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Pyre |OT| We Carry The Fire

B

BashNasty

Member
Hmmm, everything I'm hearing makes me really torn on this game.

I liked Bastion a lot, didn't like Transistor at all (which was a huge bummer as I was really anticipating it), and don't have any fondness whatsoever for visual novels. I'm very, very much a gameplay is above all else in video games sort of guy. Do the rites sections of the game play really, really well? Do they feel great? Are the graphics, story, world building and music actually all that?

I dunno, I feel like I probably wouldn't like this game, but I'd hate to miss it if I would.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
I've been practicing my ass off in the practice Rites against
Sandra
. If I can't beat her scrub ass team on hard consistently, I have no chance against mofo's in the actual Rites. So far I'm 1-1 (lost the first handily, barely won the 2nd) and I'll keep going at her till I have the controls down well enough to face off in the 5th Rite without embarrassing myself again.

I'm such a NBA Jam scrub.

BashNasty said:
Hmmm, everything I'm hearing makes me really torn on this game.

I liked Bastion a lot, didn't like Transistor at all (which was a huge bummer as I was really anticipating it), and don't have any fondness whatsoever for visual novels. I'm very, very much a gameplay is above all else in video games sort of guy. Do the rites sections of the game play really, really well? Do they feel great? Are the graphics, story, world building and music actually all that?

I dunno, I feel like I probably wouldn't like this game, but I'd hate to miss it if I would.
Click to expand...
I think it handles and plays excellently. And the graphics and story and music stuff are fucking great. Jen Zee's art is the stuff of legends, and the OST is amazing! You can always get it on Steam and get a refund if you're not feeling it, though I would wait until the 5th or 6th Rite to do that, because the first few are purposefully easy.
 
R

Ruff

Member
I'm buying this purely because I love everything the composer and singer puts out with this dev, and the art.

I don't even know much about the gameplay lmao.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
BashNasty said:
Hmmm, everything I'm hearing makes me really torn on this game.

I liked Bastion a lot, didn't like Transistor at all (which was a huge bummer as I was really anticipating it), and don't have any fondness whatsoever for visual novels. I'm very, very much a gameplay is above all else in video games sort of guy. Do the rites sections of the game play really, really well? Do they feel great? Are the graphics, story, world building and music actually all that?

I dunno, I feel like I probably wouldn't like this game, but I'd hate to miss it if I would.
Click to expand...
The gameplay is good enough that it could support a multiplayer only game with all the story and other stuff stripped out. It controls really well, and a prime example of depth from simplicity. The core foundation is pretty simple, but once you start layering on classes and abilities and stats and buffs and different variables that influence aura size and charge rates and respawn speeds and different arena layouts and hazards, there's a lot to consider and a lot of depth

As for the other stuff, the game is art in motion, the music is fantastic, the lore and world-building is compelling, the story and characters are well-written, likeable, and distinct.
 
S

Stoze

Member
What triggers the inspiration exp bonus? I thought it was sending characters into battle based on story events and recent choices involving them, but now I'm not sure.

The RPG gameplay elements and balance are really well done. I typically have to sit and think before placing my first skill point because each tree typically has really enticing stuff. Having your idle party members accumulate exp that doesn't activate until they are used in battle is a great way to incentivize picking new party members and mixing things up. Charms can significantly affect things, especially when leveled up, and only being able to pick three is becoming a tough choice.
 
P

pagrab

Member
You really lost me with Banner Saga comparisons, guys. I really disliked it. How is the story in Pyre? Is it more traditional storytelling like Bastion or full of vagueness, like Transistor?
 
P

pagrab

Member
More_Badass said:
What did you dislike about Banner Saga?
Click to expand...

Mostly the story and the general flow of the game. The writing was good, but I was bored to death for some reason. I guess that it was just too overarching - like a first chapter of a big fantasy saga, or something. Too many factions, characters etc.
I also disliked how slow the gameplay was.
 
X

Xeteh

Member
Stoze said:
What triggers the inspiration exp bonus? I thought it was sending characters into battle based on story events and recent choices involving them, but now I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

The characters that aren't participating in a rite get inspiration instead of enlightenment.
 
