I used to dislike the french, but when you realize how hard core they are about hating tyrannical governments, as a Yank gotta respect it (plus the whole Revolutionary war helps)
eh I dunno about that cause every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople. So if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul
eh I dunno about that cause every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople. So if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul
I'm looking forward to being able to read this thread properly, but I've just finished Act I and have beaten the first major boss in Act II.
I really do like this. I'm just starting to think about my Pictos and how they interact with the abilities of the characters. But the thing I'm really enjoying about the combat system is that you can work your way into fights with parries once you figure out the timing. I fought what seemed to be an option flaming nevron at the beginning of Act 2, and its first attack nearly wiped out my whole party. It was then nice enough to heal with all the burn it was inflicting on me. At that point the fight was unwinnable, but I was able to work my way into it and beat him on my first try once I got the timing down and worked around the burn. Same with the first major Act II boss. In both phases I worked my way in and got into a rhythm. It's a subtle change being able to parry and dodge, but it works so well with the traditional turn based mechanics.
My algorithms still give me all CO33 content all day long so I keep seeing different story takes and theories... the game has not left my head since playing it. Then I look at metacritic user reviews are still at 97% with 17.5k ratings. That's crazy considering trolls and losers bombing games all the time. I'm so glad it is jiving with pretty much everyone that has played it.
My algorithms still give me all CO33 content all day long so I keep seeing different story takes and theories... the game has not left my head since playing it. Then I look at metacritic user reviews are still at 97% with 17.5k ratings. That's crazy considering trolls and losers bombing games all the time. I'm so glad it is jiving with pretty much everyone that has played it.
Okay so I had tried running this on Steam Deck a month or so back, and like frame rate wise it ran fine, but was doing some weird shit graphically that I put it aside.
Finally beat this last week. Definitely the best game I've enjoyed in some time. Loved the turn-based mechanics and customization options with the Pictos and Luminas that really open the gameplay up. Story took some wild turns for sure, but I think the balance between the gameplay and plot was very well handled. The turn order reminded me of FFX, which was definitely my favorite part of that game, and it was fun playing around with different combinations of moves, parties, etc. to set up some wildly good engines, etc.
My one complaint, and this is kind of self inflicted, is that I ended up being way too overpowered for the final boss by doing all the Act III sidequests first. To anybody reading this, I would recommend doing the final boss as soon as it becomes available. Thankfully the game also does give you options to increase the difficulty, etc., so again it's less on the game than on me, but YMMV on if you enjoy curbstomping the final bosses or not.
Still have to fight that one optional boss and do NG+, both of which I'm looking forward to!
So finished act 1 the other day and wondering if I'm rushing through (haven't really done or even know where any side questing could be). Every enemy I face is pretty much one shotting me if I miss my dodge/parry.
So finished act 1 the other day and wondering if I'm rushing through (haven't really done or even know where any side questing could be). Every enemy I face is pretty much one shotting me if I miss my dodge/parry.
Yup, prioritize pictos that have passive HP and defense boosts. Until the end I found no one on my team had any defense, and it really makes a huge difference.
Considering it. I haven't bought vinyl in almost a year. I bought a record player during COVID and it's cool bit I rarely use it now... I have the persona 5 soundtrack and Celeste. This would be a great addition.
Trying to save money though. Have a 2 week trip to California in a couple weeks to pay for...
Considering it. I haven't bought vinyl in almost a year. I bought a record player during COVID and it's cool bit I rarely use it now... I have the persona 5 soundtrack and Celeste. This would be a great addition.
Trying to save money though. Have a 2 week trip to California in a couple weeks to pay for...
It's taking me a while to get through this game (because life), but I think I'm near the end of Act 2 and I have to say it has really sucked me in. I have enjoyed my gaming this year and have played some very good games, but I suspect this will be my GOTY, and it may not be particularly close despite the competition.
It's taking me a while to get through this game (because life), but I think I'm near the end of Act 2 and I have to say it has really sucked me in. I have enjoyed my gaming this year and have played some very good games, but I suspect this will be my GOTY, and it may not be particularly close despite the competition.
