Please, do yourself a favor and delete this game. If you are hesitating to buy it, do not buy this pile of crap. You will have more fun playing with a stick and a rock that playing Elden Ring.
love the video also this boss extends his combos so much every time I get a hit in I realize that I got lucky he didn't extend builds up false muscle memory btw he has no right having being so incredibly fast on some of these cancel and attacks Rellana and Malenia are more forgiving than this behemoth
I love these games. I played these and the Shadow Tower ones. They really should attempt another game like this at some point. They've always had a similar way to guide and throw tutorials at players without being invasive. These games, like their recent ones, assume the player is smart enough to figure things out and I appreciate that. This is why I played a game called Lunacid which is pretty much like this, but improved. Pretty fun game.
Your “Design Principles” section really reminded me of my own thoughts on Lunacid, and how it feels to me as someone who grew up playing King’s Field when I hear people saying that Lunacid is the perfect successor to King’s Field… only it’s not. Although not a terrible game, it misses what are in my opinion every key element of King’s Field - and having the expectation of it being like King’s Field ruined the game. I went in expecting to find the same level of care to level design as KF - what I got was Skyrim grade copy-and-paste dungeons.
Yeah, it kinda bothers me whenever anyone suggest Lunacid is some sort of successor to King's Field/Shadow Tower when it really has entirely different design sensibilities. I liked the game, but I felt the "influence" largely boiled down to sticking a bunch of references to FromSoft titles. It's not like I think it would automatically be a better game if it were to simply ape the gameplay style of King's Field, but Kira set up that expectation and invited the comparison themself and it came across as a little gauche in the end.
Hiyo! SoM community sends their regards for this vid! DMP has been trying to praise the vid and invite you to the discord but youtube keeps eating the comment!
I find that CRT-Royale is very pleasing to the eye (and don't be afraid to tweak it to your tastes), though nowadays I don't find myself streaming/recording with a filter enabled since resampling to lower resolutions tends to produce moire and/or rainbow artifacts.
you can write your own hlsl code in unreal, tho you probably cant easily get to unity levels of adjusting light behaviors. cel shading is possible tho for sure. stuff like the screen (or maybe world or some mix of both) space gradient you see in k7 too, tho it'd be more awkward to work with for unreal. you can avoid needing to do separate post processes, same as unity tho
Fuck i missed it 😫 Guess there's always room for truancy, in my lethargy in mind.... Anyways stats as of 8:03 pm ny time tuesday August 27th 2024: Uploaded/ streams end 30 minutes ago This lone comment 9 likes before mine 10 99 views Channel subs including mine yeaaaars ago, 24.1K
On the game genre discussion part I do agree that "Title-Like" is reductive and doesn't tend to communicate enough of what a game actually is, nowadays genres are hard to define in games because they are so varied. I actually had a conversation about this with a friend the other day about what exactly makes a game an RTS. They were adamant that the Civilization series weren't RTS games despite the fact that the definition they came up with doesn't disqualify Civilization 5 from being one. I think just like music games have subgenres. The problem is that going into the minutae of game design principles and what qualifies as one genre and not as another would require a lot of work and realistically getting everyone to agree would be impossible.
I honestly don't understand how so many people in the community are saying that this boss is S-tier and among the best. The only S-tier things in his fight are visual spectacle, atmosphere, music, and Igon, but beating him on NG+7 without summons and without cheesing him, made me understand how flawed his hitboxes and camera actually are; such errors cannot be justified in a 2024 From game for me, especially after all their years of games and experience. It's like most players rate bosses based only on how epic they are, totally forgetting the most important part of the combat system. He is among the best bosses if we only judge everything that is not based on technical aspects of gameplay, but since I am a player who prioritizes readability and clean fights, he is BY FAR the worst fight in the entire DLC.
