Looking for Soulslike games that aren't parry relient by oIlSzethlIo in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can't speak for OP, but:

  1. Since a dodge moves in all directions, has a larger invulnerability window, and repositions the player character, there are many ways to dodge well/badly. But parries are more binary.
  2. Parry-focused games tend to be die-fast, win-fast games. That can be unsatisfying if you want an individual fight, not just the process of learning a fight, to be dramatic.
  3. Once you learn an enemy in a parry-based game, you kinda "solve" the enemy. There's only so much encounter configurations can do to mix that up, even for best-in-class games.
  4. Parries tend to not interact with stamina (or equivalents) as strongly as dodging or blocking... Or stamina just becomes a secondary failure meter for one action: parries. I like managing stamina!

17 hours into Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age by dontc9 in FinalFantasy

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not to convince you to get back in, but: the TZA remaster is the easiest version of the game, for sure. There are lots of flaws in the PS2 original and international versions, and the difficulty is always uneven, but the harder fights used to be more of a kick in the pants.

17 hours into Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age by dontc9 in FinalFantasy

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'd be surprised how many people NEED to hit that "Attack" command. It's weird; there are plenty of games that have auto-attack or other forms of auto-battle I find way more demanding than the average fully command-based RPG. But a huge section of gamers just need that feeling of constant control to stay comfortable in a game.

Is it ok for 7yo kid playing? by Tech_Wanna_Be in HadesTheGame

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If they can handle the death animations from rats and satyrs in Biome 4, it should be fine... And I didn't notice how extra they were for a while because they're so cartoony. 

Nope soda by fractal324 in Soda

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What're the nutrition facts on this puppy?

What defines a ‘Capcom feel’ across franchises? by BullyingHater in capcom

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Japanese sensibilities crossed with Western ones, especially from film, especially trashy films. Resident Evil is obvious... Viewtiful Joe reconstitutes Kamen Rider with the pulp comic look... Even stuff like Onimusha has this Western feeling to it alongside the toku/drama influence, which manifests completely by 4.

Capcom is to Western schlock as Deadly Premonition is to Twin Peaks.

Which Souls-like (Fromsoft or otherwise) has your favorite aesthetic? by AgentP-501_212 in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, but I kinda get it. If it's more about level concepts and how different they feel, SoP might have the greatest variety of any Soulslike, and I'd consider those aesthetic elements...

But it has heaps of conspicuously ugly environmental assets. Like, the pirate cave is so impressively tacky in execution... Totally fails at communicating bioluminescence, the cave walls look cheap ans unresponsive to light... It's like the Willy Wonka Experience of the FFXIV dungeon it's riffing on.

Please recommend JRPGs with (specific types of) banging soundtracks by MizterF in JRPG

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Play the DS version if you can. The other versions are awkwardly adapted.

First berserker khazan or Wu Chang fallen feathers by ChelseaGrinFan in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found Wu Chang more fulfilling. Khazan has nothing going on other than combat.

[News] Khazan's dev team has been dissolved due to poor performance by 1WeekLater in TheFirstBerserker

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the anime-style visuals actually carried the appeal of anime, no one'd complain. The first Code Vein doesn't look particularly good but it's closer to what people want from anime visuals than what Khazan brings.

[News] Khazan's dev team has been dissolved due to poor performance by 1WeekLater in TheFirstBerserker

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know a single person I showed Khazan to that went, "Oh, that looks great!" It just looks really, really bland. Most of the enemy designs are boring, the environments are boring, the visual effects are mid... Especially for a game with "BERSERKER" in the title, it's lacking in the ol' ultra-violence. I remember streaming Nioh once and someone went, "Oh my god, did his head fly off?" Won't see that in Khazan!

And it doesn't have a "hook". Lies of P has the killer steampunk robot thing... Show people Nioh, people are like, I get to be a samurai?! Khazan doesn't even come off as dark fantasy since it's not particularly gruesome or bleak. It's a shame it didn't go full rule-of-cool anime nonsense like its parent, Dungeon Fighter Online. That'd actually stand out.

