I would like to give this another crack, but I feel like I need some coaching first. Is there a good tips video anyone would recommend, or a YouTuber who is especially good at it who I should give a watch?
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Rain World, the massive metroidvania about surviving an alien ecosystem, is out on Switch
- Thread starter More_Badass
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It's the easiest way to get the general structure across to people, but I typically describe it as a survival platformer rather than a metroidvania. And yeah, your post sums up the feel of the game excellently. I love games that encourage you to stop, observe, adapt and improvise, and Rain World is up there with games like The Witness and Dark Souls in 1) challenging the player to acclimate to its design and rules and 2) wrapping progress in careful observation and adapting to the worldI feel like calling it a "a gargantuan metroidvania" is doing the game a huge disservice. It doesn't really have much in common with metroidvania. Also, while the world is large, it's not necessarily huge in my opinion - it more gives an excellent impression of being so.
As for the game itself, though. Whew, I finished it in PC not long ago. It's probably one of the most unique, fresh, and exciting video game experiences I've ever had. I was completely absorbed into it for the 20-25 hours it took for me. While it appears to have patched some of the launch roughness (there's slightly more food now I think?), I feel like most reviews are rather unfair and say more about the reviewers themselves. It's a divise game and unlike any other. With it being a disempowerment story, where you have to accept that the world is an ecosystem that you have to flee from, bargain with, and simply live with... it's certainly not for everyone. Is it cruel and ridiculously hard, though? In my opinion, no. It is, with some minor instances, entirely fair and it's very likely you could've dealt with things differently. There are some later parts where you absolutely have to traverse through a more linear area - that's true - but even then there's multiple ways forward... including just waiting to see how the ecosystem itself plays out without you. That said, I supposedly finished it fast, so I might not represent your experience. There's an easier difficulty now, however.
Rain World is such a fascinating experience. I find it hard to describe. It didn't even really feel like a typical game to me. From the graphics, music, and general game design... it's excellent in my opinion, even the environmental narrative.
Just take note that Rain World doesn't shove things down your throat: you have to figure out most things yourself. How do you deal with certain enemies? What are objects good for? Observe. Experiment. Learn. Play as if you were in the middle of a foodweb, maybe even as if you were human. This is extremely fascinating as well, as the inherent game structure means that you're constantly growing as a player without actually acquiring new abilities. I can easily say that playing through it again would be a very different experience alone. Yet, sometimes you just have to accept dying and that it's not the end of the world.
I adore Rain World. It might even be one of my favorite games to a degree. But it's impossible to say if it's for you.
Crude summary:
Is the main challenge in this game remembering tons of details about the world? I liked Hollow Knight a lot but one of my biggest problems with the game was that the map marker system was pretty poor, and the map itself was annoying, which made it difficult for me to remember which areas to go back to later on.
Since Rain World's world is so huge, it seems like that might be a similar problem for me?
Since Rain World's world is so huge, it seems like that might be a similar problem for me?
I´ve been on the lookout for this title on the Switch since it launched on the PC
Can't believe it sneaked past me.
Too bad my backlog on the Switch is insane.
Will eventually try out eventually, because I like the concept, of playing a animal with low tier defense and offense, but extremely high tier intelligence.
Basically its r/natureismetal turned into a game.
Can't believe it sneaked past me.
Too bad my backlog on the Switch is insane.
Will eventually try out eventually, because I like the concept, of playing a animal with low tier defense and offense, but extremely high tier intelligence.
Basically its r/natureismetal turned into a game.
This is not at all the case. Exploration is its own reward; there are no far-off items* that may either be found or missed, and would have to be backtracked to. It's just you on your journey.
(*There are items which, after a ton of labour-per-item, will give you lore, but this is such an obtuse and masochistic mechanic that you'll seriously prefer to just read up on the lore online after beating the game.)
For the people unsure about calling this a metroidvania, I honestly think in many ways it's true to the spirit of metroidvanias (and many modern metroidvanias are not) without actually following the genre's conventions. When I first played Metroid on the NES many years ago, the world felt huge, oppressive, confusing, and dangerous. There was a sense that I wasn't welcome in the world but had to survive anyhow (something I also felt with Hollow Knight). I had to struggle to get anywhere, but I got better. There are definitely powerups in Metroid 1, but nothing helped more than just learning the language of the game. Even though RW plays very differently, I get a very similar feeling playing it.
