And done. I don’t know who’s finishing this in 9hours for a first playthrough, it can definitely be done in that but not without really gunning it. Took me closer to 25 I think and was a few hours off 100%
Thoroughly enjoyed it and a wonderful debut from ember lab. It’s definitely a bit limited in scope but it feels like rather than blow the budget they kept it tight and made the game the game they wanted to make and it’s bloody fun throughout and in a couple of moments really sings.
The visuals are clearly where the majority of the time and budget have gone and they’re beautiful throughout. The environments can feel a little samey but when they look this good it’s hard to complain. Everything else is really solidly functional (the parry clearly needs tweaking) and when it all combines in a few action, exploration or puzzle set pieces it’s fantastic.
The world is wonderful and as I mentioned the central village is a joy to explore and the bonus exploration bits and pieces really make hunting secrets down worth it. It’s a shame that rewards kind of run out by the mid game so your just left with exploration for the sake of it but in environments this good that is satisfaction enough for the most part. It’s a shame they’re aren’t any side story elements to interact with. The plot plays out exactly as you would expect and despite the Majoras Mask inspiration is fairly one note and a bit vague generic mysticism throughout.
Despite its flaws though I found it a joy all the way through and can recommend it to all, especially thanks to the budget price which I think they could have gotten away with another £10 tbh. Probably my second favourite game of the year behind Village.
KK wrote:In a good or bad way?
I find it bloody irritating when the last boss is so difficult it's almost impossible to finish the game. One of the things I loved about Sackboy is that it was pretty easy to complete the main story missions, but extremely difficult if you wanted it to be (such as the time trial challenges).
In a good way. I’ve seen a lot of complaints a bout difficulty spikes but on normal I’ve found it pretty perfectly pitched. There is a big jump between ordinary combat, which can be a bit mindless, and the bosses which are usually a very significant challenge, but when you know how to tackle them they’re all reasonable. Final boss has you making use of all your skills in various phases and feels suitably epic throughout.
I don’t know what all the moaners on Resetera are about in switching it down to the easiest setting. It is very doable, didn’t even consider needing to drop it down.