I just cannot enjoy this game

[MEMPHIS]

I appreciate the analogous story behind its development. The art is cool. Conceptually, it's on point--mostly. The music is pretty neat at times. It has a certain charm to it. It has a strong visual narrative presence...

But that's about all I like.

This game is a game that I wish I could like more than I do, but because of clear and present design choices--not faulty programming or bugs--but design choices, I can't help but state the obvious:

Hyper Light Drifter sucks.

Yeah. I don't care if it's your favorite game or if your admiration for the development and its "meaning" have given you some foggy goggles to objective reality. But objective reality, at some point, must be given proper attention.

The controls are horrendous. I don't care if you've wasted so much time in this game to develop the necessary skills to overlook this fact--which is obviously true from the very first moment you get into serious combat--the controls are terrible.

There's no learning curve to the controls. Anyone who tells you different is lying. The whole thing relies on your dash mechanic to avoid damage. If you don't dash--you will die. Period. So let's look at this dash mechanic:

Oh, I see we have two options. First, we could set the dash to move in the direction of our Mouse. Well, that just seems dandy! Let's put it into practice.

Oh no! I need the Mouse to aim at the enemy, so whenever I want to dash, I move into incoming damage! That means this setting is broken.

Okay. No problem. Let's try the other. Let's set it to move in the direction of WASD.

Well, what do you know? I'm not rolling into incoming damage.

But, oh no! What's this? Now the real flaw of this ♥♥♥♥♥♥ game's design comes to the forefront:

Not only am I in a major fight where 10 enemies are on screen, they're moving around all over, half of them are charging me for a melee attack from all angles, the other half are using projectiles from all angles and they're warping to-and-fro, but now I also have to manage two entirely different directional inputs simultaneously while keeping track of all that crap. But, at least I have a heal button! Except, I don't get i-frames when I'm using the Heal, so while I'm healing myself, I'm taking damage because I'm movement locked during the animation, so whatever healing I might have gained from using the Heal, I lose anyway.

And let's not even talk about the dash puzzles, shall we?

This isn't fun.

At all.

This is what happens when someone designs a game who doesn't actually give a ♥♥♥♥ about the people who will play it. This is the equivalent of a writer who has this great idea for a great Sci-Fi story, except he wastes page after page after page after page writing about backstory instead of just telling the damn story.

You know why a game like Zelda works and this game doesn't?

Because it doesn't require you to keep track of 15 things at once.

You know why Dark Souls, a notoriously difficult game, works and this doesn't?

Because it doesn't require you to keep track of 15 things at once.

Attacks are clearly telegraphed. You have two, MAYBE THREE, things to contend with at any one time. But even then, you have the ability to control things if they get a little out of hand. There's none of that in this game.

I'm sure there are plenty of you kids out there who need to feel special by putting me down by saying how much I just suck at the game or whatever. But there's a point where getting good isn't going to make up for the fact that managing all the ♥♥♥♥ you have to manage in one simple encounter is not fun. It's not even challenging. A challenge is something you want to beat. This isn't a challenge. It's just a slow burn until you realize you don't like the game.

Add to this the story is non-existent.

Yeah, I know you know what it's all about. Because you read about it somewhere outside of the game. But that's just it. If you have to go outside of the game to understand what the hell is going on, then the game isn't explaining itself clearly, if at all. And this game doesn't.

I should be able to understand the story of the game by playing it.

I don't.

There's an explosion. Some gooey black stuff. Some giants with open mouths. Your dude coughs blood. A dog shows up periodically. I kill stuff. I take elevators. I find gold coins. I find health packs. I pull levers that make red dots appear in the center. That's all I understand in this game.

There's no explanation for what you're doing. No why. You don't even really know what you're supposed to be doing in context to a narrative. You're just moving around a pastel, broken world from one frustrating encounter to the next--and there's no reason for it. It's even worse than Dark Souls because you're not even collecting items which give you lore.

And the map makes no friggin sense. I wish I could chalk that up to bad design too, but frankly, it's such an inglorious mess, I think it's actually buggy. Worse, the creator probably intended for it to be so useless that he designed it specifically to appear to be bug-ridden garbage.

This is not a good game.

