Various Thoughts

A game I tried on a whim that ended up reminding me of a previous game I tried out on a whim.

This is more of an arcade-like beat-’em-up/hack&slash though. Basically you run around killing hoards of monsters on your way to one objective or another while collecting the equipment or instant power-ups they drop. There isn’t anything to craft here and upgrades occur automatically as you and your summons level up. Combat on the face of things is pretty simple:

You have a weak attack, a strong attack, a special attack, and a dodge. Combos can be made from weak->strong, weak x2->strong, and weak x3->strong, each ending in a different type of maneuver. Where the complexity comes in is that these combos change depending on which weapon type you have equipped (there are ultimately four) and eventually you gain the ability to switch weapons during combos. There’s also the transformation ability which lets you assume a powerful half-demon form with its own attack set, and of course the summoning system.

The summoning system is also pretty simple at first glance. You have four servants you can ‘equip’ at a time, each with their own attacks and experience/stat values. You can summon any/all of these during battle and they’ll stay summoned until they either get knocked out or the battle ends. So why not just summon them all immediately? Because each performs a different type of ability when it gets summoned, meaning it’s often a good idea to wait until that ability will help you out. These servants will move/attack on their own, but you can give them general orders (attack any, attack my target, heal yourself) as well as make them use a specific ‘Burst’ special ability when necessary.

So there’s a lot going on during battle, which is a good thing since the game revolves around combat. The bad part about the combat system is that it’s timed. You get 15 minutes to clear an area after you leave the safe zone; if you don’t you’re automatically teleported out. Boss fights at least aren’t timed, but still… timed anything is bullshit.

That timer, combined with lack of things to collect, combined with the hack&slash nature of the game all adds up to an experience that just doesn’t grab me or make me want to keep playing.