Support NeoGAF

[pa22word]

Crazy that it's even on by default - I guarantee that most reviewers didn't notice.

They probably weighed the odds that analog sticks would be too imprecise to handle the game without magnetism guiding some aspect of the gameplay, and that however imperfect the solution might be it tested better than just going no magnetism.

As for reviews not noticing: that's hardly surprising as I highly doubt many if any reviewers at the big sites understand what bullet magnetism even is much less that a game might be better with it removed. Most of them grew up playing shooters on a pad and not a mouse so the whole idea of bullet magnetism guiding ballistics is so ingrained into their minds and playhabits that they likely would have thrashed the game just the same for feeling off had it been missing.

 

[Vitor711]

They probably weighed the odds that analog sticks would be too imprecise to handle the game without magnetism guiding some aspect of the gameplay, and that however imperfect the solution might be it tested better than just going no magnetism.

As for reviews not noticing: that's hardly surprising as I highly doubt many if any reviewers at the big sites understand what bullet magnetism even is much less that a game might be better with it removed. Most of them grew up playing shooters on a pad and not a mouse so the whole idea of bullet magnetism guiding ballistics is so ingrained into their minds and playhabits that they likely would have thrashed the game just the same for feeling off had it been missing.

For shooters sure but usually games like Geometry Wars or anything by HouseMarque don't have this for the very reason that their projectiles generally aren't moving at actual bullet speeds. Can't imagine it would have felt worse than it currently does - I was shocked at how badly I was playing when games like this and Hotline Miami are very much my wheelhouse.

 

[drotahorror]

Turn off the soft lock then. I played with it on for about 15 mins before I reached the conclusion you did and canned it.

Shit this is something I complained about and didn't realize it was even an option. nice.

 

[Barrylad]

User curated Spotify playlist for the soundtrack. Not sure if it's complete/fully accurate as I'm still early in the game, but definitely lines up with what I've heard so far.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Any idea how long the game is for a first play through?

 

[Kvik]

Any idea how long the game is for a first play through?

Roughly 7 hours.

 

[sgtmofo]

I'm definitely enjoying my time with the game. Cannot praise the soundtrack enough, which somehow manages to be great, and yet still gets better with each passing level.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Enjoying the game so far but something about the shooting does feel a little off. Like the crosshair is too big or something. I won't lie and say I have exceptional aim in these games, but there have definitely been points where I've been shooting people dead on and felt like the bullets were going right through them. Idk, just weird when it feels like melee is the most reliable option in your twin stick shooter.

 

[Mikado]

Enjoying the game so far but something about the shooting does feel a little off.

Have you tried disabling the sticky targeting under Gameplay options as suggested by some previous posters? Even on M&K I feel like it was getting in the way and making it difficult to lead targets effectively. I was stuck on a particular arena yesterday; disabled the sticky target and cleared it in the first go tonight. Unless sticky targeting doesn't affect Mouse aim at all and I just spontaneously 'got gud' overnight in my sleep hah.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Have you tried disabling the sticky targeting under Gameplay options as suggested by some previous posters? Even on M&K I feel like it was getting in the way and making it difficult to lead targets effectively. I was stuck on a particular arena yesterday; disabled the sticky target and cleared it in the first go tonight. Unless sticky targeting doesn't affect Mouse aim at all and I just spontaneously 'got gud' overnight in my sleep hah.

I've had it turned off. It seems like the shots just have to be dead center and there isn't really much leeway to it. I get it wants to be hard but it's a little annoying to have the slowdown active and watch as your shots pass through an enemy's arms or something.

 

[anddo0]

This game has been a mess for me.

PC

- Audio bugs, the audio either fades to a low pitch or cuts off
-DS4 issues, this game was not made with DS4 in mind. I can't navigate the menu without it skipping tabs. I had to quit the tutorial because it wouldn't recognize the "Y" input.
-Instantly failing passcode tests because..... yeah the game just doesn't seem to be working with my DS4.
-Overall controls feel off with DS4

Hmm, should I buy this (PC) or Golf Story?

Golf Story for sure

 

[Crayon]

Okay I had to wait all week for the weekend to finally get here so I could give this game it's time. Downloading now.

 

[Crayon]

Wow this game. So I've played a bit. Just enough to to do the intro, look a little around the hub area, and go take care of the first mission after that.

It's not what I expected. I was thinking more like crusader all this time but the gameplay is more like robotron or smash tv.

I love Ubermosh and there are times when I wished Ubermosh was more than what it is. Ruiner is sort of like a fleshed out kind of Ubermosh.