Also I'm still trying to find info on the upcoming update. Are there plans for more content beyond the intro/ending cutscenes for monk and hunter?
Also I'm still trying to find info on the upcoming update. Are there plans for more content beyond the intro/ending cutscenes for monk and hunter?
Do you make no distinction between bad games and games that aren't for you? RW is very clearly well made whether or not it's to your taste.
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There is no distinction. There are plenty of will made things that fucking suck .
OP
OP
You dont think there's a distinction between something being bad because of your tastes versus the design of the thing? I used to think Blade Runner and Alien sucked, that doesnt mean they're bad movies.
Thanks for the honest response. Appreciate it.
I think I'll wait and see if there's gonna be patches to improve it.
I was so excited about this prerelease, but it seemed to take forever to come out, and the mixed impressions made me decide to wait.
Had no idea this was coming to switch tho! Very cool.
Will probably grab this at some point if the port is decent
Had no idea this was coming to switch tho! Very cool.
Will probably grab this at some point if the port is decent
It took me about 20 hours, but I believe I was rather fast (not sure, though). I could see it taking maybe 5h more had I done things differently. Hollow Knight took me 24h in comparison. HK felt like it overstayed its welcome to me, but RW felt like it still kept on giving.
Yeah, this thread sold me on the game so much that I picked it up off of Steam without any sales!
But then I started playing...............this game is hard as balls --- have no idea how to make any progress in the game. It's fun & uniuque, but I can see how it could be off-putting to most people who don't have a lot of patience or time to invest.
But then I started playing...............this game is hard as balls --- have no idea how to make any progress in the game. It's fun & uniuque, but I can see how it could be off-putting to most people who don't have a lot of patience or time to invest.
I was looking forward to this for along time but when it came out the reception was pretty mixed with many saying it's way too hard and frustrating for its own good. Did they balance the difficulty or anything like that since it came out?
It's big. You don't need to see it all, and it's easy to get lost. Check your map often and keep a route in mind.
Yes, standard difficulty received some tweaks, and then they later added proper Easy (the Monk) and Difficult (the Hunter) modes. It can still be punishing and unfair sometimes, but Monk mode is definitely easier.
As other evangelists on this thread have said, there really is nothing like it. If it intrigues you, it's at least worth checking out, and the developers deserve a reward for such a singular artistic creation.
Play the game "blind" as intended first, but if you start getting annoyed by the lack of explicit instructions, this (mildly spoilery) wiki article lays out all the game rules in straightforward manner:
https://rainworld.gamepedia.com/Gameplay
I'm replaying since version 1.1 or whatever it was, are the insects in the first area new? I dont remember them but its a great idea to add more neutral creatures early on
Also the monk difficulty requiring to only unlock the karma gate once is really smart, considering how much of this game is linear and had level 1 karma gates, I wish this was an option for default difficulty too
Also the monk difficulty requiring to only unlock the karma gate once is really smart, considering how much of this game is linear and had level 1 karma gates, I wish this was an option for default difficulty too
Thanks, I think you've given me the info I need.
I wasn't a big fan of Hollow Knight (let's not talk about this), and I'm pretty sure I won't really like this either, then.
I always thought this game look refreshing just never gave it a shot
Granted, when I last saw it-- it was back during kickstarter
Granted, when I last saw it-- it was back during kickstarter
OP
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The devs completely rebuilt the game in Unity after the Kickstarter. It was really impressive to watch in the devlog as they recreated and improved upon stuff, like the old rain versus the oppressive iteration in the final game
Seeing the game develop from early pre-alpha to release was incredible, and it was one of those games where the vision never changed and was apparent from the earliest footage.
2012, before lizards had animated limbs
2012, stealth and early lizards
I've already got this game on PS4 but haven't dug into it yet. I'm tempted to get it on Switch as I think I'd be able to focus more on it in portable mode, but I'm curious about the performance. Is this a game where 60fps is essential?
First switch patch should be live, hopefully no more crashes......
Lot to say about this game even though I'm only 2-3 hours in. For now I'll just say I'm liking it even more than I expected and also everything that happens when it starts to rain is unreal.
