Support NeoGAF

[Fakeknowledge]

Is the drainage system the best bet after the outskirts dya think? Just got there but drowned looking for shelter, also learned you can drown.

Learned you can use thrown sticks that are stuck in walls as platforms too, that'll be useful.

 

[KCroxtonJr]

So what's the general consensus of this game around here?

I read some reviews and they were all bashing ot pretty hard.

Destructoid said it controls super clunky and unresponsive, etc.

Is that true?

I wouldn't say it's super clunky and unresponsive, but I have felt like slugcat didn't behave as expected occasionally.

I just played through Hollow Knight last month, and this feels a bit more weighty and less tight than I'm used to. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a bad thing though (at least not yet), just different.

 

[Coriolanus]

I need to play Pathologic to destress

This is a seriously underrated joke.

Yeah, RW seems quite close to the Ice Pick Lodge school of game design.

 

[Danielsan]

So what's the general consensus of this game around here?

I read some reviews and they were all bashing ot pretty hard.

Destructoid said it controls super clunky and unresponsive, etc.

Is that true?

I disagree with the remarks in reviews regarding the controls.Though I will say that I had one or two instances where the procedural animation caused Slugcat not to go up a chute.

 

[spineduke]

So, the ranking system allows some routes to open up? How can you tell which routes are blocked off ? I noticed a lot of inactive pipes, but there's no marking as far as I can tell.

 

[Crispy75]

So, the ranking system allows some routes to open up? How can you tell which routes are blocked off ? I noticed a lot of inactive pipes, but there's no marking as far as I can tell.

The "gated" routes are *very* obvious. When you find one, you'll know.

Eurogamer review:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-03-29-rain-world-review

Familiar themes:

Rain World, for all its stark beauty, feels overly punitive. As such, the audience who will view its impositions as a welcome challenge rather than a grim deterrent will be small.

 

[Danielsan]

I'm only 3 hours in, but so far passages that are gated by rank are clearly marked by rank symbols. If your rank is too low they'll light up red. Getting the gate to open might be a bit weird though. You seem have to stand right next to the gate. So in some cases you have jump across a chasm in order to stand right next to a closed gate, which then will open up for you if your rank is high enough.

 

[Turin Turambar]

This is a seriously underrated joke.

Yeah, RW seems quite close to the Ice Pick Lodge school of game design.

Heh heh I got it.
And yeah when I see a game like this I usually think of the Russian school of design (Pathologic, The Void, 7.62mm, Stalker, and others).

 

[YianGaruga]

I've definitely encountered situations where the controls were my worst enemy. I'm pretty sure everyone will have situations like that every now and then.

If you thought controls on land were a bit iffy, underwater controls will make you throw your controller. Also you can't see shit underwater

 

[Crispy75]

So in some cases you have jump across a chasm in order to stand right next to a closed gate

That's not a chasm (if you men in the same room as the gate)

 

[B-B-Bomba!]

I think it depends on the player. I've been playing it using analog sticks and I've had zero issues with the controls.

Fair enough, of course it's a relative thing. For myself I couldn't imagine making the sharp changes necessary (I'm thinking in relation to climbing on sticks as a key example, but it informs the whole experience) by traveling a stick all the way from bottom to top. It just struck me as unpleasantly loose and sloppy. On the other hand, certain actions do feel nicer with a stick I think.

Devs, any plans for a dedicated peripheral?

 

[Danielsan]

That's not a chasm (if you men in the same room as the gate)

English not being my first language, perhaps chasm is the wrong word. But I'm fairly sure going through the gates from the Outskirts to

Spoiler

the Industrial Zone

involve some gaps in the ground.

 

[More_Badass]

Oh wow, really? I've been going for their heads! Existing game logic just doesn't apply, does it? And it makes perfect sense given the feedback of sticks bouncing hard off their heads, and when you consider the flexibility of their bodies ..

Yeah, it'll stun them for a few moments or get you free from a tongue, but effective damage needs to be body shots

 

[jett]

Goddamn it. Had a decent platforming run in the "third area", you even had to use a stick of your own as a platform to advance, which I fortunately was carrying around! My run was ended by a stealth lizard with a ridiculous tongue reach that was blocking the only possible route for progress.

