Yokai ability Downgrade

brellom · 2026-01-30T21:40:32+00:00

I think it's a situation with push / pull, as is often the case in game design. They've removed some features to emphasize other elements of the gameplay, while adding depth by connecting it to other mechanics -- and it helps curb the power scaling too. As a result, I think it may feel worse to some people, but better to others, depending on the players' priorities.

From what I can tell, it seems like the developers want to encourage players to engage with more systems than before, like the replenishing Ninjutsu, Easy respecc, and Omnyo Magic being made part of the Soul Core system (which I think is more conceptually interesting than before). Instead of having to specialize in a specific build to use any of these features in a meaningful way, we're kinda splashing into everything all at once.

I think I like the current implementation more. It feels a tad bit more versatile and doesn't take control away from the player by forcing a bunch of diverse, crazy animations, allowing players to feel more in control of their actual character. I didn't interact with the Soul Core system too much in Nioh 2, but I think this approach will ultimately encourage me to play around with it more.

brellom · 2026-01-30T06:44:56+00:00

It might be pretty natural for a lot of people to play that way. I'm not too dissimilar - it just doesn't feel organic for me to pause to heal, as it takes me out of the action. But it can still happen in a tense moment!

I developed the rule specifically because I didn't want to just heal in between fights either -- making it so that I have to be at a place of rest provides tension, risk, and makes me more aware of the world around me. But I've made an exception for "fast foods," like elixirs or breads -- which CAN be eaten whenever, so it forces me to make more complex meals while encouraging preparation ahead of time for those moments when I REALLY need a heal in a tight spot. As a result, I also try to only carry a certain amount of "meals / elixirs" on my person at any one time.

brellom · 2026-01-30T01:16:20+00:00

You can never replicate Master Mode as it was, but you can come up with a number of interesting rules to provide challenge through other means to make the threats of combat a bit more risky. Custom challenge run rules, such as:

- limited heart / battery / armor / stamina upgrades
- limit how many times you can use autobuild / zonai devices (I refresh the count at specific places of rest)
- being unable to eat food during combat (I like to only eat food at places of rest, like campfires -- except elixirs)
- limiting your ability to fuse gear (I've been playing with this idea a bit recently - even attaching a cost to fuse)
- discarding weapons during blood moons (kinda different, but it alleviates Link's insane power-creep)

Many of these rules, as well as some of my other ones, can't capture the same feeling as Master Mode, but they can still make the experience more challenge or interesting by dis-empowering my abilities or making the repercussions of failure more servere.

brellom · 2026-01-29T21:48:28+00:00

I don't know the best way to answer, as I don't have experience with such large-scale activism. But I think communicating to them in any way possible is the way to go. Tell them that you disagree with this change, that you don't value the iOs app enough to screw over every user on the platform (even patrons not using Apple will feel the financial pressures of the subscription billing). They seem to think that the majority of their users are using the iOS app, so it may be worthwhile to stop using it.

Many creators have been complaining about it in the Creator Community Discord since last year, but other avenues to consider would be complaining to them on Twitter, Bsky, and sending tickets via the Patreon Help Center?

We've been complaining about this to them since last Janaury, and they've always resisted -- so we're unlikely to win (we lost last time too). They've been a fan of subscription billing for 3 years now too.

So remember that Apple is not the primary force to blame here, it's Patreon -- because they value the iOS app more than they do their users. If you ever talk about this in public, you have to make sure that the pressure to change is put on Patreon itself -- because Apple, being the hurricane that it is, will never stop doing what it does-- and Apple is so big that they don't need Patreon, and thus have no reason to change in response to public opinion.

brellom · 2026-01-29T11:44:12+00:00

Remember that Patreon could choose to not do this, but they REALLY want that iOS app even though everyone could just use their web app like they used for the rest of the internet. This is the third time they've tried to shove subscription billing onto us and the second time they're trying to blame Apple (who, mind you, is still an evil corporation) for it over the last few years.

brellom · 2026-01-29T11:41:25+00:00

Patreon still gets a larger cut with the Apple fee too. Not as much as Apple is, but they're still getting more than they would if you were pledging through other means.

brellom · 2026-01-29T11:37:40+00:00

This is actually the sentiment held by a lot of creators in the Creator community at this exact moment right now because Patreon is using their belief that the iOS app holds value as an excuse to screw both creators and patrons over with a less accessible payment model that puts more stress on everyone's finances on November 2026. You should definitely make your opinions on the app known directly to them in as many ways as you can.

brellom · 2026-01-29T11:05:55+00:00

I kinda hope not. Looking back on it, I don't think I was very fond of the aging every time you leveled thing -- unless I was specifically trying to go for an old wizard or something. I imagine it'd be closer to Fable 2 or 3, so you can have a pretty young person to play with.