H

Hopeford

Member
Just found my favorite enemy team. Just got to the
Wyrm Knights. Goddamn it, their captain is adorable. Wait not captain, I mean the other guy. They were way easier to defeat than the witches though.

pagrab said:
Mostly the story and the general flow of the game. The writing was good, but I was bored to death for some reason. I guess that it was just too overarching - like a first chapter of a big fantasy saga, or something. Too many factions, characters etc.
I also disliked how slow the gameplay was.
Click to expand...

If nothing else, I can say that Pyre's gameplay is pretty fast. It starts out slow, but once it gets difficult it's a lot of "PASS PASS JUMP JUMP TRY MAKING PAST HIM AND RUN RUN RUN SHIT DIDN'T MAKE IT, REGROUP." As fort the plot, it's more intriguing than Banner Saga's in my opinion. I haven't seen where the plot is leading yet, but it's nice and I'm curious about the characters' backstories, which is more than I can say about Banner Saga's plot(which I enjoyed but could not name a character if you asked me now).
 
S

Stoze

Member
Xeteh said:
The characters that aren't participating in a rite get inspiration instead of enlightenment.
Click to expand...
Ah got it. I knew that idle characters built up potential exp to cash out upon using them, but I didn't realize it was called something else.
pagrab said:
You really lost me with Banner Saga comparisons, guys. I really disliked it. How is the story in Pyre? Is it more traditional storytelling like Bastion or full of vagueness, like Transistor?
Click to expand...
More traditional than either of those I'd say.
pagrab said:
Mostly the story and the general flow of the game. The writing was good, but I was bored to death for some reason. I guess that it was just too overarching - like a first chapter of a big fantasy saga, or something. Too many factions, characters etc.
I also disliked how slow the gameplay was.
Click to expand...
Then I think you could like this. The core loop is much faster, you don't spend a lot of time looking at the wagon traversing before a weighty decision or conversation hits, it has a brisk pace and throws a variety of stuff at you so you don't get bored. The atmosphere isn't remotely as bleak, Pyre is much more upbeat, even more so than Supergiant's other stuff I'd say. It shares nothing in common with the combat of Banner Saga, it's real-time and is like fantasy basketball.

There are a lot of characters and places referenced, but the game isn't written as the first of a trilogy, unlike Banner Saga.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
pagrab said:
Mostly the story and the general flow of the game. The writing was good, but I was bored to death for some reason. I guess that it was just too overarching - like a first chapter of a big fantasy saga, or something. Too many factions, characters etc.
I also disliked how slow the gameplay was.
Click to expand...
I will say that compared to the desperate apocalyptic misery and divided factions of Banner Saga, one of the refreshing aspects of Pyre is the camaraderie and companionship within your group.

As for the story and world, it starts off kind of slow, more focused on the journey and world-building to acclimate you to the lore and setting, but it's starting to pick up. I didn't particularly like Banner Saga's story or its approach to storytelling, but here, I want to meet everyone, learn about everyone, see everything. The world is a little Moebius, a little eldritch, a little whimsical otherworldly-ness and ruined fantasy. Far more unique than anything you ever encountered in Banner Saga

Also while the gameplay and story aspects seem divorced on the surface, they're actually very closely linked. Supergiant use gameplay and gameplay elements as a means of storytelling very well here.
 
G

Gyoru

Member
Just finished the game - Steam playtime says 12.5 hours. The credits song lyrics change depending on
the fate of each of your party members
.

There's also an epilogue that provides closure
for every party member and every NPC
.
 
H

Hopeford

Member
I'm seriously attached to this character, who shall now be my favorite character for the rest of the playthrough regardless of whether I like his playstyle or not. He's just too adorable.

Can't spoiler screenshots, so...

(Spoiler for party member)
http://i.imgur.com/q6U7v5y.png
 
T

TheCthultist

Member
Really excited/anxious about the multiplayer version of the Rites. So far I have yet to lose a single match on hard in the story and practice rites, but I can't imagine human players are going to be anywhere near as dumb as some of these AI teams have been. Ill jump in once the story is over I guess...
 