This game is bullshit.

 

[YianGaruga]

Despite my negative comments I keep thinking about the game and want to go back to it. Just maybe not today... or tomorrow. But I will

It's less that I'm curious about the exploration and creatues but more that I don't want the game to win. I WILL learn and I WILL beat it. At some point in the future.

But it's definitely very far away from something I would call "fun".


For now I'll play Horizon on very hard and kill machines 30 times my size. That's relaxing compared to Rain World.

 

[Minordeth]

So what's the general consensus of this game around here?

I read some reviews and they were all bashing ot pretty hard.

Destructoid said it controls super clunky and unresponsive, etc.

Is that true?

I think the procedural animation is more finicky using the analogue stick. Given that it was developed for keyboard controls, the Dpad works rather well. I can count on one hand the number of times I got killed by jank.

There is a definite learning curve for how it works, though. And the karma system is unforgiving.

Play it like you would with the mindset of being a small animal. No, really. All of the times I have died randomly are because I over extended myself, going into a door without waiting a moment to see if anything would come through, walking into unknown areas letting something bigger hear me, etc.

It can absolutely be tedious, and it absolutely subverts some gaming conventions. If you are on the fence, wait to see more impressions. Those of us who are playing now are all slowly going to learn more and get better, so feel free to wait and use that knowledge, much like how say, crows share knowledge about tools and areas they inhabit.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

ugh i want to buy it, but it's probably too hard for me and that will leave a bad first impression on me :/

 

[bosseye]

Really looking forward to playing some more - I might start again, I'm not very far in and I might take a bit more time to think about where to go and what I'm doing, I've been a bit rushing at things I think.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

I think this game will be a cult classic after a while.

Those slow down berries are a god send.during hard jumping moments

Can i teleport between the nests or barrows? What's the key.

There's a bit of RNG with those lizard placements.

It's just super non conventional in that you keep asking "where's my upgrade??" And all you got is a stick. It doesn't really reward the player at often if at all and makes you wonder "what the heck am.i even doing".

 

[YianGaruga]

Can i teleport between the nests or barrows? What's the key.
.

I was able to do it once. No idea how or why

 

[More_Badass]

I think this game will be a cult classic after a while.

Those slow down berries are a god send.during hard jumping moments

Can i teleport between the nests or barrows? What's the key.

There's a bit of RNG with those lizard placements.

It's just super non conventional in that you keep asking "where's my upgrade??" And all you got is a stick. It doesn't really reward the player at often if at all and makes you wonder "what the heck am.i even doing".

That's exactly what they were going for. Even said it in a recent interview, how they wanted to subvert the typical Metroidvania formula where you start weak and vulnerable but you get stronger and more powerful.

Here, you start as prey, close to the bottom of the food chain, and you're always prey. A "de-empowerment fantasy"

 

[RiggyRob]

Played the first 20 minutes or so of this as a quicklook and I'm impressed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC8at0pH9G0

I said it on Reddit, but I'm glad this and Night In The Woods have both had successful Kickstarters and launches, makes me feel proud in a way!

 

[Mandelbo]

For all I've complained about the game over the last day, it's very good at creating a sense of tension and dread. I just had my first mad dash for a shelter that I also managed to survive!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlN_3ubxeME

I think perhaps my favourite part of this is around 1:15 in, where I entered the room with a lizard right by the entrance - but rather than stopping to try and attack me, it passes me by and leaves the room, since it's trying to escape the rain just like I am. The way the sound of the rain abruptly cuts out as soon as I enter the shelter is really cool too as a way of releasing the tension.

Now I'm at the

Spoiler

Shaded Citadel, which looks outstanding by the way,

and have just encountered two shelters within a couple of rooms of each other

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Played the first 20 minutes or so of this as a quicklook and I'm impressed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC8at0pH9G0

I said it on Reddit, but I'm glad this and Night In The Woods have both had successful Kickstarters and launches, makes me feel proud in a way!

"oh you can charge your jump" *proceeds to fall face first down rather than jump*. that bit was hilarious.