Outstanding so far. Especially this soundtrack holy shit.

 

[Verder]

this art looks fucking amazing....


hows the game for people that are playing?

 

[RuinerPrime]

curious why its called Ruiner. I got my handle from the NIN song from the downward spiral album years ago, wonder if they did the same. Its the only place I've heard the word.

 

[Crayon]

curious why its called Ruiner. I got my handle from the NIN song from the downward spiral album, wonder if they did the same. Its the only place I've heard the word.

I remember that song.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

this art looks fucking amazing....


hows the game for people that are playing?

It's fun but it can get annoying cause it feels like everything the enemies do has invuln frames, with all their rolls, dashes, shields and shit making it feel like the guns aren't actually doing anything. More than a few engagements have ended with me giving up on the guns entirely in favor of the melee.

Today is my day off and I spent more time deciding if I wanted to soldier through to see if it's just a matter of practice or try to get a refund and try the game out when it's cheaper and possibly gotten tweaked a bit. Edit: and fwiw I really haven't had much issue with the difficulty so far so I'm not sure how much the former would help.

 

[TatteredHat]

I don't think this is the game for me, still stuck on that chainsaw boss and even after going down to normal diff I'm still getting wrecked.

Great presentation though.

 

[SENPAIatLARGE]

Dat hirasawa susumu track in the Rengkok hub.

 

[Crab Milk Mickey]

So, how do the Nex Machina junkies (MrS, Crab Milk Mickey, Hispanicguy...) feel about this one?

I'm interested in it, but I think I'll probably just be disappointed after coming off of one of my favorite twin sticks ever. (Plus, I'm already set for Cuphead!)

They're not particularly comparable in terms of execution, both in how they flow and what style they prioritize. Nex Machina is a score-hunting game through and through, whereas RUINER prioritizes differently in general regardless of there also being ranks on a per-arena basis. The action in itself is certainly competent and enjoyable on a surface level, but coming off of Nex Machina you might notice that RUINER's encounter design / pacing isn't as finely orchestrated when pitted against one another. Regardless of the gap in experience or shooter know-how showing however, it's still more than serviceable on its own and RUINER is very respectable for a debut title, since it does offer a strong foundation they could build upon in the future. I've had my fun learning what works on a case-to-case basis too, given the possible skill tree combinations and the need to figure out which strategies work more efficiently at which times (during replays / S+ fixating) due to the relentless nature of the combat.

Plus it spends some time building a narrative unlike Nex Machina, for what it's worth.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

I tried to play this as a shooter at first and it was hard as all hell but once I figured out it's a melee first game it became way easier. Still challenging but not frustrating like it was at first.

 

[Crayon]

I tried to play this as a shooter at first and it was hard as all hell but once I figured out it's a melee first game it became way easier. Still challenging but not frustrating like it was at first.

I'm finding a good balance between the shooting and the whacking.

This fuckin soundtrack....


Uh I hear some mention of something comparable called nex machina? Is there anything else I should look at it I love ruiner?

 

[TheDeftone]

I´m really enjoying the game. Shooting is fun, the special abilities somehow remind me of Vanquish and Transistor, the soundtrack is briliant and I like the RPG elements and the hub area.

 

[MrS]

curious why its called Ruiner. I got my handle from the NIN song from the downward spiral album years ago, wonder if they did the same. Its the only place I've heard the word.

The default gun is called Ruiner. Other than that I can't see any reason for the game to be called Ruiner.

Spoiler

I love that NIN song too though.

Beat it on normal yesterday, going to replay it on hard soon. Hope we can get a sequel or another game in the same world with different characters. I appreciate the effort Reikon put in to the story and world building (lack of voice acting notwithstanding). This is an impressive debut game from the studio. Hope it performs well for them commercially and finds an audience.

Uh I hear some mention of something comparable called nex machina? Is there anything else I should look at it I love ruiner?

It's nothing like Nex, really. Nex is a considerably better twin stick shooter. It's much closer to Alienation than Nex Machina imho.

 

[n0razi]

Im holding out for a physical release (even 3rd party like the Hyper Light Drifter one)... any rumors?

 

[Gitaroo]

Im holding out for a physical release (even 3rd party like the Hyper Light Drifter one)... any rumors?

Hope there more than just a physical release, also want artbook and vinyl.

 

[Speely]

How is the Steam Controller support? Is there an official configuration or will I have to set up my own/modify user configs?

 

[Hispanicguy]

Just beat it on Normal.

In game time says 4:46.

Love the art and the music. Didn't pay attention to the story, though.

