Recent reviews by Mowser

I've played games like this since the original Diablo. There's a lot of good ones out there! From Torchlight, to Grim Dawn and even (to some extent) the original franchise. This is another banger in an already great genre. The genre may not be for everyone, but I feel like this just builds on decades of the very best. I was put off by the original Path of Exile, thinking of it in the same way one might think of EVE Online. Spreadsheets in space? Meet spreadsheets in fantasy. It sounded like the opposite of fun. So when I first opened and started playing this game, my expectations were low and my trepidation was high. In the first *hour* I was hooked. Utterly proven wrong. The music, the sound design, the story, the gameplay... it's what someone who loves this genre wants. Love PoE 1? Don't worry, they still have a very complex and rewarding passive skill tree. It doesn't have the layers upon layers that PoE 1 seems to yet, but I feel like the potential is there. Fun skills to build around? Yup. You're not even limited by the class you chose, same as before.

Now, temper your expectations from this review. I'm not even in the endgame yet. I'm still in Act 1 (Cruel) as of this writing on my farthest along character. It's possible I'll get to the end game and hate it. However, even about half way through the main game, I felt compelled to write this review because I've just had that much fun. I hope you will too.

I've always been a huge fan of Metroidvania style games and will almost always love them without question and this game was no exception. While I don't feel like this game brings anything new to the table, I also don't see that as a bad thing. I came to this game seeking a familiar, fun and just enjoyable game and that's exactly what I got. The music is the same, It's nothing new for the series, but that's why I love it! Gameplay? Just as slick and enjoyable as I remember. Characters? Same ones with a few new additions that I've come to love. Art? A beautiful and colourful hand drawn experience that to a younger me would have felt like he was playing a cartoon. I just can't gush enough about this game.

Conceptually, this game was going to win with me easily: Lodoss, my favourite anime in a SotN game (one of my favourite games of all time) format. I really look forward to this game in its finished state!

In terms of gameplay: it felt very smooth and familiar like I was playing SotN again back on my old PS, though it does have some unique mechanics that make sense for the character (the bows and magic). The magic was a bit tough to keep topped up, but if you manage it you are definitely rewarded (extra damage and self healing). That said, even if you can't keep it topped up, you can still get by just fine.

In terms of sound/music: I have to admit I didn't really notice it as I played. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Everything felt very natural and it clearly fit together well or I would have noticed it more.

Story: It's early access so there isn't much there yet, but the tidbits that were have me a least a little hooked. I really want to know more but only time will tell on this front.

After Release Edit:

So, I do feel like my original review stands, but I will add a bit here:

Difficulty: This game is pretty easy and I think vets of the Metroidvania genre will breeze through it without any difficulty or effort. I still think it was fun to play, but the folks talking about how easy it is aren't off.

Length: It was a bit shorter than I expected. I'm happy with what I got, but after playing some larger Metroidvania games this did feel like a slight let down, but not a major one for me. I'd understand if others didn't feel the same.

I really enjoyed this game. From the beautiful art and music, to the gameplay and even just the character stories, it has been an absolute pleasure for me to play. It's not the longest or deepest game, but as one of the many who backed this game based on the success of Skullgirls, I really feel like I got what I put in for just with the base game alone. Looking forward to seeing more with DLC and whatever else there is to come.

Even with only 3 hours in, this game is fantastic! The game play, as far as side scrolling platformers/hack and slash game types go is smooth and deceptively hard to get right which the enemies will capitalize on. The story is... just perfect. I hesitate to describe it much as to do so would spoil it but as is hinted by the description of the game: think carefully about your choices.

The art, the music and the voice acting is all absolutely beautiful with a sense of humour and fun that I haven't encountered in a very long time in any game, let alone a side scrolling game of this style. If you liked games like Shantae or Megaman Zero, the game play will be right up your alley. If you like game where there's a meta story going on in addition to the story that the game is trying to tell, you will like this game. If you like both of those aspects, you will love this game.

It's punishing, but fair. Built in the same spirit of those old 'nintendo-hard' games but without the cheap tactics and unfair/random kills this game really improves on a style of game that we all simultaneously loved and hated.

Things of note:

- The visuals are incredibly appealing.
- The story is simple but cheeky and fun.
- The difficulty is high, but surmountable with practice (and/or luck).
- There's plenty of secrets for folks to search around for.
- A bit of customization to the character's appearance for those who like to look fabulous.
- It will probably make more people sport the same fabulous hairstyle as myself out of frustration.
- My thumbs were sore for hours after each play session.

This one is kind of a given. If you've ever liked an mmo, but couldn't stand the other people, this is your answer. If you've ever gotten tired of not being able to explore an vast open world and to just do your own thing, this is your answer. The vast skill trees, the expansive world and the fairly decent gameplay will keep any gamer enjoying themselves for a long time.

The DLC for this game so far has been really good value for what you get, and I look forward to seeing more of the same from it.

A nice arpg that is a great deal of fun with straight forward gameplay. The cartoony graphics might not be for everyone, but given it's release year I think it can be forgiven. Definitely worth the time.

The music, narration and just overall fun-factor of this game will blow you away.