Skip boss fights?

[Shadrach]

I love Owlboy, the art, the music, the exploration, fighting enemies while finding secrets and coins, solving puzzles, and following the story.

However I absolutely loathe boss fights, and find them tedious and annoying, taking away the enjoyment I get from the game. Why would game designers want me to play the same bloody section over and over again just to beat some idiot measure of 'skill' to be able to continue playing?

At the moment I finished the Monkey King boss, after a long time of wanting to throw my controller into the wall. Then the lava section which was OK and then straight into another bloody boss. I waited for this game for years, but I never imagined this to be a boss-rush game.

I know some people love the feeling of overcoming a fight after hours of trying again and again. For me, I don't have the patience or the time for it. Where's the fun in playing the same section and dying over and over and over again? There's no thinking, it's just muscle memory and memorization.

So devs, please add an option to skip boss fights. Let the people who enjoy them struggle and overcome, and tell others to 'git gud', and let the rest of us just play the game like we want to.

[<:)]

Originally posted by Shadrach:

Why would game designers want me to play the same bloody section over and over again just to beat some idiot measure of 'skill' to be able to continue playing?

Why would you assume that is what the developers intended just because you find the bosses hard?
You're right that it is an idiot measure of skill, in that the bosses in this game are so easy even an idiot could beat them.
Why should you play the game "like we want to"? The game is what it is; designed to be played a certain way. I can't even comprehend how this thread exists.
Since when is complaining to the devs to change a core game feature a valid solution to your own lack of skill?
What kind of games do you play that this is a challenge?

[GAMING_Alligator]

Originally posted by Shadrach:

I love Owlboy, the art, the music, the exploration, fighting enemies while finding secrets and coins, solving puzzles, and following the story.

However I absolutely loathe boss fights, and find them tedious and annoying, taking away the enjoyment I get from the game. Why would game designers want me to play the same bloody section over and over again just to beat some idiot measure of 'skill' to be able to continue playing?

At the moment I finished the Monkey King boss, after a long time of wanting to throw my controller into the wall. Then the lava section which was OK and then straight into another bloody boss. I waited for this game for years, but I never imagined this to be a boss-rush game.

I know some people love the feeling of overcoming a fight after hours of trying again and again. For me, I don't have the patience or the time for it. Where's the fun in playing the same section and dying over and over and over again? There's no thinking, it's just muscle memory and memorization.

So devs, please add an option to skip boss fights. Let the people who enjoy them struggle and overcome, and tell others to 'git gud', and let the rest of us just play the game like we want to.

I agree there seem to be too many boss fights. Having said that, they're all beatable in a few goes, once you learn the patterns. However, for me they detract from the flow of the game.

[someguywhocanfly (Blitz)]

Originally posted by >:(:

Why would you assume that is what the developers intended just because you find the bosses hard?
You're right that it is an idiot measure of skill, in that the bosses in this game are so easy even an idiot could beat them.
Why should you play the game "like we want to"? The game is what it is; designed to be played a certain way. I can't even comprehend how this thread exists.
Since when is complaining to the devs to change a core game feature a valid solution to your own lack of skill?
What kind of games do you play that this is a challenge?

You're not wrong that the bosses are easy in this game, but that doesn't mean that they're necessary or good. Most of them are tedious as ♥♥♥♥ and basically serve no purpose, I also found the Monkey King boss annoying, seemed like there wasn't really any strategy to it, just hope you don't get hit when there are 6 monkeys taking up the whole screen and blending into the background. The section after the worm boss was ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dumb too.

[AirborneMuffins]

I don't know what you're talking about. The segment after the worm fight was one of the best gaming moments I've experienced this year. I wish it would have been longer, though.
From the OP it seems like you would enjoy sticking with walking simulators.

[Shadrach]

Why do people automatically assume that if a player dislikes a certain segment of the game, or finds it frustrating, that they are automatically some kind of 'casual' gamer or does not enjoy a challenge, or that they want to 'destroy' the game by making it easier?

