This game definitely surprises... (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Thursday, August 10, 2017, 22:57 (2666 days ago) @ Korny
edited by Korny, Thursday, August 10, 2017, 23:11

First of all, Ninja Theory should definitely be commended for the effort that they've put into this game. You definitely can't tell that it's an indie game, since they've squeezed everything out of their available resources. Everything from visual (they integrate some live-action visuals into different parts of the game, such as when you interact with the stone faces hidden on the levels) to audio (playing with headphones, especially with 3D audio, feels essential) is used to full effect, and rather than sticking out, it blends seamlessly into the rest of the experience. The old saying "Poor people are crafty" definitely applies, and the polish in everything that they do have is top notch (especially in an age where every other indie game is a 2D pixel/sprite platformer).

Anyway, I played a good bit, and I've enjoyed the experience quite a bit, even though it's pretty stressful and weird (to top it off, due to some remodeling and the way the cables are set up, my TV is on top of a cabinet, so I had to stand the entire time that I was playing, adding an extra bit of weirdness to the whole thing). Early on, you are given a choice of two paths that you can take. I got through most of the Valravn section, so when Sammy started that part, I told her that I could help her out if she got stuck... except the game surprised me. One section that was a simple puzzle for me was now a multi-part puzzle for her. The voices in her head gave her a different piece of advice than they had given me, and I could only help her with half of the puzzle. Shortly after, she had to do an entire puzzle room that I didn't see at all, so I couldn't do anything but watch her solve it herself. It threw me off and left me confused, and I wasn't even the one playing.

There was also a cool moment with the boss battle that I don't want to spoil, but Sammy's frustration made her blurt out something about the boss that was infuriating her, and a second later, she had an "A-ha!" look on her face as she figured out what she had to do to counter the frustrating aspect of the fight. Despite getting curb-stomped for much of the fight, she instantly turned it around once she had it figured out, and she managed to narrowly avoid one of those potentially-costly deaths.

Anyway, I thought that was cool, and I also think it's neat that when I go through the rooms that she did, I might run into different puzzles or fights.

Also, this game definitely isn't for everyone, but if nothing else, you should really experience the sequence where Senua dies in combat for the first time; definitely on my list of most memorable death sequences in gaming...