The new stun mechanic is unfun

[Burn Note]

The new areas are pretty sweet, and I really enjoy the new bosses. The new stun mechanic, however, just kinda sucks.

I assume the intention is to incentivise people to be more careful. But the fire/wind power level already does that, and much better. That one produces all sorts of interesting choices: Do I go with the lower, to save my lvl3 so I can heal later? Or do I go with the higher attack power? Do I risk it to power up the other, or play it safe?

The stun mechanic doesn't. I can't really do anything with it, except sit it out. So that's not so great. Even worse, I don't really understand it either. I think it triggers when you get hit in quick succession, but it has also triggered on the first hit in a boss fight, so I don't know what's going on. Maybe it's actually a hidden meter, or just a chance?

But that's not the end of it. Getting the stun just feels awful. Just on a visceral level. It feels like I'm sitting there for 3 seconds, and I can't do anything. If I get hit, then that feels kinda unfair, because I couldn't really do anything about it. If I don't, then it feels like pure luck, and also like a waste of time.

Reducing the stun length would help, but it would still not feel good. I just don't see how this is supposed to make the game better (since there's already a mechanic that does the job better), and I would really prefer if it got removed again.

[MR ARMS]

I can second this, the bosses are by and large fairly easy, but the seemingly random dizzies were annoying.

[Persona Au Gratin]

By the time the stun mechanic comes into play for a skilled player (Read: NOT EXPERIENCED PLAYER, Skilled), players who aren't so great at action games will have been utterly thrashed by the stun mechanic where the polarity switching/Ikaruga style mechanic would have already been punishing enough. Stun is an example of top-down design, where you're assuming that preventing players with great reflexes in action games should but you end up really just punishing the lower end of players who absolutely rely on RPG mechanics to get them through.

If you take a potion, for instance, you're still going to be stunned lmfao. The life recovery, if you even have levels and, often doesn't guarantee that you won't be re-dizzied by enemies. This mechanic is absolutely not necessary, all it shows is that there is ZERO CONFIDENCE about the inherent difficulty present in the concepts that were already in the game. Not only that, it's incredibly spiteful for a game such as this where you are giving players certain options that can trivialize combat to a certain degree. If you are invoking Symphony of the Night, that is what you're acknowledging as possible. I do not see the point of dizzy, and it didn't factor into my play save for the final battle of the current build. I died twice, once was when I was put into a corner trap and couldn't actually escape because the enemy in question lays a trap in front of you then does meaty projectiles or other mini-stun moves that don't even proc dizzy.

You don't need a stupid gimmick like this for your fights to be fun and engaging, they already were and are.

[tonberry]

+1

[Vonteal]

There are times where the new stun is unforgiving for sure.

[Andy]

pirotess with this endless stunning is giving me a hard time for sure

[Dasginosis]

Same here. Endless stun to Death, not fun.

[Jazman2k]

Yes, the stun needs a tweak for sure. Died many times because I couldn't get out of the stun status quickly enough. Sure, my fault to get stunned but still, I think it happened bit too often.

[[MDI]]

Its annoying but at most times I enjoy the challenge it adds because when it happens I feel like it is my fault, as opposed to something cheap or unfair. Not sure if mashing all the buttons actually helps but it definitely adds tension when I'm trying to get out of the dizzy state.

[Arkadien]

The mechanic has gotten me stunlocked by Narse's beam attack more times than I can count.

[FlorisDeV]

I get disoriented when it happens, wonder where my character has gone to because it doesn't respond anymore. Stun sucks, get rid of it. Yes I am not a skilled action game player but would like to be able to finish this game too and not by grinding to level 50.

[Melodia]

Originally posted by MDI:

Its annoying but at most times I enjoy the challenge it adds because when it happens I feel like it is my fault, as opposed to something cheap or unfair. Not sure if mashing all the buttons actually helps but it definitely adds tension when I'm trying to get out of the dizzy state.

It's not a challenge when you literally can't do anything once it hits and you have to then rely on RNG to not just keep getting hit. If it was only in boss fights at points where they are wanting you to swap elements, yeah that would add a nice layer of extra challenge -- but as it stands now, the fact you can just get bodied in a normal room because enemies stun you + knock back....it's a bit much.

[Insanemage]

Stun mechanics have been in actions games since almost forever. Some are cheesier than others. The patterns are the key ALWAYS! Saying that "I don't play actions games." is just an excuse. It's honestly not that difficult, but you will fall for it a few times until you get the timing or the "tells" right for you to come out triumphant.

Look at Dark Souls. That is a game I have never played, but I dread the difficulty that's baked in since I've never played it. Plenty have done so many runs of varied kinds. It's insane.

Many brawlers use the "SWARM" mechanic, some use a combination of both STUN & SWARM, but people beat them just the same.

The point is keep trying and you shall obtain success.

[Melodia]

I mean, obviously the game is beatable. If I can get to the end (at least of what exists), as someone who tends to be on the less dexterous side, it's certainly not hard for those who have no trouble with such types of games....but that doesn't make this specific mechanic any less problematic. Honestly the game is otherwise great, the only other real thing I consider an issue is the gear puzzles with the bow -- they feel tacked on and especially in the 3rd area where you have to hit them on a specific spot to keep the elevator rising is extremely annoying.

[Burn Note]

Originally posted by Insanemage:

Stun mechanics have been in actions games since almost forever. Some are cheesier than others. The patterns are the key ALWAYS! Saying that "I don't play actions games." is just an excuse. It's honestly not that difficult, but you will fall for it a few times until you get the timing or the "tells" right for you to come out triumphant.

Look at Dark Souls. That is a game I have never played, but I dread the difficulty that's baked in since I've never played it. Plenty have done so many runs of varied kinds. It's insane.

Many brawlers use the "SWARM" mechanic, some use a combination of both STUN & SWARM, but people beat them just the same.

The point is keep trying and you shall obtain success.

The issue isn't difficulty. I've played the game as far as it's available without too much trouble (twice actually, because I switched computers and the save didn't).

The issue is the kind of difficult. The stun mechanic as a ♥♥♥♥, unfun kind. Imagine a boss had a 1% chance to instantly kill you when entering. That honestly wouldn't make the game much more difficult, but it would make it way worse, because there's nothing the player can do about it. The stun mechanic is the same: It randomly punishes some mistakes way, ways harder than others, with no apparent reason. And that just isn't fun. It's the same reason why you don't generally see enemies have a critical hit chance in this type of game.