[Spoilers] Some puzzles too obscure...

[thebugmancometh]

Again...SPOILERS! DO NOT READ!

















Perhaps I'm just impatient, but I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out where to progress after getting inversion. Sure, a lot of little areas opened up to me, but I still couldn't get past that damn Iron Maiden.

Had to look it up.

Oh, I use craftwork on it. ♥♥♥♥ me, I haven't even though about that since the carriage.

Now that I used it, I'm greeted with a wall of spikes.

Uhh....

Had to look it up.

Ohhhh....you go to the opposite side of the map and use inversion to find an otherwise innocuous chest, which has the game's only set of spike-negating armor in it. Yeah, why didn't I see it sooner?

And finally...after about 5 tries fighting Gebel, even selling off all non-essential shards and unequipping all shards....I still couldn't see Gremory. Tried equipping the Detective's Eye...nothing.

Had to look it up.

Oh...you attack the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ moon.

What the actual ♥♥♥♥?

At least SotN gave you glasses so you'd know something was different. Sorry that I'm not admiring the background while I'm in the MIDDLE OF A BOSS FIGHT.

(Sigh)

Done now.

[Efesell]

I'm pretty sure Zangetsu gives you a direct hint of the sword being used to slice the moon, and it also glows blindingly red so I think that one is pretty fair.

The armor is just something Castlevania ♥♥♥♥ though, you are just expected to scour the map.

[Syzzle]

Most of the hints you get by talking with Dominique, when there is a hint to be shared she will say that Zangetsu said bla bla bla.
About the moon, the weapon description tells that Zangetsu means "moon sunderer" and in both places you have to use it, there is a moon weird enough to be checked, even more on Gebel fight since she starts yellow and after some time it turns into red, I don't know how much experience you have with this kind of game, but they never hold your hand and tell you what you need to do, you have to figure it out yourself.

[Nanashi]

Only thing I had a problem with was the fight against Gebel.

Gebel just died to quickly for the moon to get in the state to be cut. I had to look up that you shouldn't go ham on him to progress to a different ending. Aside of that it was rather obvious you had to interact with the moon.

[Syzzle]

Metroidvania isn't a kind of game for people who wants to rush through dialogs and don't read.

[Lugez]

I figured it all out, and didn't think it was that bad. Sure the armor is in a random spot, but you're expected to scour every corner of the map, and there was clearly more to see in the Tower.

The moon however should have been very obvious. Or at least if you didn't think to attack the moon, you should have been observant of what was going on in the arena while fighting Gebel.

[prototype81]

I honestly doubt anyone completed 100% this game without having to resort to going online and finding the information. Those that said they did not are most certainly deceitful in their claim. Especially when it comes to farming certain mobs for specific drops. Nobody 100%'s this within 2-4 days of release without cheating in this way.

[FitzFarseer]

1: literally the first thing I used craftwork on was to move an iron maiden at the very beginning of the game. Saw another one, instantly knew what to do.

2: wow, in order to get the good ending and 100% a metroidvania game, you have to scour the map for obscure ♥♥♥♥. who would've thunk it

3: Zangetsu is pretty clear about what you need to do. Pay closer attention to his dialogue. item description is literally "moon sunderer"

[FitzFarseer]

Originally posted by prototype81:

I honestly doubt anyone completed 100% this game without having to resort to going online and finding the information. Those that said they did not are most certainly deceitful in their claim. Especially when it comes to farming certain mobs for specific drops. Nobody 100%'s this within 2-4 days of release without cheating in this way.

I looked online to find the 0.1% of the map i was missing. All the things OP mentions I managed by myself. None of them were particularly difficult

[Syzzle]

Just kill any mob that has ????? in their item drop list, you don't need to ask who drops what. Besides that's what I do, even more in RPGs like Final Fantasy where you need to kill the same monster multiple times until you uncover it's full Bestiary information.

[๖ۣۜ𝓞ɱεn̷➶]

Originally posted by FitzFarseer:

Originally posted by prototype81:

I honestly doubt anyone completed 100% this game without having to resort to going online and finding the information. Those that said they did not are most certainly deceitful in their claim. Especially when it comes to farming certain mobs for specific drops. Nobody 100%'s this within 2-4 days of release without cheating in this way.