[Groen90]

Write a review next time so I can thumb it down. This is just a whole tl;dr of madcuzbad, lol

[LordOfDarkFlame]

Originally posted by Groen90:

Write a review next time so I can thumb it down. This is just a whole tl;dr of madcuzbad, lol

im playing the game for the first time, 2 hours in, lots of things OP said here are valid.

The map is horrendous, sacrificing a map that people can read in exchange for a cool looking design. I get lost constantly.

Really basic game with basic items first 1-2 hours in, im praying that the game gets better because this is one of my top 10 games that ive been dying to play for the past couple of years.

[Groen90]

Originally posted by LordOfDarkFlame 🔥:

Originally posted by Groen90:

Write a review next time so I can thumb it down. This is just a whole tl;dr of madcuzbad, lol

im playing the game for the first time, 2 hours in, lots of things OP said here are valid.

The map is horrendous, sacrificing a map that people can read in exchange for a cool looking design. I get lost constantly.

Really basic game with basic items first 1-2 hours in, im praying that the game gets better because this is one of my top 10 games that ive been dying to play for the past couple of years.

No, the only thing I could agree on is the map, everything else is just him sucking at the game... and that's completely ok, everybody sucked the first time through, but you shouldn't blame the game for it. He clearly died one time too many and decided to dump all his salt reserves in the forum, that's all there is to it.

[Topia]

Maybe try using a controller?

[LordOfDarkFlame]

Did you guys do your playthru using a controller or mouse?

[Groen90]

I always play with keyboard and mouse

[FlamingBanz]

i Used a controller and i was okay in the game. i can agree with some of the things they say but frankly id be lying if i thought the game was very bad.

I may be a big fan of the game but i honestly cant say that the combat isn't something that you can learn in this game. fighting 13 things on the screen is something i can see being an issue but eventually i was able to learn to just focus on a cluster of things.

To sum it up i'm very interested in how a game i found to be enjoyable clearly has something that makes people not enjoy it. i wish i could see gameplay of someone actively saying whats wrong because it really worries me as to how the player base is split into "I think this game is awesome but has issues here and there" to "How can a game that looks this good be so bad".

[MazyRun]

I think controller is the way to go, the combat is perfect for twin stick. I must confess I love the combat in this game, I find the combat mechanics really satisfying when you get them down, getting good at timing the hits and dashes is really rewarding, as well as sword/gun combos..

I think if it wasn't a challenge it wouldn't be very interesting. When you really boil it down the combat is basic, there are just the right amount of sword moves & gun types for it to not get over complicated. It really is all about timing and not spamming, you don't need lightning reactions either.

My advice to anyone who struggles with any aspect of ANY game (especially with combat) is to always look up gameplay vids of experienced players. It always helps to actually visualize how simple it can be to become adept/proficient.

I like the lore because it's not cliched or spelled out, it's left to your imagination or interpretation. The way the story is told makes it interesting, it almost gives you the choice to ignore it or try to decipher it..

I like how this makes it feel more like a console action RPG as opposed to a PC RPG (walls of text/cut scenes). I tend to only play games for their mechanics and usually ignore the lore, however the lore in this game is intriguing. The pixel art, music and sound design is also fantastic.

I think it is ok that certain games can divide opinion. Players interpret game design/concepts differently.

[Nat]

Interesting opinion

[larry]

You probably wont play it anyway, but I can suggest going to the east side of the map since to me it's the easiest. Then, go north and finally west.

[MEMPHIS]

Originally posted by Groen90:

Originally posted by LordOfDarkFlame 🔥:

im playing the game for the first time, 2 hours in, lots of things OP said here are valid.

The map is horrendous, sacrificing a map that people can read in exchange for a cool looking design. I get lost constantly.

Really basic game with basic items first 1-2 hours in, im praying that the game gets better because this is one of my top 10 games that ive been dying to play for the past couple of years.

No, the only thing I could agree on is the map, everything else is just him sucking at the game... and that's completely ok, everybody sucked the first time through, but you shouldn't blame the game for it. He clearly died one time too many and decided to dump all his salt reserves in the forum, that's all there is to it.

Oh look. The God of Gaming has graced us with his presence so we can all be made aware of his objective wisdom concerning the game. Except, it isn't really about the game--it's about me.