I said it clearly in the post that I love Owlboy, it's one of my favorite games of 2016, I am just asking for an option to skip a part of the game if I've tried it several times, and am ready to move on in the story.

I play lots of different games, stealth games, survival games, simulators, platformers, and yes - I *even* really enjoy "walking simulators" (oh my!) I have played video games since the 80s, and I really object to people insulting other players because they somehow don't fit a certain 'skill-level' that some seem to think are required to play certain games.

If you crave hardcore gaming, and love to spend hours playing the same segment over and over, fine. Just don't assume others enjoy games the same way as you do.

[JBG™]

I admit a lot of boss fights in the game felt out of place, particularly the one with the monkeys you mentioned. Like, really what would've been the harm of just not including that one lol.

[Kowler]

To be honest by the trailer, they didn't make it seem like it'd be a game with lots of fighting. So I can see how someone could be annoyed by all of the bosses and they find it too difficult.

But in my situation I loved the bosses even though they were all pretty easy, they were so satisfying to shoot and watch them blow up a thousand times. And I haven't played a game in a long time where I could enjoy the scenery, story, music, characters, AND fun boss fights. This is why I though owlboy was a good game.

[SimicEngineer]

I haven't finished the game yet, but so far I do think there's a disconnect between the style they're going for and how things are tuned. Something just feels a bit off, as though some of the patterns and speeds were perhaps designed for non-finalized player movement. I find that it's not quite satisfying in the same way that some of the classic boss fights are (e.g. I like to fight Mega Man X/Zero bosses without exploiting their weapon weaknesses, because otherwise I feel like I haven't "really" beaten them).

Incidentally, if you happen to love the "keep fighting the boss until you git gud" pattern than OP doesn't care for, there's a game for that:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/71116/

[PlayL4D2!]

Originally posted by ¦8^Þ:

You're right that it is an idiot measure of skill, in that the bosses in this game are so easy even an idiot could beat them.

It's not about intelligence but reflexes. It's a fact that age doesn't do well for your reflexes.
Plus, adults have less time for these things. I didn't mind replaying the same level over & over 30 years ago, but things have changed.

But to be honest, this game is one of the least guilty of "pixels = difficulty". I'm thinking Shovel Knight, for ex - I had to watch the ending on Youtube, there's just NO WAY I would have done what I saw on video.
Owlboy is nearly adult-friendly, except for some bosses. And really, all we need is a cheat, and it appears that there used to be one that's not working anymore. But everytime I rant about this kind of thing, there's an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to claim that a cheat mode would ruin HIS experience.

I know that feel of satisfaction when you've beaten a hard boss, after many tries. I've had it when I was a kid. Now all I get after a boss is that bitter aftertaste of having wasted my time, and that I don't wanna do that again. I don't think it's just me getting older, because that's how all mainstream games have evolved.
This is why it's mostly "oldschool" games that are too hard nowadays, and it's sad because a game like Owlboy is THE pixel platform game that should be considered mainstream. And again, except for a few bosses, it's very forgiving, I liked that.

[Kowler]

I dont get how everyone thinks these boss fights are hard, it literally boggles my mind that you would think they are so hard to where you'd need to post a suggestion to skip the boss fights in this game. It's not like there's any consequence to dying (which there should be), you just get sent back to where you were a screen ago. Maybe it's because I grew up on difficult NES and SNES games and I didn't need someone to hold my hand all the way through a game. Or that people are really bad at games today and don't want to bother how to figure out how to beat something on their own, they just want "a cheat" to get them through.

[PlayL4D2!]

Originally posted by Kowler:

Maybe it's because I grew up on difficult NES and SNES games and I didn't need someone to hold my hand all the way through a game. Or that people are really bad at games today and don't want to bother how to figure out how to beat something on their own, they just want "a cheat" to get them through.

