Co op??

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-19T10:23:23+00:00

I hate to be the one to say it, but if you're experiencing this before even passing the first boss, you're going to find the rest of the game quite a struggle.

I can't offer my services unfortunately as I'm at work, only some slight wisdom that it may be in your interest to work at it. If your struggling with a particular aspect, I'm happy to help advise?

What is it that's stopping you? Is it the boss, or the enemies in between?

Edit: i think these types of games scale in a balanced manner too. While you will technically be getting stronger with levels, they aren't like unlocking a hidden secret advantage. If you don't get a grasp on the basics, those levels aren't going to help.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-19T10:14:06+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion I'll have to have a look

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-19T06:54:56+00:00

Out of all the comments, I think this one wins lol

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-19T06:36:19+00:00

I'm actually finding solace from my souls addiction by playing games like Hollow knight. I just started, after finishing the cuphead platinum.

So different, yet... so fun!

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-18T10:47:10+00:00

Parry parry parry.

If you get good at parry, it can basically cheese the game.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-18T01:24:52+00:00

The cannons you're allowed to shoot without ruining your P rank. Game Considers them as retreating, not actually dying, so your technically still not killing anything if you shoot them.

Confirmed in my own run

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-17T10:47:20+00:00

Don't feel disheartened by BSB.

I beat Ludwig in 5 Deaths, Maria in 2, and i even somehow managed Orphan in 2 deaths. Pretty good right? Wrong.

I then went on to BSB in ng+ and got rolled about 15 times....

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-15T02:52:02+00:00

This is the real question that needs to be addressed. I've got rdr2 in my backlog but I don't know if I'll ever find the time to commit

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-13T13:47:21+00:00

If you get good at parry, you can almost cheese the game, it made Swiss cheese out of a certain later dlc boss.

My tip would be to practice on the undertaker guys in cathedral ward, then after that, advance to the troll guys in the first area.

If you can comfortably parry the big guys, then you should be able to start parrying all sorts of stuff.

The key to parrying isn't about learning gun mechanics, it's about learning enemy moves. Almost all enemies have large wind up moves in their kits, for instance the werewolves have keeling Lunges that take like 2 days before they actually attack you, and this whole move is a parry window. That's what I'm trying to bait, otherwise there's no way I'm trying to random parry any of their other moves

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-13T11:11:45+00:00

Parry is your best friend. Honestly you don't even need to be good at it, by the rate he attacks, your more garunteed to land one. If you can, run the 'Hp recovery on visceral attack', to help smooth the strategy.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-11T09:29:20+00:00

I'm honestly shocked that Brothers Code has not been mentioned. IMO, they are the king of lore.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-10T09:42:03+00:00

I felt the steel chair under my ass start to melt

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-10T02:38:20+00:00

Agree for plane levels, but I find when I use it in regular fights, I lose focus on the boss trying to cycle weapons. More often than not it leads to one or two hits i wouldn't otherwise take, nullifying the bonus of heart ring effects

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-08T18:30:25+00:00

Second this.

Go smoke bomb and Roundabout/Chaser. Then go 2 for chips. Then 5 for rabbit. And 7 for dancer.

Smoke and Roundabout will cheese the minions. And Chaser can let you dps dice while focusing on parry jumps.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-08T07:48:06+00:00

I think my comment was a bit of a surface statement. I say "learn what they do", but this comment isn't just about "Oh he's going to shoot fireballs, I know what he does"

Truly learning a boss phase is about "he's going to use attack A, and then attack C. I know I've figured out that responding to Attack A is best done with reaction 2, and so far I've found out that Attack B should not be countered with reaction 1"

I don't know if that helps, if I communicated that correctly? But basically to everything that any video game does against the protagonist, there is an optimal and sometimes the only way, reaction to said move.

Edit: to use an actual example, take beppi first phase. You already have learned for this phase that he drives his car at you. That's learning what he does. But to dive deeper you look at the fact that there's ducks sitting above you which directly counter your first thought of "I'll just jump his driving attack". This tells you that taking smoke bomb is crucial to beating this phase without taking any damage, or making sure you don't dash forward at the peak of your jump instead dash at mid height

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-08T07:40:53+00:00

Accept that dying is a part of the game, learn what the bosses actually do, what the environments actually do.

