Topic: Souls-likes (& dislikes)

@HallowMoonshadow no worries but appreciate the heads up about where I can find a copy

@CthulhuFhtagn I’ve had Hellpoint in the backlog for a while but yet to try it. It’s often in the sales at a great reduction though, so you can pick it up at a price that won’t really impact you if it ends up being poor.

I have read that souls fans have quite liked it though, so you should be alright.

@CthulhuFhtagn If you like the level design in Dark Souls then Hellpoint is the closest thing of all the soulslikes to get to the FromSoftware magic.

The combat is also good and there are some interesting character builds you can craft

@CthulhuFhtagn I just finished the original Lords of the Fallen’s plat off (one of the weaker souls-likes out there but still decent) and then the last one I played before that was Nioh 2 which was incredible. I’m currently weighing up which souls-like to play during the second half of this year, right now it’s between the 2023 Lords of the Fallen reboot or Lies of P.

@graymamba I'm playing Lords of the Fallen 2023 at the moment, and am finding it rather enjoyable so far. The dual worlds is cool and I like how the area is connected and loops back on it self. My only gripes is the lack of enemy variety so far and it has not been that difficult so far. Apart from one enemy which is kinda like this games version of the black knights from Dark Souls.

@JohnnyShoulder ah cool, how big does the game seem to you as the first game must be the smallest of any of the souls-likes I’ve played? I think that was the reason they made three separate playthroughs needed for the platinum… to beef it up a bit.

@CthulhuFhtagn yeah Wanted Dead was a game I was really hyped for, sadly it just wasn't executed well enough and actually became a drag to play, so it was abandoned and deleted.

@graymamba I've been playing for about 45 hours and I've not lit the second beacon yet, which apparently means I'm about 30% in.

But I am ultra slow when it comes to these games.

@JohnnyShoulder fair enough, while you might make slow progress in souls-likes that still sounds like it’s probably a fair bit bigger than the original, which I was hoping tbh. I like to get lost in dark-fantasy style games for a good month or two.

@CthulhuFhtagn @nitraM Wanted Dead had a quite significant patch a few months after release which made the game quite a bit more playable (and easier). I’ve spoken to a fair few people who like the more hardcore Character Action games (Ninja Gaiden et al.) who were surprisingly high on the game after the patch.

@graymamba Hmm good to know, might have to revisit it!

Had my first couple of hours with Lords of the Fallen (2023) and am feeling very impressed tbh. My sig used to state “I ain’t ever played a souls-like I didn’t like”… so I am partial to the genre but this seems a league above many of the non-From attempts I’ve played.

Great art design, an imposing atmosphere… and super responsive to control. While I ‘liked’ the original, theres no denying how clunky it felt when compared to From Soft’s series. This might actually be sharper to control than Dark Souls 3… or at least it’s equal in that regard. As a counter-point, some of the systems seem a little fidgety (accessing the Umbral Realm, ranged combat, spell casting and the like) but I’m sure I thought similarly of Demons Souls when I first tried it way back when.

Just beat my second boss and made it to a hub area that I’d imagine is this games equivalent of Firelink Shrine, so I’ve not really scratched the surface yet but seen enough to feel pretty confident that Hexworks have done a bang-up job in ‘ripping off’ the Souls series (and that’s a huge compliment and absolutely no sleight).

@graymamba I’m glad you posted some impressions because I was curious what a Souls veteran like you thought of the LotF. I’ve not seriously considered playing it anytime soon, but I still have interest in hearing how it stacks up. I still have enough FromSoft to keep me busy for a while, but good to know that so far LotF is proving to be a competent substitute.

Is the game more of a ‘dodge roll’ game or a ‘parry’ game? Or are you just spamming a shield and tanking hits?

@Th3solution as you know I’ve always been a dodge-roller as opposed to a parrier… and you’ll be pleased to hear this offers the opportunity to do either/both.

I’m currently dual-wielding, so no shields at all atm but we’ll see how that goes the further I venture in. I think that the next boss is around the corner, so this might actually be the time to equip a shield 😅

@graymamba Good to know.

I’m stuck in Baldur’s Gate 3 purgatory so my plan to get to Dark Souls 3 before end of year is starting to look bleak. Unfortunately some of my gaming time has evaporated recently; it was already dwindling before and now is even lessened. If all goes well maybe I can still get through with BG3 and get back on schedule in time to enjoy some Souls goodness soon. I won’t hold my breath though. 😅 There are about 4-5 games in front of DS3 on my original schedule.

@Th3solution funnily enough my game time had been significantly compromised recently due to work being crazy and I’d started regularly exercising… but I’ve done my back in atm, so work and exercise is getting a taste of its own medicine 😁

I don't know why but I played Code Vein and I thought it was pretty good. Solid 7/10... or at least it would be if it wasn't for the terrible final boss. Maybe a 6/10. I'm not reviewing it so it doesn't really matter about a score.

I liked the anime character creator. Excellent work. Slightly unnecessary outfits. One of them is fighting vampire things in her negligee. Seems risky. I didn't really understand the story. Difficulty was also a bit weird. Starts super easy. I don't think I died for the first twenty hours. Then randomly there was a boss that took me like 20 goes.

Anyway, it was fine.

@johncalmc yeah I think you’re talking about the final boss for one or two of the endings. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, while considerably harder than all of the other bosses and really frustrating at first… I actually quite enjoyed the process of working out how to beat it. All in all, one of my least favourite souls-likes… but I still quite enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised by the announcement of a sequel.

I could use a recommendation. Last souls-like I played was the Overture DLC for Lies Of P, and then Blasphemous 2 prior. Am currently going through the entire Soulsborne series again to capture footage for a channel, but am otherwise very happy to check out a must-play souls-like.

@Enriesto If you like Blasphemous 2, you're obviously OK with 2d entries..?

I highly recommend Nine Sols, plays like a 2D Sekiro, immaculate combat and parry-focussed mechanics... hard but rewarding