 

[Minordeth]

Possible exploit, but I've figured out you can move faster than walking if you first crouch, then tap X as you go forward. It puts slug cat in kind of a weird, janky hop movement, but I went from being about the same speed as a green lizard, to being able to easily outrun them. It makes ground level encounters a little less stressful since you are able to "bunny hop" or whatever faster than the other creatures and transitions well from high jumps if you need to escape.

 

[RiggyRob]

"oh you can charge your jump" *proceeds to fall face first down rather than jump*. that bit was hilarious.

Yeah, I thought it was weird it didn't go so far! To be fair when you're getting chased by lizard predators I don't think you actually have time to charge the jump.

 

[More_Badass]

For all I've complained about the game over the last day, it's very good at creating a sense of tension and dread. I just had my first mad dash for a shelter that I also managed to survive!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlN_3ubxeME

I think perhaps my favourite part of this is around 1:15 in, where I entered the room with a lizard right by the entrance - but rather than stopping to try and attack me, it passes me by and leaves the room, since it's trying to escape the rain just like I am. The way the sound of the rain abruptly cuts out as soon as I enter the shelter is really cool too as a way of releasing the tension.

Now I'm at the

Spoiler

Shaded Citadel, which looks outstanding by the way,

and have just encountered two shelters within a couple of rooms of each other

Going outside and seeing the rain battering the open like that really sells the whole "killer rain cycle" concept IMO. It really feels like nothing can survive that

Oh, btw, when you're in vertical pipes, you can jump down to drop straight to the bottom

 

[Gbraga]

Despite my negative comments I keep thinking about the game and want to go back to it. Just maybe not today... or tomorrow. But I will

It's less that I'm curious about the exploration and creatues but more that I don't want the game to win. I WILL learn and I WILL beat it. At some point in the future.

But it's definitely very far away from something I would call "fun".

Honestly, this sounds like a very interesting set of emotions to have while playing. Sounds fun to me, haha.

 

[Danielsan]

All I've been doing today is thinking about this game. Really can't wait to get back home and carry on playing. Just saw another review, 4/10 by Metro.co.uk. Such a pity to see all these reviews that seem unnecessarily harsh to me, which is ironic given that that tends to be the main criticism of the game. I fully understand that the game is very niche due to how challenging it is, but that doesn't make it a bad game.

 

[Mandelbo]

Going outside and seeing the rain battering the open like that really sells the whole "killer rain cycle" concept IMO. It really feels like nothing can survive that

Oh, btw, when you're in vertical pipes, you can jump down to drop straight to the bottom

I know, it's definitely an "oh shit" moment when you step outside and see the rain pelting down full blast.

Even if I'd known that trick in advance, I probably wouldn't have remembered to do it - I was panicking too much! xD

 

[Crispy75]

Integrating dens with gates would really help the sting of dying in a new region before finding somewhere to sleep

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Fucking drainage system arghhh. What can you do Vs leeches

 

[jett]

I give up on this game. This is the most random game I've ever played. Enemy spawn is pure RNG. I cannot deal with this. Will come back if big changes are made.

 

[danowat]

I give up on this game. This is the most random game I've ever played. Enemy spawn is pure RNG. I cannot deal with this. Will come back if big changes are made.

Can't be any worse than Tharsis, can it?, that game was like sticking pins in your eyes.

 

[More_Badass]

Fucking drainage system arghhh. What can you do Vs leeches

Have you encountered anything that might stun things momentarily?

Also a tip about swimming. The little boost drains your breath faster, swimming smoothly and slowly lets you swim farther.

Can't be any worse than Tharsis, can it?, that game was like sticking pins in your eyes.

Not even close. Being slow and cautious makes this game much more manageable.

 

[AESplusF]

This situation is kinda frustrating because as far aesthetic goes I am completely in love with this game, if they were to just include an easy mode of some kind the reviews would have gone so much better I'm sure.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Man some of these runs from the barrow give me that dark souls moment.

