is it worth playing through?

[retroguy]

I've played a little less than an hour, and so far, it's pretty underwhelming, minus the artwork which is great. Obviously it's no hollow knight, combat is really basic, lacks any punch/guts (think dead cells). Music seems repetitive. I'm pretty busy I only play about 4 -5 hours of games per week. Is this worth my time or should I refund? (Thinking I might get garage:bad trip instead)

[zatone]

The game is exactly as advertise in the store. If you bought for the wrong reason, get you money back. if you like metroidvanias Keep it, I enjoy it.

This forums has 90% post about people crying for the stupiest reasons. so I would avoid them including me and make your own opinion about this game. In fact any game.

Then again if you are busy and are picky about what to play, dont ever buy games on release get them after 1 or 2 months after tehir relese when the people made their mind, so you can have a better opinion about what are they talking about.

[retroguy]

I should have definitely waited. I only bought this so quickly because I have been keeping an eye on it for a long time, I thought it was a shoe in for being a classic (great looking artwork, long development time). I like metroidvanias/castlevanias but what I'm wondering is, does it get better? First hour in and I already felt like I was rushing through..

[zatone]

It is a matter of taste. That why the opinions are so different. IMO, I liked it, I already completed 100% in normal, so it is a short game, took me 13 hours but that takes in consideration 2 times I went to eat and I left the game running. So it is short. But I still liked it.

I would prefer some time into MAP designing since I dont really like rouge games or random generated games. I prefer old fashing well though design maps and get your audience with that.

People keep playing old castlevanias and metroid games, despite the fact or the map been static, or not dynamic.

Then again I dislike games like dead cells, since I prefer well design maps. like in hollow knight.

Then again it is a matter of taste.

[retroguy]

I agree, I like the old static maps as well. I actually gave up on dead cells because I didn't like the rogue element, but the combat is just so darn fun! I think a static map would be better. I din't get bored of the map in SOTN or HK. I hope the procedurally generated/rougevania trend dies soon, as I'm not a fan. It seems gimmicky and games with this feature lack some kind of depth. If this game had NOT been procedurally generated, with some slightly better combat and maybe adding armour graphics, I think it could've done much better. I wanted to like this game. My question is, after the first hour, do you think it changes much? or is that pretty much the game in a nutshell?

[Smurky Turkey]

If anything, it gets worse the more it goes on. The combat does not get any better, though some rather annoying enemies show up later on. The randomly generated levels will not jump up in quality either. Other annoyances like the finicky wall jumping will show up however. Chasm is not a bad game, but it is not a great game either, so if you are picky about games then you would not miss out on much by refunding it.

[Ashtarte]

Originally posted by zatone:

This forums has 90% post about people crying for the stupiest reasons. so I would avoid them including me and make your own opinion about this game. In fact any game.

Just because you don't agree with a complaint doesn't make them stupid. The most comment complaint in the forums so far is easily how sluggish combat feels compared to contemporary Metroidvanias; that is a very valid complaint.

In regards to OP: the game is pretty short, at least in my experience. I kept hearing 15-20 hours but I feel like that must be assuming replay. I got 100% map/beastiary/quest completion in 7 hours and 2 minutes. But if you're looking for a Metroidvania that is better than this game but don't want Hollow Knight's level of difficulty I highly recommend Axiom Verge. Still my pick for second best Metroidvania behind only SOTN.

[dr46onfusion]

The game seems like it's designed to waste your 2 hours to stop you from refunding it once you dive into the deep end for once... LOL

The first 2 hours is a game of backtracking. Seriously.

You find a artifact you need in the 2nd region to backtrack to the 1st region, to get a artifact to pull a switch in the 2nd region to enter the 3rd region, and then find two switches to get to the boss, kill it, get the 3rd artifact to get to the 4th region.

But by the time you get to the 3rd biome (Garden) you've already spent 2 hours, just to get far enough to get any decent amount of gear, money, and character progression.

It has a awful introduction of pacing, 'decent' mid game pacing, and not sure about end game pacing haven't reached that far yet.

[Tsuki Zero]

I'd say they should expand it, soon or later, but the sooner the better. So far it's a bit shallow, the "random" only applies for few things and there's no easy way to retry a perfect kill on a boss other than quit to title, which could be changed somehow considering how the game rewards not getting hit by bosses.

[wyattnr]

I much prefer static games also, with a Robot Named Fight as the exception - the only procedurally generated game that does it for me... so far

[retroguy]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think Ive decided. BTW has anyone tried black paradox? Its a retro style shmup Iv'e been playing, its really fun and unknown. Think my next metroidvania will be deaths gambit.

[Quagimus Decimus]

Very underwhelming game it's sad that this is what a metroidvanias game passes for today.

[ElectroRanger]

Originally posted by Poison:

But if you're looking for a Metroidvania that is better than this game but don't want Hollow Knight's level of difficulty I highly recommend Axiom Verge. Still my pick for second best Metroidvania behind only SOTN.

For awhile I was sure Axiom was as hard as the old metroid games... Might pick it up now

Originally posted by Krieger The Kebab Hunter:

Very underwhelming game it's sad that this is what a metroidvanias game passes for today.

Sums it up. Underwhelming is sadly why there are mostly complaints. Some of us here were waiting in anticipation for years thinking this would be a great game to enjoy only to be let down by so many easily spotted flaws here and there.

[Deonix]

Most of the negative reviews were written by people with high expectations. They waited for the release of five years and apparently decided that this would be the metroidvania of their dreams, and after came out just a good game.

[ElectroRanger]

Originally posted by Deonix:

Most of the negative reviews were written by people with high expectations. They waited for the release of five years and apparently decided that this would be the metroidvania of their dreams, and after came out just a good game.

I think it's safe to say the hype would be forgiven if it weren't for just how flawed and confusing some of this games features are.

From a personal experience, I can safely say I had zero expectations after awhilw considering for example the fact that there was no foreseen release date or even much going on with the game. When I heared it was coming out at the end of July I was just as well happy just to play the thing already, hell truth be told I barely had thought much of it being a roguelike game to begin with.

What I got however just ended up being pretty much either done just on an average level or simply just felt simplified to the point of not being enjoyable, wether it being that crafting is heavily grind dependant, rng dungeons not being anything special with each new game, and combat feeling just about as uninteresting.

So no, some of us did not come in with high expectations and yet we got disappointed not because its a bad game but because it's downright okay and average, and the main cause of blame isn't bad coding or bad artist or writers ( even though former I had crashes, pixel art feels pretty meh on the character and story is feeling forgettable and crammed), but just bad game design in general and lack of an obscure but important thing called "game feel". Because I basically feel notning while playing this.

[retroguy]

Yeah, the 'game feel' as you put it. Seems like an obscure idea, but you don't feel much (interest? excitement? discovery?) when playing.