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Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Import Impressions Thread

H

Hasemo

(；・∀・)ﾊｯ?
Oreshika 2 is out in Japan and since no one bothered to make a thread for impressions, I've decided to do it.
First and foremost, the visuals are stunning. Sadly, it sometimes comes at the expense of the framerate, which often drops significantly during bigger magical attacks etc. Still, if anyone has played the first demo and was put off by that, let me say that the second demo and the full version are vastly improved in that regard. Hardly a dealbreaker.
The story follows members of a cursed family who want to break the spell which makes them live for only 2 years and is passed on all their children. I haven't gotten very far, but the crazy npcs are so good that I want to keep playing just to know what will happen next.
The basic gameplay is fairly simple - you start in your home where you can do basic things like buying new equipment, mating with gods to make new children etc. When you're done you go on a one month long escapades to local dungeons, which usually have a simple target which you set yourself - get a new skill/kill X enemies etc. After a while you get an access to a ship and can travel to far away countries, most of which are just countries of other players, since your starting map layout is random.
From what I understand, your main purpose is to train your characters for a few months, wait for a festival during which you can meet the main antagonist, fight with him and repeat the cycle. At least that how it is right now, but I've just finished my 2nd year.
I'll update this post later with some of my screenshots. Which reminds me - the game allows you to post screenshots straight to social sites like twitter etc. There's even an edit mode, although I haven't used it yet.

Edit: Some screenshots.
OESOgYr.jpg
Juj3LCV.jpg

PlGMQSx.jpg
JIlaTqG.jpg

nirjlEu.jpg
Click to expand...
 
A

Abdiel

Member
Hasemo said:
Oreshika 2 is out in Japan and since no one bothered to make a thread for impressions, I've decided to do it.
First and foremost, the visuals are stunning. Sadly, it sometimes comes at the expense of the framerate, which often drops significantly during bigger magical attacks etc. Still, if anyone has played the first demo and was put off by that, let me say that the second demo and the full version are vastly improved in that regard. Hardly a dealbreaker.
The story follows members of a cursed family who want to break the spell which makes them live for only 2 years and is passed on all their children. I haven't gotten very far, but the crazy npcs are so good that I want to keep playing just to know what will happen next.
The basic gameplay is fairly simple - you start in your home where you can do basic things like buying new equipment, mating with gods to make new children etc. When you're done you go on a one month long escapades to local dungeons, which usually have a simple target which you set yourself - get a new skill/kill X enemies etc. After a while you get an access to a ship and can travel to far away countries, most of which are just countries of other players, since your starting map layout is random.
From what I understand, your main purpose is to train your characters for a few months, wait for a festival during which you can meet the main antagonist, fight with him and repeat the cycle. At least that how it is right now, but I've just finished my 2nd year.
I'll update this post later with some of my screenshots. Which reminds me - the game allows you to post screenshots straight to social sites like twitter etc. There's even an edit mode, although I haven't used it yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this! I've had my eye on the game since it was announced, and I'm really eager to get my hands on it. This, Freedom Wars and Tales of Hearts R will give my Vita even more good stuff to play on with physical copies, and I'm getting SOA: Hollow Fragment digitally next month.
 
S

Sinople

Member
Still waiting for my copy... damn amazon ><
Regarding the genre, it's an RPG but I like to call it a "Japanese feudal clan simulator with dungeon crawling".
From what I've played of the demo and what I expect from the designer/scenario writer, the writing is really good with an healthy dose of craziness and unexpectedness (is that a word?), which is something I really appreciate nowadays.

Edit: Thanks for the thread!
 
T

Takao

Banned
During the trailers I've noticed that the game has a weird HUD with a camera on the bottom right. Can you remove that?
 
J

jzbluz

Member
Thanks for starting this thread; I'm looking forward to hearing further impressions. I can't wait for the English version, unfortunately signs points it to coming out next year.
 
A

ATXAlchemy

Member
Hasemo said:
Oreshika 2 is out in Japan and since no one bothered to make a thread for impressions, I've decided to do it.
First and foremost, the visuals are stunning.
Click to expand...

Oh crap. Japan, please stop releasing games so fast. My income can't keep up.

Did they do something about the colors?

For some reason, the first demo (and PVs) were bothering me with their color. I played the latest demo yesterday and it was fine.
 
B

baekshi

Banned
Takao said:
During the trailers I've noticed that the game has a weird HUD with a camera on the bottom right. Can you remove that?
Click to expand...

This was in the demo also, AFAIK I don't think so. I couldn't take screenshot using Start + PS Button so that is the only way to do so (it also lets you share on twitter right from there)
 
M

mellan_Konsten

Member
how is the battle system, deep/casual/somewhere in between?