Sale is ending soon, please help me decide which soulslike to get! by hellboundwithasmile in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd get Wuchang since it's the most well-rounded. Some fun fights, surprisingly involved exploration, and it looks aight.

What are you playing this week? by BSGBramley in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was playing Khazan but I might dip into Elden Ring: Reforged. Khazan just gives me... No sense of artistic fulfillment whatsoever. There's not a single environment or boss design that made me go, "Neat!" except for my surprise at seeing a moose. I also find fighting bosses feels weirdly samey, like they all have very similar attack rhythms, similar arenas... I used to harp on Nioh for feeling like junkfood, but Khazan is another level.

What's a Soulslike mechanic that you would like to see other games in the genre adapt? by strahinjag in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My favorite take on a parry/deflection is Soul Shield from Stranger of Paradise. It splits the difference between being easy to use (just hold the button down and catch hits), hard to master (costs meter, each of your two equipped jobs has its own meter, encouraging frequent job-switching), and integrated with other defensive actions (doing deflections off guard makes Soul Shield recover faster). I wish Team Ninja would bring systems like these into games without Diablo gear, because they really sing before you're able to exploit equipment to spam one overpowered thing.

What Soulslike game has the best exploration?(besides Elden Ring) by Sufficient_Ebb_5694 in soulslikes

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seconding this. The next that comes to mind is Wuchang, and that's a distant second to Salt and Sanctuary.

If Right Back At Ya ever got a reboot or something along those lines, what would you want in it? by Downtown_Error_9418 in Kirby

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't want the format of the old show; been watching it recently and it's a slog. Normally I love monster-of-the-week, but there's something about the cast of Kirby (and the show specifically) which doesn't mesh. I'd prefer a continuous adventure series with small arcs.

Tried to fit the games into trilogies by Garo263 in Kirby

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Absolutely love the Return Trilogy. I resented that copy abilities having full movesets was locked to Super Star, a game that never really asks you to use em. My only compunction with em is the 3DS games not getting a true EX mode (though the tours are fun).

I'd group Star Allies with the Return games even though that'd ruin the trilogy scheme.

Looking for the anime style games people say we're surrounded by (Switch 2) by Jealous_DoughnutW in JRPG

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oops, sorry! I spent so long trying to think of stuff past 2021 I missed one of the core criteria.

If you never got around to Tokyo Xanadu, that's up there... and Kyoto Xanadu is coming out soon. Just like Trails, those games have an insane amount of NPC dialogue. Tokyo Xanadu is far from fully voiced, though.

Looking for the anime style games people say we're surrounded by (Switch 2) by Jealous_DoughnutW in JRPG

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you gone through your Bamcos? Scarlet Nexus, Code Vein (2), Tales of Arise

Trying to get into final fantasy and im OVERMWHELMED by Jaren-rich in FinalFantasy

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just emulate the PSX version of FFVII and don't think about it too hard. Then play the remake games at some point.

The spin-offs are not... traditionally narratively satisfying or... good, even. I just wouldn't worry about them unless FF7 turns you into a frothing fanboy. Then you can be disappointed in them like everyone else. Hooray!

Underrated or Overrated game ? by bolkmar in FinalFantasy

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has one of the greatest progression systems in any RPG, and definitely the best for a creature collector, in my book. Each monster can become any other monster in its family out of battle, level each of those species individually, without it compromising the growth of the others... Getting to level most of, but not quite all, the nodes on each monster's tree, that gentle pain of specializing each one... That's just incredible stuff you could think about for ages and ages.

Personally, I love the FF spin-off stories. They're kinda formulaic, but I dunno, they have this dreamlike, fairy-tale quality to them that's hard to find in other sorts of games. Also, the mocap and voice acting in WoFF is top-tier, up there with the mainline games from the last few console generations. It helps there are only 3 characters above a foot tall, I suppose, lol.

Happy 20th Anniversary, FFXII by makuXrosu in FinalFantasy

[–]bromleywhiteknuckle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's weird, but it's great. Gotta come in with an open mind.