Lot to say about this game even though I'm only 2-3 hours in. For now I'll just say I'm liking it even more than I expected and also everything that happens when it starts to rain is unreal.
OP
OP
The rain feels ridiculously intense, doesnt it? Glad to see this clicking with people
A lot of games have "hurry up!" mechanics like Pikmin but Rain World's is so viscerally intense and scary and it triggers this primal compulsion to find safety RIGHT NOW.
Also this keeps coming up so I want to reiterate: the "mixed" reception has nothing to do with the quality of the game. The game is fully realized and true to its own goals like very few games are brave enough to do. The fact of the matter is that the game is just too much for a lot of people. If the game is for you, it will really resonate with you.
Also this keeps coming up so I want to reiterate: the "mixed" reception has nothing to do with the quality of the game. The game is fully realized and true to its own goals like very few games are brave enough to do. The fact of the matter is that the game is just too much for a lot of people. If the game is for you, it will really resonate with you.
I'm bumping this with a heavy heart.
After getting reinvigorated by this thread and writing up some very kind words about Rain World a few days ago here, I decided to go back to the game and this time, while that same brilliance didn't fade, I simply can't get past the obtuseness and the stubbornness of the game design. These recent play sessions have been really frustrating and it often feels completely out of my control as to whether I'm going to make it or not.
After passing the dreary, punishing and frustrating Shaded Citadel, I thought I'd made it to more exciting emergent territories. All I've had to deal with for the past hour and a half is a single linear section called The Leg where, based purely on where the white lizards spawn (and unlike creatures throughout the rest of the game that are always moving, these guys just chill in one spot) determines whether I can proceed with relative ease or if I'm completely and utterly fucked. Like there's no way past them right? Hitting anywhere other than their head seems extremely difficult because they're such vertical creatures and the moment they've spotted you they're facing you at all times, and it's simply not viable to approach from any other angle/room given the linear nature of the section.
Sometimes they're looking away or just missing, sometimes they're staring straight at me as I enter the screen and am immediately pounced on.
I don't mind difficulty, but it seems like Rain World too often doesn't give you the tools to adequately deal with a situation and you have to fall back on luck to get by. This isn't okay.
The clear solution to this, and most of the game does this or at least has so far, is simply offer a less linear level design where if an area is getting too hot, I can dial back and approach from a different angle. Even just for a change of scenery. I feel like I'm going insane doing the exact same actions over and over. It's simply not compelling anymore. No game ever gets frustrating when you're given the means to tackle it in a variety of different ways.
Linearity is the bane of video games and I don't know if I have the resolve to continue with this brilliant beautiful game.
After getting reinvigorated by this thread and writing up some very kind words about Rain World a few days ago here, I decided to go back to the game and this time, while that same brilliance didn't fade, I simply can't get past the obtuseness and the stubbornness of the game design. These recent play sessions have been really frustrating and it often feels completely out of my control as to whether I'm going to make it or not.
After passing the dreary, punishing and frustrating Shaded Citadel, I thought I'd made it to more exciting emergent territories. All I've had to deal with for the past hour and a half is a single linear section called The Leg where, based purely on where the white lizards spawn (and unlike creatures throughout the rest of the game that are always moving, these guys just chill in one spot) determines whether I can proceed with relative ease or if I'm completely and utterly fucked. Like there's no way past them right? Hitting anywhere other than their head seems extremely difficult because they're such vertical creatures and the moment they've spotted you they're facing you at all times, and it's simply not viable to approach from any other angle/room given the linear nature of the section.
Sometimes they're looking away or just missing, sometimes they're staring straight at me as I enter the screen and am immediately pounced on.
I don't mind difficulty, but it seems like Rain World too often doesn't give you the tools to adequately deal with a situation and you have to fall back on luck to get by. This isn't okay.
The clear solution to this, and most of the game does this or at least has so far, is simply offer a less linear level design where if an area is getting too hot, I can dial back and approach from a different angle. Even just for a change of scenery. I feel like I'm going insane doing the exact same actions over and over. It's simply not compelling anymore. No game ever gets frustrating when you're given the means to tackle it in a variety of different ways.
Linearity is the bane of video games and I don't know if I have the resolve to continue with this brilliant beautiful game.