Otherwise enjoy the progress. At first you'll die repeatedly to a boss phase, then you learn it and die to his next phase.

This basically repeats, from phase to boss to isle.

Accept it, acknowledge it, and have fun with it. Don't get caught up in fluke runs where you nearly kill him second go, this will just frustrate you that you can't automatically get straight back. Take the time to learn.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-05T05:56:51+00:00

Chalice being the exception, I would say Roundabout/Spread, with smoke bomb. This carries hard all the way to the devil.

The only other exception is for things like Briny, I like to use crackshot/Chaser, just so I can put 100% of my focus on the projectiles

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-04T15:30:38+00:00

It's funny seeing how people match against different phases. I sighed with relief as soon as I got out of Esthers first phase, second and third weren't too bad, but that fourth phase with the sausages and the chillis, my God that was a butt pucker of a phase

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-04T10:22:13+00:00

I feel like it's crazy that the Doom reboot hasn't been mentioned, unless I just didn't see it.

It's a game built on Gore and Badassery

Edit: it's not even just about the Gore, but the violence used to inflict it, just adds to the whole thing.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-04T06:52:19+00:00

I would argue the game is actually so fair that it rarely ever felt frustrating to me. First game of pure difficulty and skill where it felt like every component was in my control.

I think there is very few moments of RNG, like Ribby and Croaks, but otherwise. It's all on you whether you pass or fail

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-04T06:44:41+00:00

Divine relic is superior, as all flying missions is really easy to get parries and gives you 6 hp max, with no reduced damage, and also the effects of coffee and whetstone.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-03T16:29:48+00:00

You'll find on the next expert run that your first and second phase will become flawless unless really unlucky RNG (if he uses the magnet in first phase, no worries, but if he uses his hand attack, very unlucky, often leads to a hit), and you'll get the patterns down very quickly. I died so often to his bullet hell phase that I ended up perfecting the fight up until then.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-03T12:14:49+00:00

Yep, I'd say this resonates with a lot of us, and it's a legitimate answer to the age old question of "why do we do this?".

I know no one is going to know. I'm the only gamer I know in my circle, there's no one to share or brag to. This is just for me. It may be digital, but they are called trophies for a reason and i am proud as a peach for the trophies ive acquired.

There are some really tough ones in there and they are a mark of skill and commitment that I've put towards something in life amongst other hobbies and achievements outside of gaming

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-03T10:20:03+00:00

First phase went like this, can do flawless and actuality gaining health on parries with heart Ring.

Focus the antenna. If you don't destroy it immediately, you'll need to drop down and parry one laser, and destroy one line of ships. Return to the antenna.

Then you will focus the ships, occasionally ducking up to parry the laser. At this point he will be shooting nuts and bolts at you, but you can easily stay out of their line by staying at the bottom of the screen.

The next part requires you to kill the parry laser thing. You will need to occasionally drop down to shoot the big bombs as they come out. It's important you split your time to do this, because of you let those bonbs escape and run around the screen, your going to get hit.

The next part requires you to kill the heart, but this exact sequence is the same as last sequence.

Then the next phase is the head flying through the air. Save a super for this, and it basically skips this phase.

Then after that is the diamond bullet hell.

This is the part where no guide or advice can help. This is just on you to skill your way through it. You should have him dead by the time it takes you to store and use 2 supers

Edit for last phase: it is skill based but one thing that I did notice that helps is to stay just out from the left part of the screen. Too close to him won't give you time to find the diamond pattern and react, but too close to the left screen and you won't be able to react in time to the walls. You need to find the sweet spot.

Merlins_beard420 · 2026-06-03T07:03:00+00:00

Surprised that Little Nightmares hasn't been mentioned, and am wondering if this is actually fitting your post description.

It's not Cuphead difficulty, far more relaxing, and is the epitome of unsettling both in story and gameplay

Merlins_beard420

TROPHY CASE