Does it feel like a high budget game besides the visuals, grind heavy is it?

can you elaborate on how the questing works, the way you discribe it makes it soud like MMO quest-quality (kill X amount of enemy Y). The most important things with an RPG IMO is story>characters>world>systems. what would you say is the best and worst things with the game this far?

BTW thank you for making the thread :)
 
2

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
I guess it's time to use the Japanese account to try the demo. :)

mellan_Konsten said:
how is the battle system, deep/casual/somewhere in between?

Does it feel like a high budget game besides the visuals, grind heavy is it?

can you elaborate on how the questing works, the way you discribe it makes it soud like MMO quest-quality (kill X amount of enemy Y). The most important things with an RPG IMO is story>characters>world>systems. what would you say is the best and worst things with the game this far?

BTW thank you for making the thread :)
Click to expand...

For me it's overall gameplay >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> characters > everything else, but the world is beautiful because is varied right? :)
 
M

mellan_Konsten

Member
2+2=5 said:
I guess it's time to use the Japanese account to try the demo. :)
Click to expand...

I did that for both ss, ssd and FW but for some reason it made the time until release longer ;)

I also find it harder with an RPG just because the text is so much more important.. still no relasedate for the west though.. decisions.
 
A

Ahegao

Banned
Not very interested in this game because absolutely everything about this looks exactly like the first one. I enjoyed the first game but...I think I'm good.
 
S

Sinople

Member
My copy arrived at last.
It's really addictive. I've played for 3 hours straight yesterday night without realizing it. You can feel they've spent a good amount of time making sure the mechanics are polished. I'll not explain them for now because there's a lot and they can be complex.

To answer some questions, the battle system can definitely be deep. On higher difficulty level, you can get one-shotted if you're careless. On the other hand, it's not that hard if you know what you're doing.
The most important part, though, is how you plan your schedule (training, exploration...) and who you'll mate with, which is crucial if you want your characters' stats to grow the way you want.
There's no quests per se, but monthly objectives you determine yourself and that you can totally ignore if you wish. I don't know if there's any merit in completing them.

I'm not as enthusiast as other posters about how the game looks but there are some nice scenes, and it runs definitely better than the first demo.

The one complaint I can see people not familiar with the series having is how repetitive the game can be, what with doing the same dungeons and fighting the same bosses several times.
But that's easily avoidable if you're not obsessed about finding everything by choosing the "easiest" (but not really) difficulty. The game offers multiple difficulty options that are not really about difficulty but how long you want to play (from 20~30 to 100+ hours).
There're also shortcuts to unlock in dungeon to speed up the process.

Ahegao said:
Not very interested in this game because absolutely everything about this looks exactly like the first one. I enjoyed the first game but...I think I'm good.
Click to expand...

That was my fear too. I can't say it's much different after 6 or so hours but there's enough new additions for me. Plus I expect some twists here and there to keep things fresh. Try the demo if you can.
 
S

SatelliteOfLove

Member
Sinople said:
My copy arrived at last.
It's really addictive. I've played for 3 hours straight yesterday night without realizing it. You can feel they've spent a good amount of time making sure the mechanics are polished. I'll not explain them for now because there's a lot and they can be complex.

To answer some questions, the battle system can definitely be deep. On higher difficulty level, you can get one-shotted if you're careless. On the other hand, it's not that hard if you know what you're doing.
The most important part, though, is how you plan your schedule (training, exploration...) and who you'll mate with, which is crucial if you want your characters' stats to grow the way you want.
There's no quests per se, but monthly objectives you determine yourself and that you can totally ignore if you wish. I don't know if there's any merit in completing them.

I'm not as enthusiast as other posters about how the game looks but there are some nice scenes, and it runs definitely better than the first demo.

The one complaint I can see people not familiar with the series having is how repetitive the game can be, what with doing the same dungeons and fighting the same bosses several times.
But that's easily avoidable if you're not obsessed about finding everything by choosing the "easiest" (but not really) difficulty. The game offers multiple difficulty options that are not really about difficulty but how long you want to play (from 20~30 to 100+ hours).
There're also shortcuts to unlock in dungeon to speed up the process.



That was my fear too. I can't say it's much different after 6 or so hours but there's enough new additions for me. Plus I expect some twists here and there to keep things fresh. Try the demo if you can.
Click to expand...

Interesting...I like creative (read: good) difficulty modes like that.
 
F

flatearthpandas

Member
Hasemo said:
From what I understand, your main purpose is to train your characters for a few months, wait for a festival during which you can meet the main antagonist, fight with him and repeat the cycle.
Click to expand...
Does it feel as monotonous as it sounds?
Is fanservice kept in check? You mentioned countries are randomly generated, are the dungeons as well?
 
