The Backlog Check-in Vol. 298: 9/16/23: EA Sports FC 24/Lies of P/Mortal Kombat 1/Payday 3 Edition

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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 298: 9/16/23: EA Sports FC 24/Lies of P/Mortal Kombat 1/Payday 3 Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

I played some Souldiers and Vernal Edge to check them out, and after playing a bit of both (which are similar in a lot of ways) I give the slight edge to Vernal Edge (pun intended :P).

There’s no denying that Souldiers is a solid 2D side scrolling Metroidvania with combat, platforming and RPG elements. The graphics, gameplay and level designs are all quality. But I like playing 2D side scrolling games with the directional pad instead of the analog stick which is not an option in the game, you also can’t navigate the menus with the directional pad either which I prefer using instead of the analog stick.

The environment graphics are impressive with nice use of color, a lot of detail and good lighting, but the character sprites are a little on the small side and animate/move a little stiffly. And there are performance issues, the game hiccups and stutters on occasion which is annoying. Also, load times are extremely long.

The gameplay is a little slow by design since it’s more about navigating the levels somewhat carefully and cautiously instead of swiftly moving through them dispatching enemies quickly along the way. I admit that I tend to prefer games like this to be a little faster and snappier in terms of overall gameplay.

I played as the archer and you can shoot arrows in all directions which is useful as enemies approach you from all directions, but you can only throw your bow (which is like a boomerang) straight ahead which is frustrating when enemies are attacking you from multiple directions. It would have been nice to be able to throw it in all directions.

My biggest complaint with the game is that you play as a mute avatar instead of an actual character with a voice and personality. All of the NPCs talk (with text), but your avatar doesn’t respond back. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in games, even in retro style 2D pixel art games like this. I like to play as characters with voices and personalities in games, not as emotionless and voiceless avatars. There are cool looking female NPCs such as the Valkyrie (which looks like the Valkyrie from Valkyrie Profile) that have voices and personalities, and I want to play as them. I would enjoy the game a lot more if I could.

Even with my complaints there’s still no denying that it’s a solid 2D side scrolling Metroidvania, the good definitely outweighs the bad. None of my complaints are dealbreakers by any means, but they do hinder my overall enjoyment of it a bit.

Vernal Edge doesn’t really have the same issues that I have with Souldiers. You can use the directional pad to move your character and navigate menus, you play as a female character with a voice and personality, she moves fast and swift with quick attacks and jumping, the gameplay in general is extremely snappy in pace. There haven’t been any performance issues, and load times are short. The graphics aren’t quite as good, but they’re still impressive with an appealing 2D pixel art aesthetic. The game as a whole just has more personality to it, it reminds me of something that WayForward would make. It’s just more fun to play IMO. And it’s for these reasons why I personally like it a little more than Souldiers, but your mileage may vary of course.
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isthatallyougot
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 298: 9/16/23: EA Sports FC 24/Lies of P/Mortal Kombat 1/Payday 3 Edition

Post by isthatallyougot »

I started up The World Ends With You yesterday. I haven't played much, but I really like the music so far. Some fun and peppy j-pop like stuff that sets a vibrant and upbeat mood. I also like that the main character is annoyed with everyone. :P The battles seem a bit chaotic with the need to observe both screens, but it seems manageable and there is the ability to customize your level of involvement with the second screen and the mechanic of the switching orb highlighting the right character to focus upon simplifies things. There also seems to be a ton of depth to everything suggested in my initial exposure. Tons of pins (abilities) to find and use should make for a nice diversity of potential strategies. I'm encouraged so far. I hope it keeps up. The one element that I was a little unsure of is the sharp and angular art style, which is generally not my cup of tea, but it's growing on me a bit and seems suitable to the overall tone.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 298: 9/16/23: EA Sports FC 24/Lies of P/Mortal Kombat 1/Payday 3 Edition

Post by argyle »

As I mentioned in the other thread Phase, I've had Vernal Edge on my wishlist for a bit so I'll have to check that out.

As for Souldiers, honestly I would have been more surprised if you DID like it. Although there is a good bit of action it is also an exploration-heavy game with lots of environmental puzzles, something you don't normally seem to have a ton of patience for. It also is a challenging game at times, even on Easy. I agree with you on the technical issues, something I've brought up myself here. I've had the game hard-crash on me 3 times now, all three while it was saving. :shock: But those issues haven't been enough to dull my enjoyment of the game. I will say, as far as throwing your bow in multiple directions goes, that's one of the first upgrades you get on the skill tree.

At any rate, different strokes & all. I hope to wrap it up this weekend myself, and I still expect it to be very high on my year-end list.
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 298: 9/16/23: EA Sports FC 24/Lies of P/Mortal Kombat 1/Payday 3 Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:17 amAs I mentioned in the other thread Phase, I've had Vernal Edge on my wishlist for a bit so I'll have to check that out.
Yeah, part of why I started playing it was to share some impressions of it since I knew that you were interested in it. I think that you might like it since you like Metroidvanias, but it’s not quite the same quality as Souldiers. I like the main and side characters more and I think that it’s a little more fun to play since it has fast paced action and a lot of platforming, but the graphics aren’t as good and the levels aren’t as well designed.
argyle wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:17 amAs for Souldiers, honestly I would have been more surprised if you DID like it. Although there is a good bit of action it is also an exploration-heavy game with lots of environmental puzzles, something you don't normally seem to have a ton of patience for. It also is a challenging game at times, even on Easy. I agree with you on the technical issues, something I've brought up myself here. I've had the game hard-crash on me 3 times now, all three while it was saving. :shock: But those issues haven't been enough to dull my enjoyment of the game. I will say, as far as throwing your bow in multiple directions goes, that's one of the first upgrades you get on the skill tree.
I like Souldiers, I just gave some reasons why I wasn’t loving it. The main one being that I like to play as characters with voices and personalities in games, I don’t like playing as emotionless mute avatars which is what you play as in Souldiers. But I do somewhat like the archer, he has good attack moves and isn’t as generic as the scout which I also played a little as too. The game itself is pretty good with impressive graphics, decent combat and nicely designed levels. I was enjoying my time with it, and I definitely plan on playing through it when I’m more in the mood for it. By the way, I didn’t know that the archer got an upgrade to throw the bow in multiple directions. That will make me enjoy the combat even more.
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