Nothing to do with it. I'm 40, I grew up with 8bit computer games. I suffered a lot, probably not minding much because I, as a kid, had all the free time I needed, and there was nothing better to do.
Maybe you still enjoy replaying the same thing 10 times, but not everyone does. So the question is, how would a "boss skip" feature make YOU enjoy the game less?

Here, because for whatever reason the game's cheat has been removed (if it ever existed, that is), I'll probably finish the story on Youtube, like most of the other "oldschool" games I've played. It's sad, but I wouldn't enjoy having to play that stupid small pirate boss 30x if that gives me a chance to beat it. Meanwhile, YOU, as the amazingly good player everyone knows you as, wouldn't have minded the option of cheating, you just wouldn't have used it.

[Kowler]

You guys are acting like everyone has to try 30 times to beat these bosses and it takes like 5 hours each boss. And why is time such a big complaint anyway, nobody is forcing you guys to play a certain amount of time but yourself. If you guys want boss skips to be standard for every new game then fine. But maybe you should've considered asking for a refund for this game and going back to casual games. Anyway I'm done wasting my time here.

[PlayL4D2!]

Originally posted by Kowler:

You guys are acting like everyone has to try 30 times to beat these bosses and it takes like 5 hours each boss.

No, we're acting like -some people- have to retry 30 times.

I've retried that boss for the last time. I can hardly dodge any of the swords he throws. Can't even swap gunners, by the time I reach the key & focus on the one I'm picking, I'm already hit and I lose that gunner.
Since the game is forgiving, I can be hit & still survive the first 2 passes, but then, from what I saw on Youtube, you've got to switch to the twig guy to dodge the next swords using the hooks. There is just no way I'd be able to do that. One has to knows his limits. ♥♥♥♥ this game that started SO easy & forgiving.

[GAMING_Alligator]

Originally posted by PlayL4D2!:

Originally posted by Kowler:

You guys are acting like everyone has to try 30 times to beat these bosses and it takes like 5 hours each boss.

No, we're acting like -some people- have to retry 30 times.

I've retried that boss for the last time. I can hardly dodge any of the swords he throws. Can't even swap gunners, by the time I reach the key & focus on the one I'm picking, I'm already hit and I lose that gunner.
Since the game is forgiving, I can be hit & still survive the first 2 passes, but then, from what I saw on Youtube, you've got to switch to the twig guy to dodge the next swords using the hooks. There is just no way I'd be able to do that. One has to knows his limits. ♥♥♥♥ this game that started SO easy & forgiving.

There are things in life worth getting upset about, but a game is really not one of them.

The bosses in this game, while I'll grant you annoying, are not difficult to beat. They all follow a pattern, all you have to do is figure out that pattern (this may take a few tries). There's certainly no intelligence built into how they move, maybe a bit of randomness to keep things from being too simple. It is not a case of reflexes as much as moving and acting in accordance with how you know the boss will move.

[Shadrach]

Thank you PlayL4D2 - for being understanding and admitting you struggle with the same things, while still wanting in your heart to love (and finish!) these kinds of games. I think we are in the same boat, both in skill and probably age (40s?) too :)

I'll say this though, after I did a lot more tries on the annoying-as-hell monkey boss, I finished it, and also the game after a while. In fact, the final boss was kind of easy and needed only a couple of tries amazingly enough. However, like you said:

Now all I get after a boss is that bitter aftertaste of having wasted my time, and that I don't wanna do that again.

I'm with you 100% on that - it just gets tiring for the most part, wanting to throw the controller at the TV, just too much stress, and not even a mid-fight checkpoint with several phases. Too old for that s__t, after 10 tries of the same boss I just want to press 'Skip Boss' and get on with the *game*.

The kids don't get it - but the last thing you want after a stressful day at work is more stress trying to beat some silly computer game version of the annoying boss... but that doesn't mean you will only play CandyCrush the rest of your life, does it :)