Demo Feedback.

[[SBR1] Lt. 'Luna' Belle Zelensky]

After having played the demo a fair while, some things do stand out considerably. While most of this is outlining the negative points, it's generally better to outline these

1: Hitboxes are wonky. I could be dodging forwards, to the side, or backwards, having a noticeable distance from an enemy's weapon range, and still get hit somehow. This really needs some adjusting in the final game, especially if you lose XP based on taking damage you have to get this down to a T. Generally souls-likes live or die by the proper design of their hitboxes.

2: Dodging and sprinting controls are non-intuitive, while the baseline ability to choose between AZERTY and QWERTY is perfect as it is, and the ability to rebind things without hard-bound keys is appreciated, I wonder what anyone was thinking when they put dodge on shift and sprint on control? Every other game has this the other way around and it threw me off when I started playing until I remapped it. I'd suggest to have the default setting swap these around and it should do. Controlling Nor in general is very tight in my opinion and generally I can get her to do what I want with minimal trouble or delay. Even on mouse/keyboard I can chain things together just as well, if not better than on a controller.

3: The tutorials are invasive and actually kill the momentum of the game by taking me out of the experience. I'd recommend having the windows pop up by the side of the screen without grinding the gameplay to a complete halt and putting in an option to skip them entirely when starting a new game. This is especially egregious when I'm already engaged with enemies and the sudden stop takes me out of the rhythm of dispatching a foe to give me information I've already intuitively figured out.

4: Swimming should absolutely be implemented in the game, especially since you're using environments with large bodies of water that don't really seem to serve a purpose. (Maybe later in the game these bodies of water aren't as prevalent but at least the first few areas really suffer from those open spaces which would effectively be wasted if they're not accessible.) The whole fade to black and take damage approach is completely ridiculous in today's day and age, and it makes exploring rather tedious when you miss a jump or need to get somewhere.

5: I was going to mention something about the 'Press to collect' XP thing, but I've discovered, and later read in the forums that this is indeed just added to your total regardless which would make it a moot point. Overall though, the scoring itself system adds something very interesting and it encourages experimentation as well as getting creative with the gameplay mechanics which many games fail to do and instead just tack gimmicks on to feel different.

6: The setting, open world, and narrative itself feel solid and well made, I'm generally a huge fan of Colonial-Era/Napoleonic settings and adding Dark Fantasy to it is just the logical addition to make the enemies feel interesting and varied. Soulslike games in general lend themselves very well to the open world formula as any intermission allows the game world to repopulate as well as challenge the player again and again. Another commendable thing is a diverse cast of characters without detracting from the experience with excessively preachy or high-horsing interactions. They feel like actual people rather than a mouthpiece for some type of messaging.

7: Overall conclusion: The gameplay is actually very solid and the soulslike elements are definitely an addition rather than a detractor. Despite the issues with some hitboxes, it plays like its genre implies and for the most part it's generally smooth. Performance is nothing to remark on, the game works as I expect it to and honestly there isn't much to say beyond that it's very well optimised for my rig at least. The reputation scoring system makes it feel like I'm playing a blend of methodical Souls combat and high octane Devil May Cry/Bayonetta-like spectacle fighters. The ability to pull of some insane stunts and mix things up with every encounter is certain to keep me engaged. As I'm a sucker for any Colonial settings I'm generally not picky but it feels good to play a game that the sum of both its story and the gameplay in a meaningful degree. The character designs, outfits, makeup choices, and overall appearances of the world sell the gritty steel, powder, and magic setting well. To close, I'll be picking this up as soon as I can and definitely run a few NG+'s if that will be a feature.

[azogthedefiler25]

Nice feedback. New Game Plus sounds like a blast. They definitely did a good job with the character and creature designs.

[Pixel Bandits]

Originally posted by SBR1 Lt. 'Luna' Belle Zelensky:

After having played the demo a fair while, some things do stand out considerably. While most of this is outlining the negative points, it's generally better to outline these...

Hey Luna. I really appreciate the time you've taken here to not only get into the demo but also the effort to really consider and write up these points.

I'll be getting this feedback passed to the team along with all of the other bits which folks have taken the time to post.

I can let you know that there are no plans to have NG+ at launch, but there will be plenty of world to explore and liberate, and plenty of folks to play Sebo with (but then I am a total sucker for an in-world coin / card-based mini game).

Thanks again and hope to see you loving the game at launch.

[Blatherbeard]

I dont get your critique of the controls as i could rebind every key to my liking. but good feedback for sure.

[[SBR1] Lt. 'Luna' Belle Zelensky]

Originally posted by Blatherbeard:

I dont get your critique of the controls as i could rebind every key to my liking. but good feedback for sure.

I was commending the fact that keys were NOT hard-bound, unlike other games seem to do for some inexplicable reason.