I think that The Leg is the part of the game where most of the game's dedicated players (because you have to be dedicated) drop the game. It does indeed have all the issues you describe; it's probably the single hardest area I've ever had to play through, in any game.
I hope I won't sound like I'm dismissing your issues with the game, when I say that I think this unfairness and frustration is very much the point of the game. I think you'll soon find that your experiences tie into the game's narrative themes very elegantly.
I don't want to spoil too much, so let me instead pose you some questions. Some of them may assume things about you that are presumptive, but hopefully at least one will ring true:
- Why is it bad to die? Why is it bad to lose karma? You can always regain it later. Failure is temporary, but never permanent; only giving up, is.
- When the game refuses to give you reliable tools for progression, is there anything besides this, that it gives you, which you might find enjoyment in instead? Is progress the only goal (or even the primary goal!) that you could have? If so, what might this say about your relation with the game's world?
- For what reason do you think you deserve a reliable way to progress?
- In a game whose entire premise is that you are a powerless creature of prey, why do you grow frustrated when it doubles down on this by robbing you of even the power to control over your own fate? Is the game not more true to itself now? But also: Do you think this is a truth worth experiencing?
- You dealt so well with misfortune when it came through your own mistakes; why does this suddenly change when it is the world itself, that is cruel? Is it not the case that hardship is hardship, no matter the source? Should not your ability to overcome obstacles, rely on their severity, rather than their reasons for being?
I hope you will carry on; the game is still hiding a lot of its cards, and if you were to break off now, you would walk away with an incomplete idea of what it is and what it tries to say. That's fine, of course; it's just a game! But if you so enjoyed the beginning areas, I think it's worth it to see the journey through to its end. The best is yet to come.
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Best indie game I've ever played, finished it at launch. It's so sad that game reviewers are so w e a k.
Go play it eveyone.
Go play it eveyone.
Don't know if they fixed it but you can bait enemies to go into pipe with you and then if you go quickly back, you dodge them. It's very usefull
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Looking at the gameplay, is it a bit like Abe's Odyssey and Heart of Darkness? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness_(video_game)
I adored that game as a kid. This is looking appealing to me and I think I'll pick it up when it comes out in the UK.
What is the pricing on this?
I adored that game as a kid. This is looking appealing to me and I think I'll pick it up when it comes out in the UK.
What is the pricing on this?
Thanks or the write-up.
I don't want to dismiss what you're saying especially as someone who so relentlessly argues that games often make little effort to tie their gameplay and their story/themes into a cohesive whole. So if what you're saying is right, understand there's a part of me that really appreciates that it's aiming for such highs.
It's hard for me to fairly evaluate the worth of these gameplay decisions without understanding the themes they're ostensibly tying into, but I'll try to answer your questions:
- I don't have a problem with dying. After the initial shock of how harsh the game was in terms of the karma system, once it set in that I can really only go so low, and building back up is not only a relatively simple process but often an enjoyable one I started to embrace the whole system. It made the world feel volatile and harsh, but in a manageable way that I slowly became accustomed to. Now, with that in mind, repeating the same thing over and over again simply wanes my attention and patience. Rain World mostly managed this perfectly fine up until this point because it has some beautifully non-linear level design. As mentioned above, when you give the player multiple routes to take it immediately takes the monotonous strain off playing. "Well this isn't working. The enemies seem too tough here. Maybe if I approach it from this angle.... and while I'm doing that maybe I'll think up a better strategy for the other route should I return." If death means repeating the exact same task over and over again for an hour and a half, it becomes a problem.
- Not exactly sure what direction this question is leaning towards, sorry, but I'll say that tools don't need to be literal. I just need the agency to feel like I can do something, anything to maneuver the environment effectively. Not even in a way that makes me feel powerful or special. Even, again, just something as simple as giving me another route to take so I don't feel like I have to just stroll into death for the umpteenth time. When I die, I need to be able to think "Okay, what can I do next time to avoid this again?" Instead I'm thinking, "Well.... fuck.... I hope that lizard isn't there/looking in my direction next time or I'm fucked. I wonder how many times I can do this before I go insane." I don't think progress is necessarily the be-all-end-all, but doing the same thing over and over again simply grates after a while. There's only so many times I can be indifferently beaten down by this place and it feel poignant. EDIT: I'll also say that progress is definitely desirable because I want to experience this cohesive storytelling and thematic weight you're describing.
