Phlegethon???

[Alan Rickman]

First of all - I love this game. I'm a classicist and there were countless times in this game where I was amazed by the dedication the writers have shown in bringing the Olympian mythos to life here. Everything from the art style to the huge array of weapons (which is why I do not think the controls are, in a combat sense, 'clunky', but rather a pledge from the devs to ensure the characteristics of each of the weapons can be explored) is a huge testament to the drive shown in this game.

I do however, think there are some movement issues with the game. Where the combat offers fine ways of undoing difficult opponents - you just have to observe how they fight and what would work best for you - Nikandreos can move quite erratically as he explores Olympus.

My issue with Phlegethon is that it is not difficult because the challenge you are faced with is hard, or puzzling - but difficult because all too often Nikandreos is standing diagonally on a ledge for a few seconds too long, or I lose my great lead because I jump into a ladder to save more seconds and fall all the way down. Then when the fire gets close, I have trouble seeing the details that make this game so unique. There are also some especially trolly corners which play on the fact that you can't entirely see them if the fire is close - so you waste precious seconds surmounting them.

It is very difficult to see any detail (and this game requires you to observe detail) in the Phlegethon speedrun. The main colour scheme due to the pottery theme is orange. Orange, blacks and blues pick out all the detail in this game. With a rising wall of orange on my screen, it makes observing where Nikandreos is almost impossible when things get close.

I do not have a problem with difficult games, when the difficulty is engineered by a challenging moment which requires me to fight well, or think outside the box, or just slog out a certain situation for longer than is normally required in a show of endurance and skill. But when the difficulty is engineered by forcing the user to subscribe to clunky movement system in a brutal speedrun situation, it breaks my connection with the creativity of the game and turns the whole thing into frustration simulator 3000.

I love this game and really think Phlegethon should be edited in some way:
- Either the wall of fire could move a little slower (a clear difficulty change which I don't really like asking)
- Or the whole problem with vision would be avoided if the fire was turned into a more menacing greyscale pattern, rather than the triangles of orange (I think this aesthetic change would be enough - being able to see more would ensure the player can shave the seconds he needs from each platform)

Am I QQing here or have others felt the same?

[Scarydino]

It's a lot harder if you try to go for the sword and you've got a goon smacking ya upside the head

[HoJu Eructus]

I'll never forgive that level for almost making me quit this awesome game.

[mshea]

I admit I'm actually kind of shocked by how easy some people find this level. I know my computer doesn't play this game at 100% capacity, but I've managed perfectly well until now. None of my commands seem to register properly and as others have said, the fire makes everything just one large mess. This is simply unplayable! Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[K]

I agree, I stopped playing and just came back to start again now that I know how to use no clip.

[HoJu Eructus]

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cheated to pass this level.

[K]

Originally posted by HoJu:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cheated to pas this level.

Neither am I