54:05 That clump of red slimes at the beginning of the mine area is to tutorialize status effects (they're the first enemies you meet that can inflict status), and to foreshadow that the mine area has a poison theme (the vomit the zombies make, and the poison gas area with the second healing stone) It's also easier to deal with once you realize that getting hit by a green slime cures poison (and there's a green slime in the left passage, right next to the corridor with the mini-healing spring in it) Seems the developers wanted you to get poisoned, realize that status effects are no joke, and either use an antidote, or run into the green slime and have it cured by accident, the healing spring is just a little safety net for players that are brave enough to venture forward. Either way, good video and a damn shame that the ephemeral genre that it exists in hasn't had another entry in many years, despite seeming like a natural fit for video games. Here's hoping that an indie developer can truly realize it. (and yeah, played Lunacid, was a bit let down by the tone and some of the mechanical decisions, so close yet so far, but I suppose it made more people want to try out the classics.)
For sure. I just find the slimes in 4 a little irksome more than anything since the feedback from hitting them and getting hit by them is lacking compared to how easy it is to read every other enemy. You'd have to have a lot of conviction in your vision nowadays to to do what King's Field was doing if you were to develop it today. Anything that restricts the player so much is quickly dismissed as being outdated or clunky, but I feel you get a tighter interplay between the a game's mechanisms when the player isn't afforded so much flexibility. And yeah, Lunacid was a bit of a let down for me too, but it motivated me to really ruminate over why I liked these games (and make this video to begin with).
@@Emarrel Yeah, the 'clunkiness' thing in particular is really frustrating, mainly because the game really makes it work. in IV, the first batch of earth elementals outside the house with the herbs growing in it is the first time the combat really demonstrates how elegant it is, bobbing and weaving through their ranged dark attacks while staying mobile enough to hit them, changing your plan if they dodge or attack, and keeping the proper spacing so their elemental attack which inflicts paralysis doesn't hit you, it's like a slow-motion dance where you're making important decisions that have a big impact on how the fight goes. That and your first fight with a Widda/Ophidian really wakes you up from having fought the relatively lethargic skeletons and zombies. None of that would be possible if you moved at a quicker pace, could spin on your heels or had movement abilities like a dash or dodge, which feels like how it would be handled nowadays. Conventional wisdom is that things need to happen fast, be snappy, but the slower and considered pace of battle really let you feel how good or bad the situation was at any point, as opposed to modern games where you either succeed before you realize it, or something goes wrong so you spam your get out of jail free card and use a healing consumable. Actually, while I'm rambling, this also reminds me of what made Halo different from other shooters, highly committal, deliberate movement, higher time to kill for both yourself and enemies, with poor positioning being heavily punished, but attacks are avoidable given the right footwork. Oh and rewinding a bit, I think the thing with the slimes is just that all the weapons you have at the start are very short, later on when you get longer weapons they aren't nearly as big of an issue. My take on Lunacid was besides the obvious tonal whiplash of having quirky anime characters inhabit the hub (especially after the amazing tone setter that was the intro) is that, while it has the aesthetics of king's field/shadow tower it lacks refinement in the level design (with most areas feeling far too large to me, not in terms of content but simple distance) and in the enemy design (with most enemies being defeated by simple forward back strafing.) That and there was an enemy with an unavoidable attack (swamp demon) if you didn't put skill points into speed, which, was also kind of a baffling decision to me. It was a neat curiosity and I'm certain that most 'normal' people enjoyed it, but I think to me it shows both that the original King's Fields were actually extremely refined in their design, and also that with the right effort that making a modern take on the genre IS POSSIBLE given that all aspects are considered. Anyways thanks for tolerating this long comment, I'm opinionated and sleep deprived and I wasn't able to fully pare down the unnecessary tangents.
@@Da_maulI haven't played any of the King's Field games but I have played Lunacid. I thought Lunacid was amazing, especially for a game made by the efforts of a handful of people. Having seen stuff for the King's Field games I'm very interested in playing them and I largely owe Lunacid and the Souls games for getting me comfortable enough to try something like King's Field. Lunacid feels very comfortable to play and is simple to understand even for someone unfamiliar with the games it takes inspiration from. That can't be understated since it's a genre that really doesn't really get new games anymore. Just cause it isn't perfectly representative of the games it takes inspiration from don't discount the value it holds for being a gateway to introduce people to them.
