Thoughts after completing normal (spoilers)

[Bulk Flummox]

I really love this game and feel it's something quite special. So here's some thoughts on it.

Goes without saying, but it looks and sounds amazing. Stylish, smooth, with great atmospheric ambient music and sounds. Everything about the game is full of personality and meaning. Outstanding palettes and colouration.

Enemy design and combat in general are really damn good. The stun/health system makes things much more interesting, battles feel like you've got to plan for them and be tactical. I like how touching enemies doesn't necessarily hurt you, and that there are special upgraded enemies randomly. Everything is indicated really clearly and it feels fair when you die.

It always feels dangerous, yet there's strong progression with the weapons, tools and powerups. One of my favourite parts of the game is when you get your hands on something good and you come under pressure to survive and make it home to lock in your progress.

Great dodge roll that lets you go real fast. Not so great platforming at times with the jumping, but tolerable and rarely comes up since you roll over gaps easily.

This might be the only game I've played with a common ammo pool where it's actually a good thing. It works very well and it's legit worrying when it gets low, so upgrading it is meaningful.

Awesome variety of weapons. I didn't actually use all of them, so it will make for some interesting playthroughs when I inevitably come back to it again.

It took me a while to realise there were completely invisible enemies - for a while I thought I was being poisoned somehow. The goggles were one of the last things I found in the entire game lol. I meant to go down that way much earlier but I forgot about it. Would've been nice if you could leave markers and have some special tool to guide you back to them later.

Many have complained that there should be a map. I think the game is small enough and the world is so clearly differentiated and well designed it really doesn't need one. It just needs a system to guide you somewhere you haven't been before, preferably that you have to proactively engage with as a tool.

I thought it was a brave choice to not have a large area with a final boss inside the Solar Cathedral. The protagonist just being utterly let down by the bitterness of false hope hits hard and the anticlimactic outcome fits well with the tone of the game. Very Nihei of you. Though I'd love a post-credit scene of them continuing their search wandering off into the distance or something along those lines. One day you'll find someone lady, and maybe some net terminal genes while you're at it...

Can't wait for Sessions. :)

Oh, also thanks for a really great newgame+ mode. Nice!

[Sanakan]

Thank you! I'm rly happy you had a good time with the game! and you can expect even more nihei stuff in my next game haha. Again, thanks!