S

Stoze

Member
TheCthultist said:
Really excited/anxious about the multiplayer version of the Rites. So far I have yet to lose a single match on hard in the story and practice rites, but I can't imagine human players are going to be anywhere near as dumb as some of these AI teams have been. Ill jump in once the story is over I guess...
Click to expand...
It's local multiplayer only fyi.
 
C

ChosenPredator

Banned
lots of reading in this game but the actual gameplay part is addicting, it's one of those chills games (not saying its a bad story i don't mind it)
 
N

NightShift

Member
pagrab said:
Mostly the story and the general flow of the game. The writing was good, but I was bored to death for some reason. I guess that it was just too overarching - like a first chapter of a big fantasy saga, or something. Too many factions, characters etc.
I also disliked how slow the gameplay was.
Click to expand...
I felt the same about Banner Saga but Pyre so far is really engaging. The story is a more simple journey with much better pacing in terms of learning about the world and its characters. Both the story and gameplay is a lot faster too. Hope that means something to you.
 
D

Durrzerker

Banned
Hot damn, after you start you (early-mid game spoiler)
second set of rites
it picks up.


Still won my last two rites on the highest difficulty first try, but it's getting closer and closer. I'm winning with only 30-40 left now, instead of 100+.
 
J

Joeku

Member
Durrzerker said:
"Banner Saga meets NBA Jam" is the best description for Pyre I've heard
Click to expand...
I didn't even know how correct I was when I called it in the fifth post of the topic:
Joeku said:
Alright, The NBA Jammer Saga, let's do this.
Click to expand...
*dabs*
Hopeford said:
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS GAME.
Sir Gillman joined the party! YES. YES.
Click to expand...

Yep, I was all the way on board when that happened.
Gilman
gets shit done, immediately.
 
M

Mdk7

Member
I played the first hour or so yesterday, and despite my incommensurate love for Supergiant Games, I'm a bit torn on this one.
The aesthetics, the art direction, the animation and the atmosphere are, pretty much "as usual", jaw-dropping. I also like the novel part of it, it's something that contributes to the very peculiar feeling of Pyre.
The problem is really the gameplay and the rhythm, as far as I'm concerned: while I dig the weird combat system in Transistor I think that they pushed things a bit too far here, making decisions that seem sort of tailored to turn people (like many, many of them?) off.
Rites were, up to this point - I played 3 - simply never really that fun or satisfying, some mechanics were a bit cumbersome and I felt that the gameplay is not immediate and "catchy" enough for a sort of sports game. Also, it was simply way too easy to score and break the other team's actions.

I don't know, I'll definitely keep playing and I really adore some parts of it, yet up to this point I didn't really liked Pyre as much as I wanted to.
And to be 100% honest I don't think that building a full game around these mechanics was a stellar idea, as the gameplay is certainly... particular, at best.
 
S

Saint of Killers

Member
Loved Transistor. Found Bastion to be so-so. So far this is a long way behind Bastion. I'm still pretty early in the game (just reached a sea for the first time) and so I have hopes it's going turn around *somehow*, but the fantasy sport element is what I'm finding most compelling and I don't even like that all that much. And yet I still don't regret buying on launch and going into it blind, as it were, as I feel SgG deserves me paying full price for one of their games for once. (Mostly because I wish I'd bought Transistor at full price and on launch.)
 
G

Gunkankun

Member
Been trying to get the most challenging versus trophy but the game is stuttering pretty bad for me on PS4pro. Didnt have this during the campaign or other veesus matches. Anyone else getting this?
 
A

afreaknamedpete

Member
Alright, those poison pools in the swamp maps can go straight to hell. They act as bumpers, you can only jump over them like 50% of the time and they have these wonky hitboxes that kill you if you jump into them.
 
S

Saint of Killers

Member
afreaknamedpete said:
Alright, those poison pools in the swamp maps can go straight to hell. They act as bumpers, you can only jump over them like 50% of the time and they have these wonky hitboxes that kill you if you jump into them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, encountered those for the first time in my last match and wasn't a fan of them. I just avoided them all together or used the most nimble team member to double jump over 'em.
 
