm guessing the actual area boss has some kind of gimmick (please no pulling, I'm so bad at it) and we'll see if I ever get past that one. Also I haven't managed to find the map for Feaster's lair, I'll probably have to look to see where it could be. Missing ol' Cornifer here to hum and give a bit of a hint for the map!
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Aug 8, 2023 19:48
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I mean, YMMV obviously, I haven't found Grime to be overly easy - as you can probably tell from my progress posts - but it has a lot of small frustrating things. Right now I'd place it somewhere around the middle on my vania list. If you nabbed it free from Epic, it's worth a try, at least. A friend asked my opinion on it, and since I watched his frustrated streams of Ender Lilies and Blasphemous earlier, I told him to stay away from this one, because it would have him pull out his hair in frustration. I still kept going, though, managed to beat the Desert Watcher and find a few new areas. I did look at the map at some point and realized there's like a dozen hidden paths in Feaster's lair I simply did not find and one of them hides another boss. Whoops. Pull is still so finicky especially in boss battles - I wonder if I'm doing it somehow wrong since it's a while from the tutorial. When the yellow circle appears, I turn the R stick to that direction to prime the pull and then quickly pull the opposite direction. Like a 1-2 motion on the stick. If I'm meant to press the stick instead, it'll take me even longer to pull it off. Enemies at Yr Den hit like a truck, and it's highly annoying trying to fight one of those guys who look like Arlong from One Piece with a ton of health and breakbars when they 1- or 2-shot me. Even the fang dogs were more vicious there. I did make it out with a Curved glaive which has a requirement of 20 Force, so I guess I'll be pumping that one next. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 11:58 on Aug 9, 2023 |
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Aug 9, 2023 11:56
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I stopped playing Grime mostly because the gameplay was basically platforming puzzles lined with enemies throwing unblockable projectiles at you from off screen (Carved palace) and that was such a chore to get by. I made it to the boss there and killed her, and it was a fun fight, but I just didn't have any fun progressing the sections between bosses. So I thought I would spare myself and my friends the ranting about platforming. Next up will likely be Blasphemous 2, then. High hopes for that one.
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Aug 10, 2023 07:17
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A sleeper favourite of mine, Vigil: The longest night was delisted from Steam a while back and here's some explanation why: https://twitter.com/VigilTheGame/status/1689638053571354624 tl;dr Taiwanese devs, and (taiwanese) publisher being afraid of China and self-censoring as a result (on very flimsy grounds as well). Hopefully they can get the situation solved and back on sale.
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Aug 11, 2023 07:01
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I talked about my playthrough for great lenghts in the Blasphemous thread, so I'll recap quickly - there will be spoilers, I'll mark the more glaring ones B2 felt a lot more streamlined, like mentioned, you unlock the teleport to hub pretty early and later on can unlock travel from savepoint to another which makes it even easier plus the devs have a pretty good grasp on when you need a savepoint, because very often after a tough section or a challenge room there was one waiting for me. I really liked the three weapons, sufficiently different, and all of them a different movement ability. The altarpiece system is also a great addition and you can really define your playstyle with it. It's also a bit less gritty and dark. But I guess we had enough of that in B1? I also agree that I missed some of the huge bosses from B1, and they were a bit on the easy side (until the second to last one, where I struggled a bit). I started with the Veredicto, but pretty soon switched to using Ruego Al Alba. With the right buffs the blood pact just annihilates enemies plus if you combine with the time stop prayer, it's quite effective. However because it was a bit more streamlined, I felt like there could've been an optional area/boss or two. Now every area was basically one you go through with the plot, and the later half of the game is very linear. All in all I enjoyed it a lot, a worthy sequel in my opinion.
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Sep 5, 2023 14:28
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I liked both Blasphemous and the sequel, although they look similar, they have various differences. For example the movement abilities open a lot faster in B2 and they are more "traditional" from what you'd expect in a metroidvania, whereas in the first game a lot of them are pretty inventive but not necessarily needed for completing the game. The original is a bit more gritty and dark while the sequel is more streamlined and colorful (easier too). The original definitely has more of that old school "git gud" type of action and B2 is a bit more forgiving in that sense - one example is that they removed the instakill from spikes for the sequel.
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Sep 21, 2023 15:06
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I'm very happy that you can choose to skip every single challenge room in Lone Fungus if you so desire. The actual puzzle platforming _required_ for beating the game is very doable, and that's really how it should be - if you are good, you can skip stuff, do extra challenge, etc. but don't make that stuff required, that's what crashed Grime for me and I stopped playing somewhere after 3/4th of the game, I think. It also helps that Lone Fungus is absolutely beautiful and adorable, a very good entry in the genre. I can't wait for the sequel, there is still room for improvement and the dev seems like they are taking the feedback.
