Recent reviews by abhikun

A mechanically perfect pretender to Fromsoft's throne. Maybe there's some metaphor there about it's puppet theming and them being mechanically perfect clones of humans, but literary pretensions aside, studio round8 definitely deserves the praise for finally being able to crack the Soulsclone code with this level of perfection on its first try. Controls, animations, effects, pacing of exploration are definitely on par with Fromsoft's creations. They do lean into the git gud meme super hard and the Fromsoft postgame skillcreep goes through the roof, with each boss progressively aiming for "break the internet" tier difficulty infamy one after the other. Some people might not like this design ethos, as literally every enemy in this game is designed to be full of unintuitive gotchas, and depend on knowledge and muscle memory more than twitch reactions, but it's a fun route to figure out as a post-fromsoft kinda journey, as there is no "universal solution" between dodge or parry for each attack pattern. While levels are linear, the levels themselves are well done and the 'exploration logic' is solid. The design is almost too lenient, as the proximity to a bonfire or shortcut kind of becomes transparent as you go through them, with no subversions or inversions throughout. There's a small problem of filling the levels with near identical-feeling sections, and you tend to remember the level only in terms of left and right turns instead of distinct sections and chunks, kind of hampering the thrill of exploration (It's head and shoulders above 99% of games out there, just unfairly comparing them to the masters of the genre here). The story is kinda schmaltzy and lacks the Fromsoft "upscale-ness" despite the High Society Arts Beaux aesthetic and is not helped by somewhat questionable english translations (kind of a mystery as the English VAs themselves are very good) but is still completely serviceable and the lore is easy to deduce. The new mechanics introduced like swapping weapon parts is great, and qol changes like last estus recharging with enough hits, soul dropping outside the boss gate, and infinite one-time elemental buffs are something even Souls games themselves could copy. I particularly love the Mortal Kombat Scorpion spear that turns the 'prank ambush in tight corners' and 'annoying sniper on another platform' level design on its head, but still tied to a manageable resource as a mechanic. There's still a huge selection of playstyles I'm yet to explore after the first playthough, but I rest assured as this game has definitely earned my trust as a labor of love.

Game literally feels like what 6 year old me would describe what videogames would be like in the future. Never thought I'd care about faceless robots and disembodied voices this much. Also controls and combat are godlike. Stagger, though controversial, really makes the back and forth of aggression strategic and addictive. (Don't wanna dodge that one no-life flail out combo? Just manage their stagger bar). Weapons could do with slightly more balancing and it would reach borderline Fighting game tier depth.

CBT in videogame form.

Extremely satisfying to optimize your empire but GOD CAN IT STOP CRASHING EVERY HOUR

Finally I can enjoy the excesses of youthful tuner culture without the dated problematicness of the mid 2000s titles.

I am become Zoom Zoom Zooomer I'm ZOOOOOOOOOMIIIIIIIIIING

Many have tried expanding the scope of roguelikes- getting to the metagame faster, designing content treadmills over content treadmills, bloating out scope.
HOWEVER, THIS GAME IS ROGUELITES ON CRACK. EVERY BUILD IS INSTANTLY WHATEVER YOU DREAMT YOUR SUPEROPTIMAL TRYHARD BUILD THAT YOU THOUGHT YOURE GONNA HAVE AFTER YOU FARM THAT ENDGAME CONTENT 6 BILLION MORE TIMES.
All of this delivered in a super polished, ultra-responsive, breakneck paced combat flow that expose other roguelikes for being the Korean Sweatshop clickfarm bait they are.

Shameless loveletter to IGAvanias, while still being way more tightly designed. Loving the way the grazing mechanic is used and is definitely a fresh take on 'Estus-style' healing that everyone tries to be doing these days

A semiotic journey in depression