Let me guess--you're the guy who thinks he understands games because he plays all of his games on the hardest difficulty and can't be stopped by any of them.

*Slow clap*

What an achievement.

You know, I had a friend back in high school some 25 years ago who thought he was a gaming god because he could 207% complete (or whatever it was) Castlevania Symphony of the Night. He could also beat Final Fantasy VII when none of the rest of us in school could because he actually grinded out to level 99 with all his characters. When I was 14, I thought he was cool and real good at games. Now I just realize he had no life...

Oh, and no one gives a $hit.

I actually can blame the game and its developers entirely for the level of difficulty combined with the crap controls. The crap controls are actually the main problem. The secondary problem is the developers appear to be tone-deaf concerning balanced, fun enemy encounters. I feel I was fairly objective on that point as I called it exactly what it was: poor design.

Your personal attacks are irrelevant.

Borked controls + non-existent story + no suitable means of gameplay entry = Bad Design = Bad Game.

It's great if their target audience is people like you who think their skill means anything to the rest of the world. But unless you raise $10,000 to cure cancer in a Speed Run or are able to unravel the mysteries of time travel with your video game skills--no one gives a $hit. We just want a fun game. Hyper Light Drifter ain't it.

[LordOfDarkFlame]

Im REALLY bummed out & disappointed by this game, i had such huge expectations from the trailer & reviews that it's a masterpiece or something along those lines.

Im 2 hours in, not enjoying it at all, absolutely hate the map and mob clusters that kill me over & over because i dont have enough time to move the mouse over to a new direction and dash away, i think im going to continue the game using a controller instead and hopefully it will help. So far its 90% too simple and 10% too hard to attack thick mobs.

I hate this map so much, its so confusing to look at trying to grasp where i am on it and what pathways there are. I'll do a full honest review for the game once i complete it to give it a fair chance.

[FlamingBanz]

well i think its safe to say that this is as close to talking about the game as it gets. im packing up from this

[Groen90]

Originally posted by MEMPHIS:

Originally posted by Groen90:

You're leaving?
I have the feeling it's something more of an opinion, but feel free to prove me wrong anytime.

Nah. You don't want an actual discussion about the game. You just want to express how much you hate people who disagree with you and express things in ways you don't approve.

I think our correspondence is complete. My read on the game still stands exactly as I originally wrote it, and you're an angry young man who needs to find other venues of relief rather than taking it out on strangers on the internet.

Q.E.D.
Can't really have a discussion when the other party is not willing to see reason. There's none so blind as those who will not see, I guess.

[MEMPHIS]

Originally posted by Groen90:

Originally posted by MEMPHIS:

Nah. You don't want an actual discussion about the game. You just want to express how much you hate people who disagree with you and express things in ways you don't approve.

I think our correspondence is complete. My read on the game still stands exactly as I originally wrote it, and you're an angry young man who needs to find other venues of relief rather than taking it out on strangers on the internet.

Q.E.D.
Can't really have a discussion when the other party is not willing to see reason. There's none so blind as those who will not see, I guess.

My original comment suggested the game needed better, more fluent design direction concerning primarily the controls and enemy encounters. I also suggested the story was overly-convoluted to the point of being incoherent. I also said the Map sucked.

You said my complaints were a learn to play issue in just about the most disrespectful way a person could say it. You dismissed everything I wrote with no more authority than your own opinion, and then basically tried to bully me into accepting said authority by reinforcing your non-sense assertion with more non-sense. Now you're trying to back-pedal and claim you actually had a deeper meaning to your approach all along.

Go sell your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ somewhere else.

Maybe it is a learn to play issue? But I'll be damned if anything about the game encourages me to want to invest the time necessary to learn its required playstyle, since generally, I feel it just kind of sucks as a whole. Which is why I chalk this up as design failure.

Then again, maybe the game just isn't that good, and you can't deal with that.

Nothing you've said has really supported your assertion that anything I've said regarding the game is incorrect.

Maybe next time you have a conversation with someone, if you have a point, just state the point and don't hide behind being an abusive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. This isn't about my feelings. This is about you being a bad person. You don't have do be a douche to make a good point, because the point will support itself if it is good. Your being a douche doesn't elevate a poorly derived point.

That's pretty much all I have to say to you.