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Sep 30, 2023 20:41
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Well, the sequel is not strictly a metroidvania, but the original was, so I'll put this in here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1437400/Salt_and_Sacrifice/ A game that was effectively buried in Epic exclusivity will be released 7th Nov. Have to see if co-op is possible from the Epic version or not. Personally I liked the sequel despite it being somewhat different than the original. But of course people who wanted basically more of the same were disappointed. The biggest thing was that the interconnected world was changed to a Monster Hunter-esque loading a portal and killing certain boss enemies. Make your own judgment when it actually releases.
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Oct 24, 2023 13:29
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I think they reduced the player-juggling at some patch back when it launched, so I'm interested to see if they made other balancing for the Steam release. But yeah that was incredibly obtuse and the mage fights could've been better.
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Oct 24, 2023 13:54
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Salt & Sacrifice is out on Steam right now and since there's been some new stuff since the Epic release (I played 1.0.1.0 or so, the latest is 2.0.0.0) I started a new character too. It's too bad that the game has a lovely design choice to start NG+ as soon as you beat the final boss without warning, so unless you know this will happen, your character is basically lost (I still wanted to explore and help people, or check out new stuff... and I really didn't expect to beat the boss either). Best feature it adds is to be able to teleport between the beacons in the maps themselves. But enough about that. As Sacrifice wasn't More Of The Same™ (a 2D soulslike with an interconnected world) and more like a 2D soulslike Monster Hunter, where you port to various maps to hunt Mages (but the maps themselves are still interconnected), a lot of people hated it. Granted, I will agree that the mages run away a bit too much and in the release version they could airjuggle you to death (which I believe has been fixed by now). There are still traditional normal bosses too, but the main focus is hunting mages, getting stuff from them and upgrading your gear... so yeah, they really liked Monster Hunter! The hub area where you start from with a friendly female NPC and collect various NPC's to whom you'll find along the way reminds me too much of aforementioned series... where the first one was applauded and the second one hated because it did things differently. In my opinion Sacrifice is a good game, probably not as good as Sanctuary, but nowhere as bad as some reviews would have you think. I've still had fun on my 2nd playthrough (first time I was full STR, now I'm running a DEX build) but if I don't get a friend for co-op, I dunno if I'll make a full run. Also the character models have updated a bit, to look less like some czechoslovakian 70's puppet animation nightmare fodder, still unique, but a lot better, IMO. A tip if you want things a bit easier in the beginning: Join the Blueheart faction and activate the candle in the first map. I have no idea how it's supposed to work but I invaded a pair of higher level players and ended up with over 100k salt for a 5 minutes of running around. That's seriously OP for this level but for a 2nd timer like me it works nicely. e: okay, on the second go I didn't get nearly as much, it must be tied to the player level 
TeaJay fucked around with this message at 18:33 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Nov 7, 2023 15:56
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I also bought it but didn't try the demo. Mostly based on the aesthetic, hoping the actual game would be decent. Gonna give it a go later today.
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Nov 16, 2023 08:43
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I'm waiting for the PC version. e: I've thought that if there still isn't one by the time we get to PS6 or so, I'll bite the bullet and get a used PS4 somewhere (unless by then there's other options like emulation)
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Nov 16, 2023 09:08
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re: Last Faith Granted, I'm only at the first boss, but I'm having trouble adjusting myself to how few i-frames you seem to have with the roll - or at least it feels to me you don't have any! I kept trying to roll through the boss' rock attacks but always took a hit, so I resorted to just jumping over them. I dunno if it's a situation of the roll only having i-frames in the beginning, which means you have to be incredibly precise with it. Coming from Salt & Sacrifice where the fast roll is incredibly long and generous with i-frames this feels very clumsy, at least for now. Compared to other games of the genre, it feels like where you _should_ be safe during a roll, you are not. Definitely missing the ability to just roll through a boss... Also feels very weird that there's no stamina limitations for attacks, but I guess bullets are the limitation at least for guns (I took the gunslinger as the starter class). e: wondering if the enemy flashing before the attack has a deeper meaning than just a tell for a special attack, thinking I can interrupt him somehow or something Lack of contact damage is a definite plus to Last Faith, though. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Nov 16, 2023 |
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Nov 16, 2023 11:12
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bawk posted:The roll had very generous iframes when I used it, but I started as the gunslinger so I dunno how big of a difference that makes, if theres some ADP fuckery going on where one of the stats boosts your iframes. Started as a marksman also, so maybe I'm just not that gud when it comes to rolling. But I definitely felt I simply could not get the timing down to roll through the first boss' rock shockwaves at all. I don't think I did it once. It was imperative to roll past him though, and I found getting in his face was the best strategy too. I'm looking to find that gunblade myself. Or a better weapon in general. The problem here is when you don't actually know what weapons you're gonna find so you're afraid putting in points so you'd not waste them. I started with a lot of mind so I'd like to keep using guns, but the ammo system makes it so you'll still need another weapon. I've been rocking the starter sword and boosting some DEX as well as a few points in vitality as usual and mind to use the throwing weapon I found. Just beat the second boss the twin gargoyles and unlike in some other games where it's the second boss, this one was really easy, much easier than the first boss. Although I didn't fight a boss in the city area so I'm thinking maybe I missed something there? Still thinking how I can help the person who says they're trapped inside the house, didn't seem to find any clear way in, perhaps it'll resolve later. I really hope the parry won't be crucial later on because it feels so incredibly clunky to me. You have to be so close and again, compared to something like Blasphemous or S&S series the hitbox is tiny.