N

NightShift

Member
Oh wow. I'm passed the first
liberation
and the game gets much better. I already thought it was great before but now all my concerns regarding the difficulty are gone and it really opens up. I love this game so fucking much, not as much as Transistor, but it's getting close.
 
H

Hektor

Member
Damn, i really love how reactive the game is about everything, it even remarks in later dialogue wether your victory in a rite was close or not
 
Z

Zampano

Member
This game is polished as hell. Not a visual novel fan but it's all so pretty and unique. The rites gameplay is great too. Hope it gets a bit harder.
 
H

hydruxo

Member
Sir Gilman has got to be the best name + character design combo I've seen in a long time lmao. The hero we deserve.
 
Mossybrew

Mossybrew

Member
Only got in about an hour last night, but this game is so cool. Just has such a chill vibe, really looking forward to playing more.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
The game really opens up after
your first liberation rite. Opposing teams with talismans and masteries are no joke
.

I really like how good the writing is. I'd put up there with Sorcery, 80 Days, Sunless Sea as great recent entries to the IF/VN genres.
 
The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune

Member
I'm loving everything I'm hearing about this game, but I'm still finding it really hard to bite at this price. Maybe it's because I got Transistor when it was <$10 and Bastion for free thanks to PS+.

Anyway, how are the trophies? I have a bit of an obsession with them and got the plat for both Transistor & Bastion, maybe if they're easy to get that'll convince me to get it now.
 
F

Ferrio

Banned
Spoiler about the first character you recruit in the beginning:

I'm annoyed they let me pick her name, but the announcer is saying "Jae" in the Rites introduction. Why did you even give me the choice then?
 
R

Ravelle

Member
Ferrio said:
Spoiler about the first character you recruit in the beginning:

I'm annoyed they let me pick her name, but the announcer is saying "Jae" in the Rites introduction. Why did you even give me the choice then?
Click to expand...

What did you call her? He's saying the correct name in my introductions.
 
S

sackboy2197

Member
Ferrio said:
Spoiler about the first character you recruit in the beginning:

I'm annoyed they let me pick her name, but the announcer is saying "Jae" in the Rites introduction. Why did you even give me the choice then?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it says Tae for me, I'll pay more attention to it next time.
 
S

Stoze

Member
Ferrio said:
Spoiler about the first character you recruit in the beginning:

I'm annoyed they let me pick her name, but the announcer is saying "Jae" in the Rites introduction. Why did you even give me the choice then?
Click to expand...
He does say whatever name you chose, either you're hearing it wrong or they accidentally put in the wrong lines for that one.

I named her Rhae and the announcer definitely says that.
 
E

erragal

Member
For being a purgatory/exile setup there's no stakes. Art without suffering is simply artifice. Everything is pretty, shiny, and somewhat empty. I definitely understand how people can enjoy this game but going from Shadowrun:Dragonfall to this and having many of the reviews call it a ' good ' story shows the low bar games still are allowed to achieve for narrative construction. People just need to hire actual writers that have read books. It sounds harsh, but there's nothing literary about the copy in this game. It is written for children. (Yes games can be for children, but they aren't just for them anymore.) If the reviews had been direct about this part of the writing I wouldn't have pulled the trigger at all.

From a gameplay mechanics standpoint for all the attempted innovation it's still a weird permutation of handball with stationary teammates. Given how static and menu driven most of the game is one would expect a more dynamic/free flowing gameplay experience. I appreciate the attempt but there's a reason EA couldn't even put out a basketball game for a full generation. That's not something a tiny dev has the resources to do.

I completely understand why some people love this dev's games, from a pure artistic imagination standpoint they pull their weight. Unfortunately after my third attempt trying their games, I simply believe the stylistic inspiration far outstrips the actual completed product. I went back and forth on actually posting this as I often am reluctant to be unnecessarily critical (there's plenty of that) but I believe they're rational observations that if taken seriously could improve the finished product in their next game.

Hope everyone is enjoying the game though and doesn't take my criticism too emotionally
 
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