I was watching "...why Skyrim?" by Razbuten on sloptube this aft and it's so weird that it finally took Starfield for people to realise. Like Fallout 76 wasn't enough, only now are negative things people were first saying about Skyrim in 2012 finally bleeding into mainstream consciousness. It's so wild, like wow they ruined the magic system? The game has worse writing than a PS1 era Mega Man X game??? Skyrim is just shitty Game of Thrones?? Welcome to thirteen years ago!!

Bethesda hasn't made a really good game since 2002, but it'll probably be years before that realisation sinks in.

  • ashinadash [she/her]
    hexagon
    ·
    4 months ago

    I hate it because, at that point, just have a linear game! By putting it all in a map like this, all you accomplish is padding the game by forcing the player to backtrack over shit they've already been to,

    Holy fuck you read my mind!!! Just like me fr!!!! I have not played a lotta Metroidvanias but I think only Metroid itself, as far as I've seen, does more organic powerup progression. That's a decent example from Aria, but also am I gonna remember that gap when I get either jump ability? Or is the castle boring and stupid... I do like the idea you describe in Hollow Knight of having experimentation be a factor.

    Yeah but when you style upon a guy in Bayonetta or whatever you're pulling off ridiculously complex juggle combos against frequently deadly enemies (the Grace and Glory enemies in Bayo) whereas in a Koji Igarashi game you press B until the enemy falls, or whatever the spirit attack button is. Very lame.

    WHAT FUCK YOU JUST INSULTED MY ENTIRE FAMILY LINEAGE, classic Castlevanias are tightly designed, carefully considered games about using a limited moveset to overcome very specific challenges. I talked about it in my Symphony ramble, helps they have superb visual design and banger soundtracks. Holy shit go play Rondo of Blood right now!

    Alright, well it sounds like Hollow Knight has some nice design patches over its forebears, Idk if it'd be enjoyable (falling back on teleportation is always lame) but it might be worth trying.

    It is definitely cute af -> knight-nod

    • GarbageShoot [he/him]
      ·
      4 months ago

      One last thing: I know the teleportation sounds lame, but it mostly isn't. It's not lame like teleportation in DS3 or Bloodborne or Aria is lame. It's relatively sparse and, interestingly, there are actually two interlocking fast travel systems (though one is small) to make pathing more interesting. In my view in substantially fixes that issue we discussed before about all the various dead-ends gated by powers, because the map is huge and it would be a pain to go all the way back to them. Instead, typically you have a teleport that's maybe 3/4 of a zone away from them, so you just need to go some of the way back to them.

      Anyway, from what you've said I really think you'd really like Hollow Knight. I'll be sure to check out Rondo of Blood as penance for insulting your family lineage :)

      • ashinadash [she/her]
        hexagon
        ·
        4 months ago

        Oh okay, huh. That actually does sound kind of okay honestly.

        Ty for holding me hostage in this adjacent thread about viddy games, much appreciated kirby-wave