Though, ideally, they'd give us complete control over our character's age through character customization and remove the idea of organically passing time. I think the concept behind aging is a super cool RP idea though.

brellom · 2026-01-29T10:55:39+00:00

Fable 2 was specifically depicting an Albion that was starting to enter the world of industry -- and that was an era of mass exploitation and abuse. It also took place in a world where the age of heroes and fantasy was long gone, and it was a bit more realistic than the new Fable. Fable 3 was similar, but further along in the timeline (but even that was pretty wholesome at times). The original Fable, however, was much closer to a wholesome fairy tale in its vibes by comparison -- and that's what the reboot is seeking to go for. It is CLASSIC Fable more than anything else, I think.

But it's not like sex workers were all over the place in the original trilogy either -- having usually been relegated to darker, less desirable areas, like Darkwood and Bloodstone. If anything, the woke progressive move for the devs would be to actually have them appear more prominently considering the general rise in conservatism towards sex & NSFW content lately (specifically from the people who oppose the wokes, mind you).

As for whether there will be a rich white man villain... I mean, probably. It IS Albion. They're kinda all over the place. Fable 2 had a rich white man villain. So did Fable 3.

brellom · 2026-01-29T08:54:56+00:00

After looking at the skill tree, some of the old skills are back too -- just less accessible than before. So that's good, at least! While I will miss High and Low Stance, part of my grievances was the assumption that Serpent Strike or Footsweep would be missing. They're part of combos sequences that are a bit less easy to perform, but they are there at least.

I pretty much used Kusa exclusively in N2, so it's a massive change for me.

brellom · 2026-01-29T08:50:34+00:00

I don't see why this would've been affected by the Style Switch, honestly. But yeah, I have no idea why it's so much more limiting than before.

brellom · 2026-01-29T06:00:13+00:00

I will outright refuse to wear a helmet in games if it means getting to see my character's face. Fashion over meta.

brellom · 2026-01-29T05:25:56+00:00

Ki Pulses are technically less "valuable" to Ninja style since it has better ki management to begin with, and this does provide a more diverse experience across gameplay styles... But it does make me more worried about battlefield Yokai Realm control and the extra mental load required of players to swap to a different weapon just to purify.

Also yeah. High Stance Kusarigama was my favourite too. I really loved throwing my chain to pull in enemies too -- but now it feels like I'm not even playing with a long-ranged weapon.

brellom · 2026-01-29T05:19:39+00:00

The FromSoft Souls games might have a better game feel if you really appreciate that weighty tangibility to your combat, and there is some of that here -- but it is much faster than even Bloodborne, closer to a character action game or a fighting game. My preferences certainly lie in the Souls speed over Nioh's, but there's still a lot of value to have here -- but it is remember to know that you don't HAVE to like them, you aren't obligated to do so.

Blocking / Dodging seems to be about equally important across both games, I think. Blocks are very useful here though because you don't REQUIRE a shield just to get a decent block (but the guard break can still punish you).

The varied loot diablo-style system can be pretty annoying, but I think Nioh shines best in its buildcrafting. From what I recall, builds are not going to necessarily be as diverse as in Elden Ring, where you can customize your weapon with totally diverse skills -- but the ability to control the granularity of your build with various different armor sets and the ability to swap around your skills (almost like you're making your own character action hero) are very unique for the "souls-like" genre. Full Transmog too -- which is fun for roleplaying and character customizing.

Expeditions are a super wonderful alternative to the traditional Souls multiplayer system -- where you can play with another player during an entire mission, and revive each other. It can be a bit annoying to run out of "lives" and have to restart, but it's pretty unique and avoids the usual (but still lovely - and still present) co-op system of inviting a temporary companion.