- For these last two questions, I get that the world itself is supposed to feel indifferent and uncaring. You are not the centre of this place and the game goes to painstaking lengths to communicate this. But if we're to take the idea that you deserve nothing in this game and it's completely indifferent to your entire existence, you could say "Why does the game even let you progress?" "Why does Slugcat even have the means of traversing some of these areas at all?" "Howabout we make it so he can't even jump?" "Why can he even throw spears? He should be completely defenceless." The simple answer is that this is a piece of media that is designed for its audience to connect with. And that means the artist needs to carefully consider the best way to engage their audience.
If a film's themes necessitate a slow, meandering pace with an unsatisfying and dull ending, that's all well and good but if you've put 90% of your audience to sleep it's not going to matter. The first thing you have to do is engage. Everything else follows. It's a balancing act. And likewise if Rain World is deliberately frustrating me or making me feel small and insignificant, that's all well and good, great even, if you pull it off, but if it gets to the point where I've just wasted 90 minutes climbing up and down the same three poles only to have my face licked to death over and over again, I'm no longer engaging with the work. I'm angry, I'm tired, I'm not invested in what's happening in-game, and I want to do anything other than play Rain World.
Thanks, I think I probably will jump back in because as we've discussed, so much of the game is really clicking with me and even what you're writing here sounds really compelling.
$10AUD on GOG right now: https://www.gog.com/game/rain_world
Yes, while Rain World is its own thing, I'd say the game it most often reminds me of is Abe's Oddysee. Underpowered simple creature traverses the wildly hostile harsh grungy dystopian future filled to the brim with varied and endlessly interesting enemies.
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No problem; I really, really love the game, and a large part of the reason why I do, is that I was blown away by how thoroughly it deconstructs the concept of unfairness -- which is probably gaming's biggest gameplay design taboo! -- and the wise ideas which the game, through doing this, opens up for the player to make their own.
You make some pretty good points! Before I respond, I'll just say that I do realize how un-believable(/in-credible) I may sound when I say that, oh right, the moment-to-moment frustration you're feeling is intentional, and the frustration you feel over being frustrated by the game? That's also intentional. --Like, one might imagine that there are some games for which this is indeed the case, but there are so many games that are just flat-out bad, and the onus of proving that, no, really, this game knows what it's doing --- that's on me! I'll try to prove this without going into the game's story/lore; but there's a fair chance that even after you beat the game, you'll disagree with me here, because the game's story is very minimal (particularly if you don't go scouring the internet for lore), and the game's themes, though wise, are neither complex nor plentiful, and they are mostly implicit in the experience itself.
This makes having a conversation about the game pretty hard! I don't necessarily hope to convince you of the game's qualities; but I do hope to motivate you to continue, so that perhaps you'll find what I found.
With that said, some thoughts:
- Sure -- the slugcat isn't powerless, and indeed a game where they were, would be terrible! I could have worded that more carefully; let me try again here. I think the point I'm trying to bring across is that the slugcat finds themselves, as we do, in an uncaring world; specifically (and beautifully literally, in the case of Rain World), we live amidst byzantine systems -- systems of physics, and systems of incentives. We have some power, in the sense that we can move, and we can think; and since this power is a direct, evolved response to the world that we live in, we should indeed expect to have some agency most of the time. But this agency does not come from the world itself; it is not given to us; it merely fills, happily, the space that was accidentally left open by the endless, blind processes of the world. When I say the world does not care about you, I do not mean that it should hate you, or take away all of your agency and power; that would be some negative form of care. I mean instead that the decision of whether or not these blind processes allow you to exert your own agency, is not yours; you may not influence the processes themselves; you only get to deal the hand you're given, and sometimes you're not given much. A true acceptance of the world's blindness does not require the rejection of agency; but it does encompass the notion that you are able to accept that sometimes, the world just doesn't leave you any option but rely on luck. Adaptation brought you control, but it is not absolute; you live in this world, true, but you hold no dominion over it.