It's a fun game, especially towards the end when you have all the skills unlocked.

You can kinda break the game, though, by using the stun grenades and the ability to recharge your energy just by shooting during combat.

Some bosses were just a matter of stun -> attack -> stun and repeating that process until they die. They won't get a hit in.

I may actually go for the platinum since I've enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

Other than twin stick, there's no other comparisons with Nex Machina. 2 totally different games.

 

[The Bookerman]

This game sorta reminds me of Bionic Commando Rearmed mixed with Diablo.
I like it a lot, but damn it's tough

 

[robotrock]

Im holding out for a physical release (even 3rd party like the Hyper Light Drifter one)... any rumors?

Special Reserve Games is almost definitely going to do one.

 

[Hispanicguy]

Not sure why I didn't trigger the "unlock all abilities" trophy. Everything was unlocked and I was max level.

Interesting that even though you max the level, you can still gain skill points when you beat a boss.

With enough grinding, you can essentially equip and max every ability? Unless I'm just bugging out lol.

Sucks there's no NG+ so you can play around with everything you unlocked. Then again, with level select, you can just go back and do so.

Question, for the trophy "beat the game on hard" can you just use level select, change the difficulty to hard and beat each one instead of starting a new game? That would make things much easier since you'll have everything. Something I was curious about.

 

[pa22word]

GOD MODE=ON

Beat game without dying

You know I normally don't really care much for the cheevo warrior plight at all, if anything I find it mostly kind of amusing, but damn...that is cold as fuck.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Finished RUINER on Friday. What a great game. Visually, a beautiful looking game overall with the only complaint being "too much red" at times but it's a minor complaint. Music and sound effects were awesome. I listened to the soundtrack yesterday and it's great. Effects were all good. Minimal at best voice acting but what's there is good. Would have loved the entire game to have voice acting. Gameplay is excellent once you get used to the controls. The L1 dash/multi-dash was my only complaint gameplay wise. Didn't like half of the skills but the few I used were good. Story was average at best but all the characters including the enemies were good. The boss fights were also good and fighting all the enemies never got repetitive or boring for me at all. Side quests were decent and easy. Completed on normal in under nine hours real time, not game listed time. And on a final note, a lot of stuff including a certain character reminded me of Snatcher. Shadowrun (snes) also popped into my head as well while playing but more Snatcher than Shadowrun. Enjoyed the game from beginning to end.

Graphics - 9/10 (excellent)
Music/Sound - 9/10 (excellent)
Gameplay - 9/10 (excellent)
Story/Characters - 7/10 (good)
Overall - 8.5/10 (great)

 

[Crayon]

Hitting people with a pipe is so fun I never knew.

 

[pa22word]

Hitting people with a pipe is so fun I never knew.

Never play hotline Miami I take it? xD

Pipe to the face > curb stomp + acid trip lens flare with miami disco playing in the background is something out of this world

 

[Crayon]

Never play hotline Miami I take it? xD

No I guess that's where I need to go after I finish ruiner. Maybe that can sate my new lust for pipe on skull.

 

[Screaming Meat]

No I guess that's where I need to go after I finish ruiner. Maybe that can sate my new lust for pipe on skull.

Oh, dude. You're in for a treat. It's a personal favourite. The bloodiest, speed-induced game of dot-to-dot you'll ever play.

 

[forgeforsaken]

Is there no new game+?

Seems like it would work well with one.

 

[Chronospherics]

Hi all - the game isn't hard, the shooting is fundamentally broken.

It has a soft lock that engages when you right stick aim to enemies. Helpful, right? Not at all actually - bullets are slow moving projectiles and enemies move. YOU CANNOT LEAD SHOTS.

When looking at mini-boss health, they actually go down super quick with a stream of damage. The issue is, most people will be aiming correctly and missing, making them seem like bullet sponges. Since you cannot lead your shots in this game by default, it's maddening and frankly a little broken.

Combined with off-screen enemies due to arenas that are slightly larger than your screen real estate and it's death by a thousand cuts.

Don't think this is as big of an issue as you're making it out to be. If you get into the flow of how to play, the game isn't too hard with this on or off. Most enemies don't strafe sideways that frequently, and the biggest trouble enemies give you tends to be from dashing, which soft lock does actually help you track.

For what it's worth, soft lock is also on by default on other shooters like Gungeon, and yes, it does stop you being able to lead targets, but again, not as huge of an issue as you're making it out to be.

 

[BPoole]

This game is really, really hard. I'm about 4 hours in and die 10-15 times on each boss. It's kind of refreshing that a dev has made an unapologetically difficult game

 

[Endo Punk]

Dat hirasawa susumu track in the Rengkok hub.