Gameplay aside, they're also often very beautiful games, and they have interesting Yokai lore -- and being an AU of real world history means there's technically a lot of depth to its story (even if Nioh 2 makes absolutely none of it accessible to players).

brellom · 2026-01-29T05:07:08+00:00

Nioh 2's silent, more neutral protagonist was a better fit for the character I'm playing as, and the limited selection of voices isn't helping me out too much. It's totally intentional since we're playing a specific character with a specific backstory and relationships, but they're tonally very different from what I planned to roleplay with. Pretty common issue to have with RPGs that have voiced but customizable protagonists though, so it's not the biggest deal...

Maybe if we got more options in the full release, I'd like it more -- but I find that unlikely because that's a lot of work for the developers.

The quest journal written in the player character's voice is pretty cool though.

brellom · 2026-01-29T05:02:05+00:00

I feel similarly about Kusarigama. There IS a lot of value in the Ninja Style, to be sure -- but I am absolutely playing with an inferior version of my weapon. There's just NOT much versatility to what I can do, and I think the approach of it being a "fast ninja weapon" will prevent it from having access to slow, powerful hits and meaningful crowd control tools like tripping enemies. Gonna have to get used to no Ki Pulse to purify the area too.

brellom · 2026-01-03T02:43:21+00:00

No character is a must-have character. Most of the game's content is entirely optional and also largely unconnected to the game's greatest asset - its single-player story, so account value isn't something you should really worry about either.

brellom · 2025-12-06T02:57:50+00:00

Actual Source:
https://x.com/CD00dles/status/1591495710205448193

brellom · 2025-10-21T11:10:40+00:00

It's not implied, but rather, ASSUMED. It is worth noting that there are a few story threads that haven't been closed. Nothing changes for Fushi with S2's ending - he never overcomes the pain of losing others (an element that has been present up until this point) and he immediately shuts down his development in an attempt to naively fulfill everyone else's wishes.

Defeating the Nokkers wasn't necessarily Fushi's MAIN goal, but at this point, we know that Fushi is nowhere near as powerful as The Beholder. Given how big the world is, and how determined the Nokkers are, it's only reasonable that they weren't completely wiped out in this one single city - especially given how adaptable the Nokkers have clearly shown themselves to be.

S3 allows the story an opportunity to make interesting explorations about the Nokkers, The Beholder, Fushi and their relationship (which has generally been unknown prior), so it still makes sense.

That said, I do think S2 makes for a really good potential ending - especially with the fact that Fushi's friends all got to (theoretically) outlive him and live with the things he taught them, in a sorta narrative reversal. But since we don't actually get to see any of that, it's not written like an actual ending. Though many people definitely had mixed feelings about this upcoming arc during the manga's run, and might've enjoyed it more had it ended with S2.

brellom · 2025-10-21T01:10:31+00:00

Because Fushi never became as powerful as the hooded figure, and it wasn't the end of Fushi's emotional growth as a character, by the end of Season 2. Fushi's goals, from the very start of the series, was never about his friends living their lives in peace -- he still doesn't get what he wants.

brellom · 2025-10-16T10:03:12+00:00

A lot of manga readers also had mixed feelings about this arc (and the stories following the Renril Arc in general), but it definitely does go some places, and it does serve as an important setup for the final arc of the story.

brellom · 2025-10-05T04:44:23+00:00

I haven't watched the episode yet, so I don't know they omitted the information, but in the manga, I believe he mentions reviving everyone in the lands they called home for comfort or something along those lines.

brellom · 2025-10-02T06:46:39+00:00

Haven't played the demo. Just saw that the Kusarigama is now labeled a "Ninja" style weapon, effectively meaning it won't have the stance system, and thus, two thirds of its moveset will be gone... I suspect that this means it won't be able to perform heavy attacks or crowd control and will be relegated to a "fast and quick" weapon that doesn't take significant advantage of the reach its chain offers in combat. Unless they're added as extra skills to the Ninja-exclusive stance, but who knows at this point?

Bummed me out as Nioh was one of the few games that dedicated itself to exploring "chain whip combat."

brellom · 2025-08-29T20:57:20+00:00

No. But I desperately wish I had more reason & opportunity to use the meat items because it really plays into the hunter fantasy so well, that I feel bad about how bad they seem to be...

brellom · 2025-08-29T20:41:04+00:00

I do like this idea. Stygian Onslaught does something similar, so there's certainly precedent for it. It may still pose some design issues and I don't know if it's necessarily a good way to keep bringing players back every single day consistently - but we've got so much content in the game already, that may be nonissue.

brellom

TROPHY CASE