When I think about what games I like, it’s an interesting thought experiment. There are FromSoft games, which I adore. And yet, even within that group, there are the ones I really love (Dark Souls trilogy and Elden Ring) and those I love less (Bloodborne and Sekiro). But they are all on my top of my favorite games of all times. So much so that I have a FromSoft favorite games list and a non-FromSoft favorite games list.
Hm. I have not thought about how the bottom of the FromSoft list fares against the other list. I mean, Dark Souls III is the number one game over all and Elden Ring is number two. The top of the other list is Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall), Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), and Cozy Grove (Spry Fox). I want to play Night in the Woods again, and I would not mind starting up a new boat in Spiritfarer.
Everything in me pushes Dark Souls and Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin) at the top, too. So, it really is a split between those games and the two I like less–BB and Sekiro. Itt’s clear why. I could find ways to beat the other games–basically, bending them to my will. I could over-level by grinding, used all my favorite magicks (especially pyro and my beloved Hidden Body/Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring combo), use a ridiculous weapon like my also-beloved Lorian’s Greatsword, and summon if needed. Yes, you can summon in BB, but not in Sekiro. That’s just one of the reasons why the latter is the last on my list of favorite FromSoft games and why it’s the one plat (hundo chievo) I will not get–FromSoft plat, I mean.
Last night, I was watching Ian’s Dwarf Fortress stream and I mentioned Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster. I was looknig forward to it so much. The trailer was wild and it looked like it should be up my alley. A roguelike that has life sim aspects, rooted in leading a cult? How could it be any more made for me?
It made me think of Hades which has both combat and life sim stuff. When I got my hands on it, I was so stoke to get stuck in. And..it was just off. There was very little explanation as to what you were supposed to do. I’m not one who needs a lengthy tutorial (I play From games, after all), but it was really confusing as to how to make your cult grow and, more importantly, how to stop your cult members from going apostate.
Now, I could probably forgive all that if the combat was satisfying, but it wasn’t. A good roguelike makes you want to do another run time and ttime again. When you die, you shrug it off and start over. That’s how I poured thousands of hours into Binding of Iaac: Rebirth (the epitome of the game in my opinion) (Edmund McMillen) and how I platted Hades (Supergiant Games). It’s why I’m super-excited about the sequel for Hades. Yes, I loved the 300,000 lines of dialogue, but I never would have heard them all if the combat wasn’t highly addictive.
I wasn’t completely into the game until something clicked. I’m not sure what, but maybe one of the weapons feeling good? Because as much as I liked the house sim part, the combat didn’t quite gel with me at first. I think it was when I started using….the spear maybe? At any rate, once it did click, I was ALL IN.
I didn’t plan on getting the plat. I had no plans with Hades other than to do one. more. run. It had that feeling to it and it was hard to put down. It had that drip feel to it that was perfectly spaced. It’s a ephemeral thing in that the rewards can’t be often enough to make it boring, but it has to be often enough that you don’t get discouraged.
The problem with Cult of the Lamb was that the drip feel wasn’t right. I didn’t understand the perks, even after reading about them. And the negatives seemed too punitive. I had so many followers become apostates, I became discouraged.
In addition, the combat did not feel right. I loved the art style, but that meant that the enemy placement was odd. I have perspective issues to begin with, and this game did not help on that front. I would roll by an enemy and then lash out at–nothing? It was really frustrating.
Plus, the weapons don’t feel very meaningful. The difference between them, I mean. And the magicks just…aren’t good. Or it could be me who is not good. I fully admit that’s a real possibility. I played for a few hours, but finally admitted defeat.
Oh, in addition, there are a bunch of other things that you can do. Fishing, a card game? I think? Or was it dice? I think it was dice. And other things. It felt very kitchen-sink in that there was a little of everything.
Another example is Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! by David Galindo (Vertigo Games). As you can probably guess, it is the third in the series, and in my mind, the weakest of the three. The second is my favorite, overall, and the one I returned to after my medical crisis. It’s a hardcore restaurant sim that is very addictive. I 100%ed the first game before they expanded it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t mind the grind, though I did wish I didn’t have to do 20 days per level. I liked learning about the foods of differerent countries, and it was so satisfying to make the foods. There were fun emails that were too real, and you could romance people with your food as well. There were chores and a chore inspector, and in the second game, they streamlined a lot of that. I say they, but I mean he because it’s mostly just chubigans. He cut down on the days and the chores and completely cut out the dating. The whole structure was different and you could decorate your reestaurant. I really got into the decorating bit, and I still have fond memories of doing so.
The third took place in post-apocalyptic America. It came out during the pandemic, which was quite prescient. You have to serve people on the road, and there are rogue food trucks that want to kill you. Or at least kill your truck. You have two robots who drive your truck and help you out. One great mechanic is that you can buy tools and tricks to disable the attacks of the food trucks. By the end of the game, I had all the upgrades unlocked. Which meant the other food trucks were not a thing at all.
Then, the last round is the competition with the other food trucks. Content creator, Northernlion and his wife, Kate, were the announcers for the competition, which was a nice touch as Northerlion was a big champion of the first game. This was one reason it became so successful and he’s since blown up as well.
I need you to know that I only accept perfect days. It’s not a great way to play the games, but it’s how I roll. During the third game, however, I had to reluctantly accept bronzes rather than golds because I could not do some days without making mistakes.
The thing I hated, though, was for the final food truck arena competition, all the upgrades were disabled. All the attacks from the other food trucks that I had been able to ignore for the last quarter of the game (and therefore forgot about) were suddenly back in effect–at full force. They were things such as not seeing the cooking time for an item, not knowing what you were cooking, and the worst of all–the decaying of the food in the holding stations. It was so bad, there was a patch to slow it down.
I hated that whole part because why let me get all these upgrades during the whole game only to disable them for the final chapter? From a thematic point, I understand it, but it just took all the wind out of my sails. There is another sequel (and presumably the final as it’s called, Cook Serve Forever) coming out next year, and I’m hoping it’s back to the old tried-and-true formula.
I don’t mind that chubigans tried something different, but I hope he gets back to the basics in the next game–that’s all I’m asking for.