@@765craven4 Yeah I mean I'm not saying it doesn't have any value at all, but I suggest taking the plunge and trying out one of the original Kings Field games. I played both 4 and 2(jp) and when I gave Lunacid a shot it really just did not scratch the itch at all. I'm not saying it's not impressive, it's definitely difficult to make a game that looks as nice as it does with a lot of content in it when you're one guy and maybe a few friends, but like I already said in a previous comment, I felt like it had some tone issues (again, amazing intro cutscene, all of the atmosphere it built up, all instantly lost when I saw an anime demon girl, cartoon crow, and skeleton with a healing potion addiction) and was just lacking in polish in some key areas that heavily affected my enjoyment. Maybe it was my problem for coming into it wanting it to be king's field, but it also advertised itself heavily as being "like king's field" so I feel as though that's an understandable mistake to make. I do hope you enjoy King's Field though, I may be biased but I think 2 and 4 are the best places to start. 4 is definitely the better game with an amazing map, and is very well tuned difficultywise, but it has a slow start and general pace that could turn you off, 2 is faster and with some framerate hacks you can find on the King's Field Reddit you can get the framerate running smoothly and it will be SURPRISINGLY GOOD for a game from 1995 and literally the second ever Fromsoft Title. You should also try out the mouselook hack, KF2 isn't as reliant on circle-strafing so it'll still be hard in spite of your superior controls, with that, the game feels downright modern, and you'll have a more similar comparison to Lunacid. Either way, to summarize, not attacking the game at all, I just personally found it disappointing, and if it sparked your curiosity about its inspiration, that's honestly great and the game's done its job.
@@Da_maul I played other Akuma Kira games before it and it's tonally very similar to them. Some horror elements but with some cutesy anime-esque shit and some comedic writing to give a bit of levity to it. Kira's other most successful work, Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion is tonally very similar to Lunacid. I think going in with no prior expectations of what a King's Field game would be like allowed me to meet it on its terms better. The inspiration from King's Field and Shadow Tower seem very evident from what I've seen of those games, but expecting it to be just like those games isn't fair to it I don't think. Obviously marketing the game as a "King's Field Like" is gonna give the wrong impression, but afaik Kira only ever said they were inspired by those games. Also. The final ending being very blatantly inspired by an ending of Drakengard still gives me a laugh. Cool set piece though.
You're right, every challenge run should exclusively be a no hit run while equipping absolutely no weapons, no armour, no talismans and include no item usage.
One of my pipe dream game development ideas for years now has been a KF-inspired game that has a diagetic explanation for the controls. Concept: you are trapped in a nexus where all malls go when they die. You are only able to get around via mobile scooter. New items let you reach items on higher shelves, use keypads & buttons, activate elevators, use escalators, and upgrade the battery on your scooter so it lasts longer. Bam, now you have a modern take on the KF formula with the tank controls and slow, methodical combat built directly into the game's setting and story.
We tried to establish the term rogue-lite for these newer games, but everyone insisted on using the incorrect terms that dilute the meaning of the genre.
Cookbooks with one recipe were wild man. The desperation to fill the world with loot. The most new tools and bosses in a single dlc in fromsoft history yet it felt threadbare. I want to see fromsoft continue to course correct the open world genre but after all the mixed fun of the base game and mixed disappointment of the dlc? We need a break from open world. Sekiro 2 is what I want but I think what we need is just anything that evolves their mechanics instead of squeezing out another souls-shaped title.
Currently playing Kings Field IV right now. I am currently addicted to it, I just keep wanting to see what’s ahead! And that satisfaction of unlocking a shortcut in the world is so satisfying. Thanks for making this video. I’m definitely going to check out the older KF games also.
I've played all KF games earlier this year, couldn't think about anything else for the 2 months it took me to finish these games and it's indeed so sad that nothing will ever be like these. They all are wonderful games with absolutely amazing atmosphere. I'm glad i finally experienced it.
