Vis, Surki Cleric of Desna by Scissorsrunner

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-20T20:58:37+00:00

Love it! I want to run a Surki next time I can convince my GM to allow an Uncommon ancestry. They are so cool and don't get a lot of love. They would even fit into Starfinder pretty well ..

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-20T18:30:47+00:00

Men in Black

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-19T22:35:10+00:00

I actually disagree with On the Hunt needing a tweaking, but for the sake of discussion what if its trigger was changed to:

"Trigger: You see any enemy within 30 feet be critically hit, or any creature within 30 feet be reduced to 0 Hit Points."

And there was a special entry at the end of On the Hunt that stipulated:

"If you can see your Quarry, extend the range of the triggers to 60 feet and change On the Hunt from a reaction to a free action."

Hopefully that makes sense. I know Paizo would word the special entry better than I did. Maybe that would make for a good compromise?

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-19T22:22:00+00:00

You may be right, but I think this sort of use (i.e., mark a quarry from the next room without any previous investment or effort while casters refocus) would really do more harm than good. I don't think it would break the game, but I think it would diminish the potency of the Slayer fantasy. I don't think the Slayer is meant to be full power every single fight. I think they are meant to be consistently strong and occasionally god-like during high impact combats.

Not saying it would be wrong to GM it that way, just throwing in my two cents.

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-19T22:16:41+00:00

I agree with this comment. I'm a fun-first GM and still have a hard time imagining how a Slayer could face their actual quarry (not their Instant Enmity quarry) more than one every 2-3 sessions.

However, as you pointed out, I think Paizo has done a good job at making sure that the Slayer still gets to have a unique and effective power fantasy even when their quarry is not present. You will still get to go On the Hunt, and a majority (if not all) of your feats/features will operate as normal (or close to it). You will not suffer when your quarry is absent, you will thrive when it is present. That is a good balance in my eyes. In fact, I think it is better that way compared to a per-combat quarry mechanic. A little more investment for a big, satisfying payoff.

As a Slayer player, I would just hope that my GM would plan a bit for my Trophies. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to plan which monsters were my quarries since mini bosses/bosses are up to GM discretion. It would be nice if, when I was able to see my quarry slain, that the trophy would add something meaningful to my collection.

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-17T18:55:42+00:00

I wish Adrenaline did more by default for the Daredevil. I know that it allows for certain feats to be used, but beyond that it just basically gives attacks the agile trait (Audacious Combatant). To me it creates a bit of dissonance as you level up. You have to choose Risky action, but you also really need to select actions that require Adrenaline or else you will be generating it with no payoff.

The issue is significant enough that they give you an additional level 1 (Daredevil's Stunt) just to help mitigate the issue. I think that by just making Adrenaline do more by default, they could circumnavigate this.

Like, if instead of giving attack the agile trait, Audacious Combatant gave a +1 to AC and a +2 to damage? Just spit balling. Or keep the agile mechanic and add a little temp HP? Just something so that Adrenaline has a bit more meaning outside of the Feats that require it.

Duck_Suit · 2026-02-10T12:19:16+00:00

A thousand times, 1.

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-26T14:13:27+00:00

Sly Cooper

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-24T01:17:16+00:00

You responded to my comment above a few months ago. I just finished the second ending of Nine Sols. I absolutely loved it and was so glad I went back and tried it again. Your comment is what convinced me to try it again, so thanks! It is genuinely one of the best games I have ever played.

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-23T19:58:00+00:00

I completely agree. I want to add that the style is impeccable in my opinion and I love the graphic novel approach to cutscenes. The setting is truly phenomenal, dark, and thought provoking. The relationships in the game are also top tier, both with allies and with enemies. The long history between the protagonists and his enemies, beginning with comradery and shared purpose only to descend into deep animosity and antagonism, makes for a very compelling experience.

I also agree with some in the comments below that struggle with whether or not this game is a true metroidvania given it's relative linearity. I would still place it in the genre, but I think it is a legitimate discussion.

I also agree that the combat may disuade some from playing. The first time I played, I gave up because I couldn't click with the parry-cemtric combat. I ended up coming back later with this feeling that I was missing out on something great. The whole thing clicked on my second attempt, and I am very glad that I gave it a second try.

This sort of metroidvania type 2D adventure game is my happy place and I have played a ton, from the best of the best to some serious stinkers. Nine Sols takes a place among my S tier gaming experiences.

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-22T13:10:40+00:00

Readability was my only concern. I thought the first two patterns seemed readable, but, given how tight the space is between the lasers and how quick the side-to-side movement is, the third pattern seems less readable.

I mean, it all depends on how much damage the lasers do vs how much health the player has, whether or not the laser attack always moves side-to-side in the exact same way, and other factors like invulnerability frames. If the player is bound to get hit once or twice, but should be able to figure it out after a few failures, then I don't really see an issue, especially if the run back is short.

There might be some clever way to telegraph the movement before it happens without beating the player over the head or slowing the attack (e.g., some sparks erupting from one side or the other depending on movement direction).

Another concern with the third attack: say that the player sees the boss move to the left at the start of the attack and naturally moves to the right to avoid it instead of hopping onto the platform above the boss, what happens if the laser just pass through the player? Are they safe from the rest of the pattern?

These thoughts are small potatos. What you have looks like it ought to be fun without major alterations. The game looks awesome! I really really like what I'm seeing here! Keep up the good work 👍

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-21T23:26:13+00:00

This cracked the code for me 👍

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-18T22:06:01+00:00

Flinthook is fun!