It really is amazing. I need the soundtrack.

 

[PooBone]

Finished the game and immediately started it up again. It's not perfect and I don't see myself playing it on Hard difficulty but shit is Ruiner a cool game.

 

[pa22word]

This game is really, really hard. I'm about 4 hours in and die 10-15 times on each boss. It's kind of refreshing that a dev has made an unapologetically difficult game

Yeah I love the shit out of it. I can't play it for more than an hour because it makes me want to take a sledgehammer to my rig, but due to the way encounters are set up it makes a perfect casual play an hour then go do something else type game.

 

[Chronospherics]

One thing that helped me with the game was stopping to try and play it like a traditional shooter.

When I first started playing I was trying to strafe, aim well, and dodge bullets, like you do in most arcade shooters, but this game isn't about that.

This in my opinion, best played by trying to stay in sub-real time, as long as possible, and making sure you're either instantly killing enemies as soon as they spawn, or turning the battle to your favour, using one of your abilities.

If you're ever fighting enemies in real time, then you messed up with your resource (dash and energy management). But provided you chain between slow motion dashes, and other abilities, you're basically invincible, and should be killing most enemies almost as soon as they enter the screen.

It gets pretty easy, playing it with that mindset. Bosses I faced tended to kill me once, or not at all, even on hard.

 

[Reedirect]

Is this 60fps on vanilla ps4? I didn't see it mentioned in the OP, but I could be blind.

Nope, not even remotely. In fact, it drops under 30 at times, which is absurd for a game like this.

 

[YoungOcelot]

This game looks brilliant, can't wait to play it sometime.

 

[Crayon]

Nope, not even remotely. In fact, it drops under 30 at times, which is absurd for a game like this.

Yes for me the performance is not bad or distracting, but not the least impressive, either.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Really struggling to fall 100% in love with this game.

Love the artstyle, and the graphics themselves are hyper clean at 1440p/60fps.

But, the difficulty is just all over the place. I'm about 2.5 hours in, and I'll S-Rank almost 90% of the mobs on my very first try... and then I'll get stuck on a part for 30 tries and give up.

Question about the

Spoiler

Nerve

boss on the

Spoiler

elevator

... I fundamentally don't understand that boss or how I beat it. 15 tries and I couldn't get him to 66% health - and then suddenly, I'm doing the EXACT same thing and I got him to 0.

What was I supposed to be doing? I got the "slow down time" skill and basically tried to stay in that as much as possible. Not taking damage from the falling fire was fine, as I could just telegraph my warp moves and working around them. But seriously, half the time I took damage - even in slow motion - I saw zero actual contact - hit detection seems REALLY wonky. Fortunately with the slow-down ability, you can see your bullets bouncing back on his shield and avoid those - without that skill, I can't help but think the whole damn boss would feel impossible.

PC peeps - you all playing with KB&M or a controller? I'm on KBM and thinking about switching...

 

[pa22word]

Nope, not even remotely. In fact, it drops under 30 at times, which is absurd for a game like this.

It runs on ue4 right? Not surprising as the engine purportedly has issues on amd.

 

[Chronospherics]

Really struggling to fall 100% in love with this game.

Love the artstyle, and the graphics themselves are hyper clean at 1440p/60fps.

But, the difficulty is just all over the place. I'm about 2.5 hours in, and I'll S-Rank almost 90% of the mobs on my very first try... and then I'll get stuck on a part for 30 tries and give up.

Question about the

Spoiler

Nerve

boss on the

Spoiler

elevator

... I fundamentally don't understand that boss or how I beat it. 15 tries and I couldn't get him to 66% health - and then suddenly, I'm doing the EXACT same thing and I got him to 0.

What was I supposed to be doing? I got the "slow down time" skill and basically tried to stay in that as much as possible. Not taking damage from the falling fire was fine, as I could just telegraph my warp moves and working around them. But seriously, half the time I took damage - even in slow motion - I saw zero actual contact - hit detection seems REALLY wonky. Fortunately with the slow-down ability, you can see your bullets bouncing back on his shield and avoid those - without that skill, I can't help but think the whole damn boss would feel impossible.

PC peeps - you all playing with KB&M or a controller? I'm on KBM and thinking about switching...

All I did was dash behind him, shoot him, dash behind him, shoot him, repeat. Slow down time, shoot him some more. Took two tries.

You don't even need to use your slow motion dash to escape the fires, you can just walk around the arena pretty casually.