I have replayed Dark Souls 1 more times than I can even count, but replaying Elden Ring? I made that mistake already by going into NG+ once I had beaten the entirety of the DLC for both the NPC quests (which I had neglected by beating the DLC ASAP) and trying to get the rest of the Scadu fragments (I didn't realize while playing that I needed to write a goddamn list of the ones I had already gotten) after forgetting how long it takes to do everything. It's been a slog just from the sheer distance I have to horse around. Regarding the bosses, learning Malenia (mind you, my favorite fight in the series and what I hoped more "spastic" bosses would be like with her staggerability making it an even match) has put me in this headspace where if a boss is annoying to fight, I tend to think I must be doing something wrong. It makes it hard for me to judge a lot of boss fights now, but no matter the subjective opinions, I feel the final boss really is just a caricature of what someone who has never touched the series but has heard Bandai's marketing BS would think a Souls boss is. They've really pushed far away from the grounded roots of the older games, and I'm not a fan of this direction. However, I feel like a lot of people who started with Dark Souls 3 and like how the series has been shedding its grounded roots to become more action-oriented love it. I always think if I wanted an actiony Souls experience, I'd go play Ninja Gaiden or Nioh yet again. Finally, the main gimmick of the open world has put less focus on the stages, and the stages are what make Dark Souls 1 the best Souls game, yet somehow they've been paying less attention to level design with every subsequent title. The dungeons have kind of kept the feeling, but it's nowhere even close to how levels were designed before. I like Elden Ring, but a lot of the changes have been moving away from the original titles and it's not really been to its benefit. It's like how I feel with 3, the foundation is good enough I'll put up with it.
Great video! I would kill for a new King's Field since FromSoft resurrected Armored Core... A man can dream. In the meantime though indie games are doing a good job making spiritual successors, Devil Spire and Lunacid come to mind, but as you said, it is best for these games to make their own things instead of trying to market themselves as the old thing. Which some succeed in!
Usually, when faced with difficult bosses, I tend to overreact when I defeat them, sticking middle fingers into the monitor. The thing is, I usually grin with joy while doing so. Radahn... well, after my numerous attempts at bashing my head against him, I just gave up, respeced for 2 seppuku bloodfiend forks, and got lucky to defeat him when my mimic actually came to stab him for once. I did defeat Radahn and Miquella, but my expression was of scoff. There was no joy, no relief, no catharsis. And, what’s even worse, there were no mentions about what happened in Shadowlands in the Lands Between. As if this entire sequence was just a semi-canonic uninspired spin-off with no impact on the main story... Oh, wait!
damn, what was with that 9 minute rant on the meta description of games? It's not the players that choose those descriptions, it's the marketing and attention that comes with the tags. It's purely visibility for more cash, it doesn't have any real baring on the game itself. Steam is pretty good about player chosen tags, so a little of that chaff is dealt with.
When it comes to proliferating the "like" suffix, it largely is a product of video game discussion, not marketing. "Roguelike" itself comes from Usenet newgroups and "Soulslike" is the product of online discussion too. You're going to have a hard time finding "Souls" mentioned on the Steam store descriptions of anything that isn't an indie game (barring reviews) despite being commonly attributed as a "Soulslike". "Doom Clone" was also popularized by the press, not by developers and it presents the same problems. Do you think many devs would be been keen to simply be dismissed as riding the coattails of another work, diminishing the unique things their game might bring to the table while setting up certain expectations about it? It might be convenient but it can also serve to hamper discussion or in communicating certain ideas. Here's an interesting quote from the October 2019 issue of Retro Gamer: "I thought 'Doom Clone' was idiotic and ignorant of this new FPS category," says Scott. "So I never used that term and corrected all the press who used it. Every 3D game that came out after Doom was called a 'Doom Clone'. The press wasn't smart enough back then to recognise that a new genre was emerging, the FPS genre." Keep in mind Scott here is Scott Miller, one of the designers for Duke Nukem I and II and founder of Apogee Software. Also: "Comparisons to Doom were inevitable: there was nothing else like it at that point, and with no language to help express how a similar game might play, the press, Usenet users and early internet pages had to draw references to the only thing they knew." www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20191003/283893049762064 Surely you see some parallels here.