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Nov 16, 2023 15:45
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Dr. Hermannis way too early of a boss to be having multiple phases. e: He's not terribly hard, it's just tedious to go through the earlier form When do I get a movement ability?? Feel like I should have one already. Also feel like I missed finding some new gear. This is the third boss and I still haven't found any upgrades. e: lol, literally the next room Bought the gunblade and the special feels so satisfying to use. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Nov 16, 2023 |
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Nov 16, 2023 21:41
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I'm getting hard stuck on Edwyn, the Shadowscourge. (What kind of a name is that for a shadowscourge?) He always does cheap attacks like land on top of me which I cannot seem to dodge. The three purple balls attack is also tough to dodge when there's a tornado on the other side as well. Actually not sure if this is an optional boss, since the Drowned crypt seems like it's a bit out of the way - unless you get a movement ability or something from this fight. I made it a few times to the second phase. Seems like the best option is to load up on focus items and try to blast him with the gunblade's special. But when they are spent, that's that. His huge tornado in the 2nd phase seems impossible to dodge without taking damage, and I'm always out of healing by then. But if that's not where to go, then I'm kinda stumped - I can't go to the High walls (Cathedral), there's a locked door and an altar that looks like I need a double jump. Then there's the ice zone, which is loving terrible with enemies throwing projectiles from off-screen and then running away (yes I'm watching you spiders) and it seems like it's definitely meant to be done later. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Nov 17, 2023 |
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Nov 17, 2023 13:19
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Finally beat the Shadowscourge, toughest boss so far BY FAR. I still couldn't find a reliable way to avoid him falling down on top of me. Just tried to walk the other way he seemed to go and then roll for good measure. Didn't always work either. e: first thing I did after beating that boss was to go to Annabelle and buy 200 of those healing injections I also have Afterimage on my wishlist, but after this I'm probably going to want to play something else since going from Salt & Sacrifice to Last Faith is a lot of metroidvania. Gonna pick it up, though, since it seems good. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Nov 18, 2023 |
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Nov 17, 2023 23:51
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I currently have a choice between ice area or a poison swamp. talk about a rock and a hard place. The former had the most annoying projectile tossing enemies in recent memory.
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Nov 18, 2023 09:07
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Heath posted:Last Faith; is there any benefit at all to executing enemies? It doesn't seem to result in anything but an animation. Also, do you ever get the ability to jump while shooting? The gun seems pretty pointless since you can't aim it at all, jumping or crouching, and the enemies that you most want to keep at a distance are, 100% of the time, too short to be hit by the pistol. He's literally the worst enemy in the game Also yeah; while I have enjoyed my time with Last Faith, there's a lot of design choices that puzzle me. - Why can't you jump and shoot? (aiming would probably be too much) - Why can't you attack while crouched? - Why are some enemies too short to be hit with the gun (like you already wrote) Someone also wrote that the progression signposting is kind of odd and I agree. Farming for healing injections is miserable if you're doing a tough boss and didn't have the foresight to stack them beforehand. IMO they should always give the standard 4 after a respawn like they do on the first boss. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Nov 18, 2023 |
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Nov 18, 2023 18:09
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If this is actually a soulslike where STR scaling is the only viable option then the design REALLY f*ed up seeing how OP some really weird options in souls games usually are. I started as marksman and I'm running the gunblade, haven't found a better Instinct option yet. I did find the Eternal greatblade (?) and felt a bit of a dread thinking "Oh no, this thing would've carried me to the endgame if I were STR scaling" but I'm gonna keep on trucking.
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Nov 18, 2023 19:30
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I watched some weapon preview video and there's like two options for instinct weapons and one of them is way lategame, wtf (and the other one I already have). Guess I'll pump DEX and mind then.
