One more (last?) post about Ravenswatch by Passtech Games (for now). I’ll just keep writing about it until I run out of steam. I think they are tweaking as they go because I played as Beowulf and it was easier. In a sense. I still did not get my ult, but I beat the boss after several runs. Well, half-runs. Honestly, at this point, if I die before I reach the boss, I just started over. This is not an aspersion on the game, per se (though, it kinda is), but the boss is tedious enough to need all rezzes in order just to survive.
Let’s talk about the boss for a second. It’s tedious as fuck. It’s not interesting in any way. It’s a plant-like thing in the middle with several tentacles. It seems four that are attached and five in a circle around it. The deal is to kill each separate tentacle before going for the main boss. All the while the main boss is shooting out bullets at you constantly and slamming its tentacles at you. Plus, there are times when the area around the tentacle turns red. That means run. Run immediately and as far as you can. Because the big boss is gonna one-shot you. The problem is, depending on where you are and what else is shooting at you (there are little circles that show up, meaning you’re going to be hit in those little circles), you may not be able to run anywhere safe.
I know they’re trying to make you feel like you’re trapped but actually have ways to escape, except, my reflexes are so shitty. And I have terrible spatial realization. It’s funny. I have learned how to find the holes in a crowd in real life. But in a game, I can’t find those spaces.
So, yeah. I’m not going to finish a run if I die early–especially if I die twice. I only deal with that shit in real life. (Continuing the same ‘run’ if I die twice). Now I want a shirt that says something to that effect.
“Shadows die twice and so do I!”
Anyway, the boss is just a hot mess. It’s very bullet hell-y, and I’m so not good at that. My way of dealing with it is to have enough health to just outlast the boss. In this case, you have to be able to react instantaneously to the boss, which is not my strong suit.
Back to the gameplay. I feel like they’ve cut down a bit on the hordes, but it’s still too much. I eschew any of the timed events because it’s just not possible with one person. I haven’t come close to doing the three little pigs’ requests. It’s getting 20 of whatever they need (rock, straw, or…brick? Whatever the third one is) in five minutes. I haven’t even gotten close. It’s not as simple as finding the material and bringing it to them. You have to kill enemies before you can pick up the materials. I have gotten half of the resources and up to 13 in the time allotted. There are also other timed events with mini bosses and such. I’ve failed all of them as well.
This really isn’t a solo player’s game. It’s just not. I do think they’ve tweaked the damage totals, but it’s not enough. Apparently, all the complaints from others are about the lack of content, which is fair. But for me, it’s simply misses being a great roguelike. After beating the boss as Beowulf, I unlocked Melusine, the mermaid. I could tell she was probably an OP character, but she’s way too much for my brain to comprehend. Shooting doesn’t work the way it does with the other characters.
She’s basically using the Ludovico Technique from BOI. I looked it up. It’s a wisp that you control, rather than that you shoot. Nope. Not for me. I do not have the brain power to deal with moving her around (or not. In some cases, she’s glued to the ground) and moving her wisp separately. It was difficult for me before my medical emergency and it’s even worse now.
Side note: When we talk about isms and bias, it’s often not the big things. Like, in talking about disabilities and games, this is the kind of thing that gets overlooked. Or the fact that I could not finish Stray (BlueTwelve Studio) because of the stupid button-mashing sections (fighting the zerg rush) and because of the platforming in which I got hopelessly lost.
For. The. Love. Of. All. That. Is. Holy. Button-mashing is not fun. It’s not immersive gameplay. Also, games that are not platformers, please do not have platforming in your game (including FromSoft games!). Platforming is very precise, and if it’s not what you’re focusing on, you’re going to be shit at it. Period.
Anyway.
Where was I? Talking about my onebro run. I wasn’t, but I’m going to do it, anyway. In the last post, I was up to the Gaping Dragon. The Gaping Dragon is my bete noire. It is the reason I stopped playing the game for a year. I remember chipping away at the Gaping Dragon for what seems like hours. I probably had a Battle Axe +4 or so. I did not understand about upgrading your weapon the first time I played.
I plink-plunked at it until I had it down to a sliver of health. I went in for the kill and…stepped into nothing. There was an abyss in the arena, whic I did not know beforehand. I slammed down the controller and instantly quit the game. I did not touch it for another year. But, it was nagging at the back of my brain for that entire time.
I’m not exactly sure why I went back. I think it’s because the next game was coming out and I wanted to give the first game a fair shake. At any rate, I made it back to the Gaping Dragon and stepped into the arena with much trepidation. I kept looking for the abyss, but…much to my surprise…I could not find it. I beat the Gaping Dragon and then did a victory lap. Waaaaaaay to the back of the arena was the abyss/chasm I had fallen into, and I could not believe I had fallen in it the first time around.
This time, I went in with a Battle Axe +10 and a Pyro Flame +9.
I had the Fire Orb (a bettetr Fireball) and…
I think the basic Soul Arrows equipped. I had already killed the Channeler who buffed everyone in the area so I did not have to deal with that. I decided to do it solo even though I would have loved to call in Solaire to lend a hand. And, it was anticlimactic because I did it in short order and without much muss (or fuss). It’s not a hard boss when you know what you’re doing, which, I can hear you saying that is the way of all bosses. Not true. Some are still hard, even when you know what they are doing. This one is not.
Next up is going to Blighttown in the backdoor (hur hur) and taking on Quelaag. I am a bit apprehensive about this because she’s pure pyro, but I have Plashsweat to mitigate fire damage.
I’m still having fun. I have a hunch this isn’t going to last much longer. But I’m enjoying the ride for now.