I looked online to find the 0.1% of the map i was missing. All the things OP mentions I managed by myself. None of them were particularly difficult

Same here, no assistance needed with progression. The only help needed was finding out what enemy dropped a particular sword. Seems to be a common theme for people new to Castlevania to complain.

[thebugmancometh]

Originally posted by TheFuriousLeftNut:

I figured it all out, and didn't think it was that bad. Sure the armor is in a random spot, but you're expected to scour every corner of the map, and there was clearly more to see in the Tower.

The moon however should have been very obvious. Or at least if you didn't think to attack the moon, you should have been observant of what was going on in the arena while fighting Gebel.

So, again...it's a BOSS FIGHT.

I know he's not tough (confirmed when I beat him without any shards activated), but still...I'm focusing on my movement and placement, even if I'm just dodging him. I'm not looking at the background. I'm looking at the enemy, and my character.

[Efesell]

You missed it and that's fine but the point is that it's not something that happens out of nowhere.

[thebugmancometh]

Originally posted by FitzFarseer:

1: literally the first thing I used craftwork on was to move an iron maiden at the very beginning of the game. Saw another one, instantly knew what to do.

2: wow, in order to get the good ending and 100% a metroidvania game, you have to scour the map for obscure ♥♥♥♥. who would've thunk it

3: Zangetsu is pretty clear about what you need to do. Pay closer attention to his dialogue. item description is literally "moon sunderer"

I'm SOOOO happy for you. You little genius you. *pinches your cheek*

I went about things a different way, and didn't try to spam craftwork since, honestly, I was still getting used to the whole "I have a million shard abilities" thing.... at that point. I was just trying to progress.

I just finished the second Zangetsu fight and he didn't say ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ about moon-sundering. If you expected me to do anything other than briefly check the sword's stats you can F right off.

I equipped it during the last fight, and did nothing but dodge Gebel, refusing to attack him. Sorry I didn't notice the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ moon.

(I DID notice a change in the secondary area/hallway where I found out I have to go after the fight. I though the change was weird...but the only reason I noticed it was because I WASN'T IN A BOSS FIGHT at the time.)

[Lugez]

Originally posted by thebugmancometh:

Originally posted by TheFuriousLeftNut:

I figured it all out, and didn't think it was that bad. Sure the armor is in a random spot, but you're expected to scour every corner of the map, and there was clearly more to see in the Tower.

The moon however should have been very obvious. Or at least if you didn't think to attack the moon, you should have been observant of what was going on in the arena while fighting Gebel.

So, again...it's a BOSS FIGHT.

I know he's not tough (confirmed when I beat him without any shards activated), but still...I'm focusing on my movement and placement, even if I'm just dodging him. I'm not looking at the background. I'm looking at the enemy, and my character.

Gebel practically tickles you at that point, and you were directly told by Zangetsu to look for Gremory near him. Zeroing in on your attacks and movement is completely on you, not the game's.

[thebugmancometh]

Originally posted by TheFuriousLeftNut:

Originally posted by thebugmancometh:

So, again...it's a BOSS FIGHT.

I know he's not tough (confirmed when I beat him without any shards activated), but still...I'm focusing on my movement and placement, even if I'm just dodging him. I'm not looking at the background. I'm looking at the enemy, and my character.

Gebel practically tickles you at that point, and you were directly told by Zangetsu to look for Gremory near him. Zeroing in on your attacks and movement is completely on you, not the game's.

Again, I'm glad you got the hint. I did too. I thought maybe equipping the sword would do something akin to using the glasses during the Richter fight in SotN, where suddenly there was an obvious target.

But nope.

Guess I'm just getting old, and while Bloodstained is probably going to be my GOTY, and I've been waiting for something even CLOSE to SotN for a couple decades, I just don't have the patience to solve obscure-ass puzzles anymore. I was 11 when SotN came out and it has remained one of my favorite games. I'm 33 now, and don't need things to be even more obscure than they were then.