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Nov 18, 2023 19:46
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Yeah, I remember earlier someone was saying how they got a whip early which was good and I've been going here "What whip? Where's the whip?" and checking out that guide showed me I completely missed it and have no shame going back and getting it when I'm on next
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Nov 18, 2023 19:54
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re: Last Faith I went through the swamp (which really was just a few screens) and ended up in a city area (Gates of Erlim) I can explore for now. The other option is the frozen caves which I think is a place many people will quit the game. Ice puddles, falling icicles, enemies throwing projectiles, the big ice troll guys just having way too much HP... what the hell did they even think with that place?For now I'm continuing with the city, putting off the ice caves for as long as I can. It feels wrong when no amount of leveling (granted, my weapons - whip and gunblade - are just level 2, since I haven't found the next level upgrade materials) helps me at all in that place. I have no idea how far I'm in the game, I'd guess early-mid game? If that place is mandatory for progression, please save my soul since I don't want to be rage playing my way through. e: Erlim has been a lot more fun to explore and the (mini) boss fight was actually a lot of fun The Starborn hunter (drat it's Starfield yet again!) who is basically like the Doppelganger from SOTN. The Ice wall spell worked very well against him. There's also a few Metroidvania classics I feel like we could have a game without; such as challenge rooms (when were those ever fun? In Last Faith they seem particularly hard) blocking progress and enemies that grapple you mid-dodge roll. Esk Mansion has those annoying crawly dudes who do this, and Salt & Sacrifice especially had that a lot. You're in the middle of your charging attack, and instead of getting hit themselves, the enemy grabs you mid-air. e: The Esk mansion bossfight was pretty fun too. I focused on Yegor since his attacks seemed easier to dodge and watched what Lenna does out of the corner of my eye. Got a couple of "finishers" mid-fight which helped take Yegor down. Lenna alone didn't get any new attacks, just added one extra fireball. When she was about to do the big horizontal fire burst, I tried to get behind her so I could get some free damage in. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Nov 19, 2023 |
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Nov 19, 2023 11:31
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Last Faith also gives you a strange feeling by giving you an air dash but no regular dash which kinda fights against my every genre sensibility and leads to me trying to dash off platforms only to fall into death spikes below. Speaking of which, I was so glad when Blasphemous 2 removed insta kill spikes and only made you take some damage from them... only for Last Faith to go back to instakill spikes territory. Here are the weapons I'm rocking with currently:  This scythe replaced my whip even when I have nothing on strength. It's crazy good. Trying to rack up a few coins (what is the currency here, anyway?) to level it up now.  And aside from magic, this offhand repeater  Which does just what you'd expect. Currently clearing Liturgical pass and made some progress towards the top of the Ice area too, which seems like it opens up a new area too. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Nov 19, 2023 |
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Nov 19, 2023 19:10
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Well, in my case, I just found the Severance reaper, upgraded it to +3 and I could go +4 but I put some levels on myself too. (found it in upper ice area, but you'll need air dash before you can go there) I went back and got the whip and used it until now. It was very satisfying to beat the crap outta those ice spiders with the scythe. For me personally it was best to forget the drat ice area for a while and look around for stuff I had missed. The gloves you can buy from the blacksmith/inventor open up some secret rooms. The swamp, however, leads to a new area which was a lot better than the ice zones, which I already mentioned. And that also leads to a new area where you can get a major upgrade. I've found three charms so far and each have very good bonuses. So it seems like it's not like Dark Souls where you get a billion of +1% upgrades, the ones I got gave me something like +15% all damage and -15% all damage taken and the latest one gave me crit chance and crit damage. And yeah like I said the ice areas are terrible. Everything else has had some frustrating moments but manageable. The flying bats will throw stuff at you from off-screen and indeed follow you to wherever. At some point I just ran past the witches and the zombies and tried to find a savepoint (which was luckily very near). Only after getting the scythe and upgrading it a bit I started to feel like on par again. But the whip took me that far. The witches' beam can also be dodged for a while with an upgrade you get from the area past the swamp. IIRC the first blueprint you find is in Esk mansion which is probably where you should go instead of the ice zone. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Nov 19, 2023 |
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Nov 19, 2023 19:44
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I didn't remember the name of the area correctly but you get there by going through the swamp area and then the area after it. Both are on the smaller side, Esk's mansion/Hall of Mirrors is a proper progress area
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Nov 19, 2023 20:07
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I think some of those challenge rooms are tied to endgame item acquisition and certainly are not meant to be cleared on the level you first find 'em. They all are definitely tough and there is one pretty nasty one before the Reaper in upper ice area which I had to have a good think about how to clear it. (The big ice bats don't like bombs and flying witches don't like fire infusion, it stuns them on hits occasionally) However, after playing a bit, I feel like a dex/instinct build works just fine. I'm not sure if the weapon stat requirements do anything or are they just broken, but I had nothing for strength and the reaper still was a 100% upgrade for the whip even un-upgraded. (It main scales DEX) I plan to put a few points in STR to see if anything changes. TeaJay fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 05:04
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