- Can art be all-powerful? I do not ask this sarcastically; I think that the question of "Could there exist, for any two position X and Y (i.e. any two histories, life situations, philosophical contexts, artistic tastes, etc), some artwork that could bring the person engaging with it, from position X to Y?" is a seriously fascinating one that is yet unanswered. It won't be a surprise to you that Rain World is not so powerful, the "input positions" that it may appeal to, are very small, such that indeed it might be too extreme for 90% of its audience. But I struggle to think of any way in which it could have increased its range of possible input positions, without changing its output position Y; and I think its output position Y is very much worth it. Your question is: Could the game have said the same things in a more accessible manner? I am not convinced that it could, nor convinced that it couldn't; but ultimately, I think that what it does say, is sufficiently valuable, and certainly within the space of videogames it is so rare, that it is worth exerting oneself for. But again: You may think differently in the end. Whatever this does or does not say about the game's quality, seems to me to be of little import, compared to how unique the game is, and how well it does work for some admittedly small audience.
- I hear your frustration with the game's repetitiveness. I do not have a direct response to it; I can say only that there exists some framework, some perspective, through which it is not a flaw. The same can be said for any flaw in any game, mind you, and thus I do not expect you to be convinced by this! But if it helps you, I will describe the framework. It is one in which you distance yourself from your own incentives -- incentives for change, incentives for survival, for progress, even for more story, or for wisdom. You struggle now, but if you overcome this, you will merely struggle later. What gives? Being here is as good as being there. What if one could move without hope or expectations? You have some agency in this labyrinth of systems, and it is a delight to see the systems respond to your actions; but it is delightful, too, to respond to the systems, or just to see the systems work on their own. Go out to seek failure, and perhaps you will find it. Go out to discover that you will be eaten, and you may be dazzled by the manner in which this happens; the details of it, the quirks. The story has the same structure, but is different every time. The world is here for you to play with; why move through it if you can stay?
...The game's developers, as far as I can tell, had two goals in mind when they designed the karma gate system. The first is to limit the game's difficulty curve, so that a newcomer would have to prove some proficiency at the game, before they may access the game's harder areas. This much you will have guessed. But the second goal is more unconventional: It is to encourage the player to make their home in some areas, even if just temporarily. Discover how you fit into the game's world and its systems; try to figure out what role you are given; and then test its limits, see how much you can stretch it, and if it covers you too tighly, see if you may nonetheless fit it. The idea is that you can make at least a temporary peace with the fact that you live in this world, rather than that you view the world as simply a series of obstacles to be overcome so that you can get to the next area, the next story bit, the ending, the crossing-the-game-off-your-list-and-playing-the-next-one. Don't get me wrong; that is a fine structure for a game to have; it's just not the structure this game has.
The game is frustrating, absolutely. But instead of being bothered by how this might affect the game's perceived quality, wouldn't it be much more interesting, and much more valuable to you as a person, if you were to find an attitude from behind which frustration cannot touch you? - Difficulty is a funny concept. I love the Souls games -- as should be clear from my two threads -- but there are bosses in there that I have given up, simply because the gap between my current skills, and the skills I'd need to defeat them, is too large; it would take me incredible amounts of effort to get there. Meanwhile, Rain World is monstrously tough and unfair; but it is a numbers game, a game of luck. I could bang my head against the Souls games for hours and never get any further; but with Rain World, I can trust that so long as I keep trying, at some point I will find myself in a fortunate world configuration, one that will allow me to continue. My success is guaranteed; I need only put in the time. That's more than I can say for many difficult videogames!
Regarding The Leg: while it was a bit frustrating at times, it's also the part of the game where it requires you to pay close attention and be quick-thinking. There's often multiple ways to approach the area even if it seems linear. There might be multiple tunnels, for example. Use these to your advantage and lure the enemies. And since we're talking about lizards here, throw an item at them if they grab hold of you (and if I remember, there should be items to throw?). If nothing else, remember that enemies go through cycles just like you do and if you're not there, they will move around. Sometimes it might be wise not to rush. Furthermore, depending on their placement you might be able to sneak around; are you making a lot of noise?
VIDEO CONTAINS SPOILERS
Just yesterday, a long and quite fantastic video was uploaded about Rain World's lore. Can recommend it if you think the game is much too hard for you, but you still want to see what the hype is all about, story-wise. I implore you to give the game a really good try first, though!