Finished the main story. I have more extensive thoughts and want to read through this thread to see everyone else's, but my immediate reaction is that that was just a stunning game. I do find with games as I get older that I struggle to get properly immersed in them, because it's difficult for me to see something that I haven't seen in some form. Even with something like Subnautica, which I played earlier this year and was excellent, there were times when I was just going through the motions to finish things. I was entirely immersed in this, and completely invested in the characters, the world and the gameplay. There aren't actually many games that I have played ever that have done that to this degree. I'm not done with this world or the game, either. I'm away next week for work, but when I get back I'm definitely starting on the optional stuff. Would be surprised if I don't 100% this.
Anyway, more thoughts when I get chance to read through this thread properly.
I've read the thread. Here we go. First, some none spoiler thoughts.
Presentation: Basically meaning graphics and soundtrack. Excellent. Not in terms of being graphically the best game I've ever seen, because it's obviously not. But the graphical style combined with the soundtrack were just absolutely spot on. Right from the start, the look of Lumiere is so enthralling, and that basically continues throughout the game. The soundtrack takes a lot of credit, obviously, because it so often adds so much depth to what is happening on screen. But quite apart from the plot and storytelling, this was just a world that I enjoyed looking at, with characters and enemies, particularly the larger ones, that really made me do that thing where you pause for a second just to take in what it is you're looking at.
Combat: I thought this was going to be turn based combined with QTEs, and it absolutely is not. The dodge and parry system is so simple, and yet adds genuine depth to fights. I basically parried the whole time apart from when I had to dodge, but the fact of parrying both giving you AP and meaning you avoid damage meant that my strategy changed mid fight depending on how well I was parrying, particularly the latter boss fights. It was also challenging without being overly difficult. I had a general build that was designed to be resilient and allow me to work my way into fights, so I probably one shotted about half of the Act II and Act III bosses, and just needed the one retry for the rest. That may change with some of the optional content (I had done very little of it; main game completed in about 22 hours at level 50ish), but equally I'd look forward to that challenge.
Pictos System: Again, because the difficulty is just right, I felt like I could spend time tinkering with the setup of my party and make notable changes and plans that could actually be put into effect, but without needing to spend hours on that in order to progress. It just struck the right balance. I actually used all characters in my main party through the game, and settled on Verso, Maelle and Sciel by the end. If I noticed I wasn't using a particular skill, I'd switch it out, whereas now and again I'd spend longer looking at the wider skills I had equipped to see if I could make any obvious improvements. I always enjoyed that process because I felt like I could make differences with it but I never felt like I had to do it, or that I had to hit a particular combination to progress.
Plot
I understand the point about this descending into a classic "it's a dream" trope, but that didn't disappoint me at all, and I felt it stuck the landing too. That wasn't just because of the plot. I read a lot of books and have, in the past, played a lot of games. I enjoy books and games but rarely get very immersed in them in the sense of feeling invested in the plot and the characters. The combination of all the factors that went into this game absolutely immersed me in this one. Because of the parry system, I felt like I was fighting with these characters in tense moments, rather than just giving them commands. Gustave's death hit me hard, and before fights with the likes of Renoir, I found myself feeling like I was stood next to the characters and feeling that tension as they drew their weapons and were about to fight. And all of that culminated in the fact that when I had the choice at the end, I pretty confidently went with Verso as the "right" choice. I cannot stress how unusual it is for me to be this invested in a video game plot and characters. I'm not sure it's actually happened to me as much as this before. But it is demonstrated by the fact that when faced with that choice, I didn't make the choice I thought the game wanted me to, or which would be optimal. I took my experience and feelings about these characters, and confidently made the one that I thought was right based on my experience of them. That underlines this game's achievement in my view, but put a bow on just how much it had drawn me in.
As for the next game, I think it must now explore the wider world, with the war between the Painters and the Writers explored further. It's a Matrix style situation where the thing that made the original now has to give way to a wider world and wider story, for better or worse. A longer running series with loose connections is an option, as is the second game being about the Writers and the third tying them together. I'd prefer the latter probably, but frankly I just want to see more from this studio. They've guaranteed that I'm an early adopter for whatever they produce next.
All of that said, I did take a very direct route to finishing the game. I am going to explore the optional areas, and am looking forward to experiencing more of the plot and lore that I know is waiting there. I appreciate that some say elements of that should have been in the main game, but I'll see what I think of that when I've done it. But for the first time in a long time, I want to do these extras not just because I'm really enjoying the game, but because I just want to spend more time with these characters and in this world. Genuinely am not sure of the last time that happened to me.