That feel when you finally find a new sleep chamber and you got no food

 

[RiggyRob]

All I've been doing today is thinking about this game. Really can't wait to get back home and carry on playing. Just saw another review, 4/10 by Metro.co.uk. Such a pity to see all these reviews that seem unnecessarily harsh to me, which is ironic given that that tends to be the main criticism of the game. I fully understand that the game is very niche due to how challenging it is, but that doesn't make it a bad game.

I've read three different reviews, and they ALL compared it to Dark Souls in some way. Is it just me, or does Dark Souls not even enter the conversation when you're thinking of a survival-metroidvania game?

Edit: I guess not! ^

 

[More_Badass]

I've read three different reviews, and they ALL compared it to Dark Souls in some way. Is it just me, or does Dark Souls not even enter the conversation when you're thinking of a survival-metroidvania game?

Edit: I guess not! ^

From the old thread (and even more so now that I've played it)

I haven't played the final game yet, but I'm going to make a dreaded Dark Souls analogy here. From what I've seen and played of earlier builds, the idea here is the same mindset that devs in Dark Souls want you to have, that "is it better to press on or play it safe and return to a bonfire?" thought process. Risk versus reward, while here also encouraging you to not be reckless and to learn the rules of the world.

That Dark Souls analogy is so true, and I even have a bit like that on my review

The frustrating part of losing progress is that sometimes there is little you can do to avoid death. It happened to me twice to get out of a tunnel and bam be eaten right away. But thats also a remider of how incredibly alive and aware this world is.

And that also means that you might be in a run with the mindset to advance areas, but then you lose your survivor rank and you have to rebuild that all over again

As I said before, its brutal but still fair and addictive

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Currently at 61-65 on Metacritic. I get the feeling that in a few years, this is going to be looked upon as one of the most blatant example of cult classic of all time.

 

[Granjinha]

I'm quite surprised none of the reviews mention lore stuff. Did any of them finish the game? It has fantastic narrative moments and world building.

Weird that no one mentions it.

Currently at 61-65 on Metacritic. I get the feeling that in a few years, this is going to be looked upon as one of the most blatant example of cult classic of all time.

I'm just hoping it sells wells. It really deserves it.

 

[More_Badass]

I'm quite surprised none of the reviews mention lore stuff. Did any of them finish the game? It has fantastic narrative moments and world building.

Weird that no one mentions it.



I'm just hoping it sells wells. It really deserves it.

Some here have said it seemed like a few reviews only played a few hours

 

[Granjinha]

Some here have said it seemed like a few reviews only played a few hours

Yeah. A shame.

It has one of the most remarkable endings i have ever seen in a game.

 

[red731]

I'm just hoping it sells wells. It really deserves it.

I was looking forward to this for a long time, but this being compared to IWTBTG cemented me to wait.

Living for fun, not frustration. DS/Bloodborne is frustrating fun with paterns you can learn at least and champion them

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Finally got out of the sewers now I'm.in the garbage or something.... Ooh look tentacles.

I noticed those Zulu warrior guys with the spears are easy to mug

 

[Granjinha]

. DS/Bloodborne is frustrating fun with paterns you can learn at least and champion them

Rain World too.

Finally got out of the sewers now I'm.in the garbage or something.... Ooh look tentacles.

I noticed those Zulu warrior guys with the spears are easy to mug

Garbage Wastes. Great area.

 

[AESplusF]

DS/Bloodborne is frustrating fun with paterns you can learn at least and champion them

The same thing goes for Rain World.

 

[More_Badass]

I was looking forward to this for a long time, but this being compared to IWTBTG cemented me to wait.

Living for fun, not frustration. DS/Bloodborne is frustrating fun with paterns you can learn at least and champion them

That's what Rain World is too. The creatures may roam, giving the world an unpredictable/emergent element, but the rules of the world and interactions are consistent and meant to be learned

 

[YianGaruga]

Finally got out of the sewers now I'm.in the garbage or something.... Ooh look tentacles.

I noticed those Zulu warrior guys with the spears are easy to mug

I took the same path... I feel your pain

 

[red731]

That's what Rain World is too. The creatures may roam, giving the world an unpredictable/emergent element, but the rules of the world and interactions are consistent and meant to be learned

All righty then. Will still wai a little but thank you for the info bolded.