Just yesterday, a long and quite fantastic video was uploaded about Rain World's lore. Can recommend it if you think the game is much too hard for you, but you still want to see what the hype is all about, story-wise. I implore you to give the game a really good try first, though!
I don't understand...in what way is it a Metroidvania if "you have all your abilities from the start and the "keys" that unlock new areas are your skills as a player and your knowledge of the world"? The thing that defines a Metroidvania is earning powerups that unlock new areas, some of which you will have passed by before but not been able to access, thus giving a sense of exploration by going back to places you've been before and discovering many things that you can now access. Am I missing something about this game?
I don't like to refer to the game with that term because it gives a inaccurate impression without context, but it kinda is one still. It has a huge interconnected world that encourages exploration by making it so you have to get accustomed to each area to stand a chance to survive all the cycles needed. It also has "skill gates" like Metroid except that instead of requiring certain abilities, they literally require you've proven you're skilled enough at the game to get through them.
A bit. The art style is alien and ruined industry. You're a stranger in a strange land, and you'd rather avoid combat. But it's much more freeform and emergent. AO and HOD have puzzles and missions, keys and locked doors. RW's only locked doors require you to survive a certain number of cycles. Survival (without dying) requires mastering your skill at controlling your slugcat, and figuring out the behaviour of the world and its creatures. As you progress through the game, the environment and the creatures get more hostile and demanding.
The powerup was within you all along :)
It gets called a mvania because it's a 2D platformer with exploration, combat and branching paths. But it's its own singular thing really.
Speaking as a 100% fan of the game, I'm not sure they succeeded in that latter goal. By making the world so expansive, with each region more interesting than the last, and by giving hints at a story/lore to uncover, they were going against the game's original design as a "prey simulator". If the aim of the game is to immerse yourself in the life of a slugcat, why is exploration rewarded? Why is there a quest and a path to follow? (and therefore a reason to get frustrated with being unable to progress in it). There was an excellent post on the devlog which made the same point, shortly after release. More_Badass can you remember? Might even have been you.
The "story" and the karma gates came late in the game's development, so it's amazing how well they mesh with the gameplay and themes, but there are a few disjoints. I think it would be a lesser game without the story, and would be even more punishing (what am I even surviving for?) but it would have been more pure, and the survival/immersion elements would have been the prime focus.
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OP
OP
On Twitter, Adult Swim shared a community written guide to your moveset. Very comprehensive with GIFs
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o3gouaiHsHT2H9d2HD5gDhgmoWwoL94gSFt7Ka1-vDk/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o3gouaiHsHT2H9d2HD5gDhgmoWwoL94gSFt7Ka1-vDk/edit
That's fair! I think I'd explain it in the following way --- your first playthrough requires that you are able to immerse yourself like this only until you have amassed enough karma to continue onwards; on your subsequent playthroughs, you are more clearly free to immerse yourself as much as you want. The flaw you describe, where the desire for progression and story on one side, and the "lifestyle immersion" goal on the other side, clash, certainly exists; but I struggle to think of a structure the game could have had, to solve this clash without severely impacting either factor. The story adds so much to the game's context and themes, that its removal would make the game worse; and on the flip-side, the story wouldn't have been half as powerful if I hadn't been made to inhabit the slugcat's lifestyle to such a large extent. In this sense and on this axis, I think the game is ~more or less~ the best it could have been; specifically, the story doesn't even start until some time after The Leg, meaning that it wouldn't really be the primary motivational factor for the player here. (Indeed, it's surprising that there even is a story.) You're right about the exploration focus, though; that's a big motivating factor all throughout.
I'd love to read that post you mention; could you let me know if you come across it again?
Brilliant, thank you! I'll enjoy going through the discussion of the karma system there.
It's definitely not perfect. There are sometimes pretty significant stutters of a second or more, usually when entering a new area or when there are a lot water effects on a screen. The stuttering hasn't messed me up or gotten me killed, but I'd imagine it could happen if it occurred at a bad time. I've also had it crash on me twice, once before the most recent patch and once after (although I had already died when it crashed the most recent time, but I'm always a bit on edge that I could randomly lose a bunch of progress for no reason).
The fact that they've already patched the game has me hopeful things will improve further though, and I'm enjoying the game a lot regardless, and it looks and feels very nice in handheld mode.