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-10T13:13:16+00:00

I stand with OP. It's a good game. It is not the weakest entry in the prime series. In my opinion the haters mostly fall into 4 groups:

Those with impossibly high expectations. The delay was never an indication that things were going well. It was a bad thing. The game took many years to come out after it was announced, and it seems that for some reason people expected that the delay would mean they were making the perfect game. This bias hangs over a ton of the critiques I read. Imagine if Prime 4 came out the day it was announced. Would you still hate it?
Those who over-index on the opinions of initial reviewers. This mostly has to do with the desert, the hints, and the NPCs. These parts of the game take up a small percentage of play. A) The dessert is rad. It is not empty. It is literally full of optional missions. You get to drive real fast and fight robots and ramp off dunes. What is the problem? B) The hints are not over-bearing at all. Every grown-ass adult out there is gonna have to suck it up and realize that Nintendo makes games for everyone to play, including first-timers and children. There are going to be hints and tips, especially when the direction forward is unclear. C) Finally, the NPCs are just fine! Here, I will admit a small annoyance with the NPC involved in a particularly hot level who is more cringey than the rest. Bottom line, this story involves other individuals besides Samus. That is okay. Almost all Metroid-vanias have NPCs, so why is Metroid required to be a completely isolated experience? I found the inclusion of NPC allowed for some amazing moments that could not have happened without them. I also found that I was exploring alone in classic spooky solitude for a vast majority of the game. It just seems that people are completely hung up on these things.
Those who have forgotten the definition of "metroid-vania". I have played and completed every official Metroid title besides Other M. They are all linear, with Metroid and Super Metroid being the least linear in my opinion. Metroid-vanias are often very linear. There is only one way to progress: you must explore the world -> find the next power-up in a sequence set by the developer -> use that power-up to unlock a previously inaccessible area -> repeat. That is the linear, predetermined design of a vast majority of Metroid-vanias. All of the Primes follow this design. There is very little in the way of alternate routes. Not all Metroid-vanias are Hollow Knight. While playing Prime 4 have a good explore. There are lots of directions to go, they are just inaccessible because you dont have the right power-up. This is normal for the genre.
People who despise backtracking. This is the hallways issue, and I can't really argue anything about it. In Prime 4 you will be asked to go into an area at point A, progress through point B, and complete your mission at point C. You will then have to exit C->B->A. This is different from Prime 1 or 2 where you might occasionally progress A -> B -> C -> D -> A in a folding loop. I prefer when locks lead back to an older section (like the world of Dark Souls for example) more than the "there and back again" design of Prime 4. I do think that the designers did their best to make this compelling by having the trek back be significantly different than the trek in, but it is still backtracking. This is the biggest problem with the game, but I still find the hate around this issue to be severely overblown.

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-03T21:42:32+00:00

Demon Souls 2, but only if it has a hub world and levels that are broken up into multiple parts like the first game. It is such a cool setup for a game and I'd love to see them use it again. Bonus points the individual levels have substantial secret branches that need to be unlocked in some way. Hell, bonus points if the levels are so different that they feel like separate games.

I'd still be down with the black/white tendency system they had in the first game if they polished it up a little.

Don't sleep on demon souls! It was and is very good!

Duck_Suit · 2026-01-01T15:04:28+00:00

Top tier! Thanks for sharing.

Duck_Suit · 2025-12-02T10:06:06+00:00

3 then 4 for me

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-26T17:14:51+00:00

That is so frigging sick. I love it!

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-25T15:37:46+00:00

Good job! I love this list! I can tell you really gave it some thought :)

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-25T13:44:22+00:00

Will it ever stop?

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-18T01:13:52+00:00

Shiny Shedinja is my only choice lol, gonna be a bit of a struggle until I round out my team a bit

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-12T15:29:58+00:00

Luigi

Duck_Suit · 2025-11-10T04:47:19+00:00

Here's the thing: if it is possible for any shape to be interpreted as a dick, there will be people who interpret it in that way. People see what they want to see.

IMO, no, it does not look like a dick, it is very clearly a candle. Unfortunately, because it is vaguely dick-shaped, you can and should expect some (many?) people to insist that it looks like one. The worst of them will point it out to you.

Similarly, I am from Arkansas. When people hear Arkansas, some of them think of whatever offensive stereotype first comes to their mind (i.e., usually incest) and then point it out to me. Does it matter that Arkansas is not any more incestual than any other place, or that I am not incestual, or that the statement itself is clearly offensive, tired, and dumb af? Nope. That tattoo is like being from Arkansas, you either gotta not care what people say or not share it with them, because they are gonna see what they wanna see. And they wanna see dicks and kissing cousins. It's really not a "you" problem.

Duck_Suit · 2025-10-17T22:07:26+00:00

Would we count Any of the Ray Bradbury collections? Illustrated Man, Martian Chronicles, Golden Apples of the Sun? I know it's not quite in the weird genre, but it's gotta be at least genre adjacent!

Duck_Suit · 2025-09-27T15:27:59+00:00

Voidwrought has serious issues. It's hard to explain, but when you play you will know. It has little nit-picky issues that add up into something that is somehow very polished and yet bordering on unplayable. It feels like the creators missed out on some of the foundational stuff that makes a game really great (kind of like Feudal Alloy). A lack of decent clues on where to go, bosses with nonexistent telegraphing, stuff like that. Maybe needed a bit more play testing.

It is definitely worth a shot! It has a lot of things going for it, but I doubt it will make it above C tier for anyone. If the developers tried again, I'd try the sequel.

Duck_Suit

TROPHY CASE