How many games have already been released that are trying to position themselves as “similar to Dark Souls”?? And in 2D? They have no number. And this game almost slipped out of my sight. Attracted by the stylishly designed cover. It’s worth looking inside the game materials on Steam and it becomes clear that at least a good atmosphere is definitely present here.
The project is announced for platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows.
Strong demons-gaharas have loosened their belts. The subtlety is that adversaries need bodies to exist. Seven demons captured seven strong novices, I suspect – from our order. The Padawan, which we steer, must do what no one has managed before – destroy the bodies of the villains and, accordingly, deal with the Gaharas for a while.
As the play progresses, along the way we come across a few NPCs who give tasks and bit by bit reveal to us pieces of the history of this world.
The game is trying to be like its ideological progenitor, while trying to add something of its own.
The heroine is given to us “as is”. Basic skills, standard set of equipment.
There are scales for health, stamina and (new) mental balance. If everything is more or less clear with the first two, then the third scale threatens to drive us crazy. The less stable we are, the greater the chances of dangerous ghosts appearing, mental balance also affects the damage done, I suspect (this is not directly stated in the description) the worse the situation with the cuckoo, the less damage.
The combat part is represented by relatively standard, but surprisingly well-developed somersaults (where would we be without them), parrying (a successful one strengthens our next blow). We mainly fight with melee weapons, but we can add small arms (we have little ammunition).
There are many types of weapons, every time you choose a picker, you should look at its attack speed and damage indicators, the possibility of sharpening. In fact, you will have to get used to each weapon, estimate the timings, calculate the required and available endurance – just what the doctor ordered. In addition, we can install special runes in the guns, which will add types of damage or some other properties. Although "expensive", with the help of special items, equipment can be cleared of runes and new ones inserted.
There is a cheating, https://luckstercasino.co.uk/ as for me, opportunity to sneak up on adversaries. It works worse with bosses, but we mow down the rank and file with a bang – the main thing is to get closer and suddenly deliver a strong blow. This is not always possible, but if it succeeds, then the battle is almost won.
In addition to melee/ranged weapons and runes for sharpening, the game is full of consumable items that give us special properties for a while. There is a system of local “Estus flasks” – special Dibrom crystals, the maximum quantity and effect of which can be improved.
As we kill enemies and gain experience, skill points become available, which we can spend on passively improving the hero’s properties. Important. We will be able to spend skill points only after going through a relatively long distance in the story, after killing the first of the seven Gakharov novices.
There are quite a lot of types of enemies. They look picturesque. There are regular and elite versions of monsters, there are stronger mini-bosses, superbosses-gaharas. They are all quite competitive, they can be sharp, they hit relatively painfully – absorbing damage, exchanging blows, and calling out do not work.
There are a lot of monsters along the way, you have to chop them down.
As in Dark Souls, we move between “bonfires” (here – altars), we can farm experience, consumable items.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of the game and summarize.
+ The atmosphere of hopelessness and dark times is conveyed very well.
+ The graphics seem simple, but they look stylish and don’t hurt the eye.
+ Good music and sound. Nothing special, but it contributes to the atmosphere.
+ Quite a lot of types of weapons, each has its own fighting style and can be sharpened to taste.
+ Many types of monsters. If you don’t “cheat” with stealth, and in some cases even with it, the battles are competitive, dynamic, even tough. Blood scatters. Well-developed bosses and mini-bosses, even if there are not many of them.
+ Good Russian text localization.
THINGS THAT CAN BE BOTH A PLUS AND A MINUS:
+- Stealth allows you to brutally punish almost everyone and almost always, right down to mini-bosses (with them it’s more difficult, but real). Gakhars will not fall for this, but those of lower rank will. At the same time, the challenge is not illusoryly reduced. On the one hand, it greatly simplifies the matter, sometimes you want to get through it quickly, there isn’t much time. On the other hand, there are such “corridors of death” where you can’t really hide, they’ll see you anyway and secrecy won’t work.
– You can’t pump up a hero for long enough.
The game is very good. It gives us the opportunity to play a kind of mini-Dark Souls, which is quite atmospheric, well-designed, of good quality, with convenient controls. Therefore, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the materials on the Steam page, add it to your wish list, and then – depending on your situation.
PS: I probably didn’t cover all aspects of the game, I might have missed something. I will be glad to add/correct the review or answer questions along the way in the comments.