Scissor ghost?

[genoforprez]

I've been enjoying the game up until this damn scissor ghost. I don't understand what is wanted of me here. Sometimes taking pictures of her damages her and sometimes it doesn't. I try to run away from her, but then she teleports right behind me. I try to spin around really fast to photo her before she attacks me, but it does nothing to her and I just get hit anyway. If this is the kind of combat to expect from the rest of the game I might be done. Loved up until now, but this is making me ragequit.

[METAL]

its not that hard.
i died maybe once or twice but here is the method i use.
i always move in to her direction where she came from. most of the time you hear her (helps if you have a surround sound system) and you have time to turn and take a pic. i think you have to do this 5 or 6 times and its over. i defear her in over a minute. just make sure you dont get too close when she starts to get weaker, because she will wield the scissors around like mad.

[Vitamin H]

To be fair, I feel like the Scissor Ghost is the first enemy where you really have to *aim*. Like, most of the ghosts you fight during Act 1, you can have em almost anywhere onscreen and the camera'll glitch so you can attack.

But the Scissor Ghost seems to require some kind of weird aiming gimmick that's never really explained. Like, you can run to the other side of the room, turn around and point your camera at him for a good five or six seconds, but sometimes the camera just doesn't glitch at all.

[METAL]

Originally posted by Vitamin H:

To be fair, I feel like the Scissor Ghost is the first enemy where you really have to *aim*. Like, most of the ghosts you fight during Act 1, you can have em almost anywhere onscreen and the camera'll glitch so you can attack.

But the Scissor Ghost seems to require some kind of weird aiming gimmick that's never really explained. Like, you can run to the other side of the room, turn around and point your camera at him for a good five or six seconds, but sometimes the camera just doesn't glitch at all.

thats because the camera has a distance limit. thats with every ghost. they are just easier since they are slower and you have more space to walk back.
the second camera we get in act 2 is better since you can zoom in.

[genoforprez]

"I'm having a problem in this game."
"Dude, seriously, it's not that hard."

^ Never fails on the old steam forums. Anyway....


I can only assume that I'm almost defeating it, because I always get about 4 pictures in. The problem is that I get hit too much because

1) It teleports directly behind me
2) Protagonist can't run/avoid worth a damn (hooray survival horror tropes)
3) Taking its picture only has an effect half the time

I don't think it has to do with the ghost being too far away in my case. I'll stand a couple of feet away and take the picture---which successfully hits---and then I'll remain in the same place (or slowly back away if it's getting too close) and try to take a second one before it gets too close. To me, it seems like this is what's happening:

1) The ghost can't be too far away
2) The ghost also can't be too close
3) There is a "cool down" where the ghost can't be hurt by the camera for several seconds after being hurt

But taking its picture correctly isn't really my problem. The problem is how I'm supposed to not get hit by a teleporting ghost in a shoebox size room while I'm trying to work around these picture-taking rules. I just can't seem to keep away from the ghost no matter what I do.

I think if I just throw myself at it enough times I can probably do it. Like I said, I'm getting about 4 snapshots in, so I'm probably just one hit away from defeating, I just don't feel like there is a way to do it with any skill or grace. There are just too many irritating variables, IMO. I'll probably give it another try after a couple days when I'm back in the mood.

[EddieK74]

-keep running all the time
-move the view angle behind you while you are running
-see him spawn, draw the phone, wait for the cam glitch, fire 1x, run

[PierrotPeint]

Hi genoforprez, there is a strategy on this wiki
http://dreadout.wikia.com/wiki/Scissor_Phantom
You have to aim the eyes actually.

[ArefinweIngalaure]

LOL, there are still people who think the director is a woman. And yes, it can be frustrating, but he's beatable. I've done it many times.

[Stigma]

Originally posted by ChaeLynne:

LOL, there are still people who think the director is a woman. And yes, it can be frustrating, but he's beatable. I've done it many times.

Thank you. The ghost is a HE! He's a cross-dresser, and the principal of the school....

[SilentCaay]

The hitbox is wonky for the Scissor Phantom. You have to aim at his forehead or even slightly higher. I was so frustrated with this fight before figuring that out. Once you get used to aiming slightly high, though, it's not too hard.

[Gotcha]

My problem was that i couldnt take a "damaging picture" if the scissor ghost was too close to me. But after 3-4 trys i got him/her(?)

[Gulcasa]

He IS a bit of a bastard, mostly because when close to death he moves JUST fast enough that you only have time to run to the other corner and snap a picture, but he's far from impossible, even with the glitch turned off I never really had trouble snapping him.
Just stay alert after you've snapped a pic, run to the exact opposite corner of where the ghost spawns and snap.

[Sassy Robot]

This has kind of soured me on the game too. Bought it because it has been on my wishlist forever and saw it was on sale.

The game is not a "combat" game, the "combat" (if you could call it that) is clunky, kind of unreliable (like having to bring your camera up quickly, spin about, and halt sprinting all at the same time), and that's OK, because it's not an action game.

What makes me mad is that if they are going to make things like this, then the combat needs to be better. Sprinting across the (tiny) room, spinning Linda about, and raising up the camera all at the same time should be a thing, and it should be quick and snappy and accurate.

Instead it is clunky and slow. The scissor boss breaks up the flow of the game and doesn't match with the vibe that the player has become accustomed too throughout Act 0 and 1.

It really makes the Limbo mechanic stink too. I get that you wanted to punish death somehow, but sheesh. See, the Limbo mechanic wouldn't be bad if the game kept the same even pace of combat and identity consistently. I died maybe once on my way to Scissors. I died very few times in Outlast, but did spend considerable time hiding in lockers being a total wimp instead of taking big chances.

Limbo isn't designed to be a place that you revisit once every 20 seconds, yet here it is with this boss.

Either make a low combat, atmospheric, exploratory horror game, or make an action-horror game with snappy combat. Don't interject the latter into the former awkwardly.

Feedback.

Update: Just beat the weirdo right after posting this. I just turned to my husband and said "That was ACTUALLY terrible."

[SilentCaay]

^
If you hate Limbo (and, really, I'm sure everyone does) make sure you have the "Fixed Limbo Length" option turned on. I wished I'd known about it when I first played but it was a case where I looked at the options before I started playing and I didn't know what it meant so I left it off and then I forgot about it.

Try not to let the Scissor Phantom sour you too much. It's probably the single hardest/annoyingest part of the game simply due to the small room and wonky hitbox. There is one other boss in a room about the same size which is also a little annoying but that ghost's hitbox is normal and a lot easier to snap.

[Sassy Robot]

I did indeed press on. I just finished it. Quite the ending. I hope we get more, because the ending hooked me. It was like "WHOA!"

[Stigma]

Originally posted by SilentCaay:

^
If you hate Limbo (and, really, I'm sure everyone does) make sure you have the "Fixed Limbo Length" option turned on. I wished I'd known about it when I first played but it was a case where I looked at the options before I started playing and I didn't know what it meant so I left it off and then I forgot about it.

Try not to let the Scissor Phantom sour you too much. It's probably the single hardest/annoyingest part of the game simply due to the small room and wonky hitbox. There is one other boss in a room about the same size which is also a little annoying but that ghost's hitbox is normal and a lot easier to snap.

Yup. And with a controller instead of mouse/keyboards it's even better :)