S

Sinople

Member
Looks like we're only 2 playing it after all. That's a shame considering the quality of the game and the pedigree of its designer. Oh well...

I don't have much time to play so I'm still at the beginning but I'll try to answer questions.

Arzehn said:
Are there any online features? Leaderboards or interactions of some sort with other players?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can visit other players' "country" to do shopping in their city, challenge them to a duel, mate with their characters instead of divinities or enter the dungeons in their territory. There are only two dungeons in your home country so travels are required. There are generic NPC countries if you can't play online.

shampoowarrior said:
Does it feel as monotonous as it sounds?
Is fanservice kept in check? You mentioned countries are randomly generated, are the dungeons as well?
Click to expand...

It can feel repetitive but you can rush through it, though there's a real joy in observing your clan develop over time.
Fan service is kept in check but not absent. A couple of divinities have some "interesting" outfits but nothing too off-putting IMO.
Dungeons aren't randomly generated (thanks god) but the two dungeons you start with are randoms. I don't know how many dungeons there are but I imagine somewhere around 8 to 10. They're pretty long, divided in 3 parts each.

ATXAlchemy said:
Is this a new thing or was this in Oreshika? I dropped a few hours in the first game and I don't think I encountered any shortcuts.
Click to expand...

I don't remember well but I'm almost certain there were shortcuts in the first, once you access to the higher level parts of the dungeons.
 
F

flatearthpandas

Member
Sinople said:
It can feel repetitive but you can rush through it, though there's a real joy in observing your clan develop over time.
Fan service is kept in check but not absent. A couple of divinities have some "interesting" outfits but nothing too off-putting IMO.
Dungeons aren't randomly generated (thanks god) but the two dungeons you start with are randoms. I don't know how many dungeons there are but I imagine somewhere around 8 to 10. They're pretty long, divided in 3 parts each.
Click to expand...
That's actually very reassuring. Thanks for the response. Will give this some serious consideration when it his the west
 
W

warningjab

Member
Sinople said:
Looks like we're only 2 playing it after all. That's a shame considering the quality of the game and the pedigree of its designer. Oh well...
Click to expand...

Got mine yesterday and just started playing today. Close to finishing the first year and it's pretty fun so far !
 
H

hoggert

Member
I hate to ask this as it's spurred on by a clickbaity Siliconera article about the Amazon review bombing: how intrusive is Nueko in the family management? Wondering how much is simply a question of taste and how much is 2ch mouth breathers group overreacting to a slight annoyance at worst. From what I've read elsewhere, it sounds more of the latter if anything but it was enough to concern me.
 
S

Sinople

Member
hoggert said:
I hate to ask this as it's spurred on by a clickbaity Siliconera article about the Amazon review bombing: how intrusive is Nueko in the family management? Wondering how much is simply a question of taste and how much is 2ch mouth breathers group overreacting to a slight annoyance at worst. From what I've read elsewhere, it sounds more of the latter if anything but it was enough to concern me.
Click to expand...

There are two problems with her: one on a story level and one on a system level.

On the story front, to put it simply, she's stealing the spotlight. The story in this one seems to revolve around her and the antagonist's past, resulting in the clan and its struggle taking the backseat. Now it was more or less the same in the first game, where Kitsuto was the main character all things considered, it's just a little less hidden in this one.
This point's totally subjective at the end of the day, some prefer it this way, some don't and make sure everyone knows their opinion.

On the system front, yes it can be annoying. She's required for story boss fights, meaning you have to recruit her (which wastes "offering" points normally used to mate with divinities), then you have to train her (she takes the place of one of your characters). Basically she can screw how you planned your schedule. It's nothing you can't handle though, as long as you keep those requirements in mind and show a little flexibility in your planning. Furthermore, those problems have been officially acknowledged and a patch is more than likely on the way (and I assume included day one on international releases).

I'm actually a little upset at the Amazon reviews that acknowledge the game is good but rate it 1 star just because, talk about hyperbole. And I can't believe some of the tweets I've read from a certain segment of the fanbase ("how dare you make my favorite character talks about this Nueko girl!").
Personally, I'm still having a ton of fun with it.
 
C

casiopao

Member
Sinople said:
There are two problems with her: one on a story level and one on a system level.

On the story front, to put it simply, she's stealing the spotlight. The story in this one seems to revolve around her and the antagonist's past, resulting in the clan and its struggle taking the backseat. Now it was more or less the same in the first game, where Kitsuto was the main character all things considered, it's just a little less hidden in this one.
This point's totally subjective at the end of the day, some prefer it this way, some don't and make sure everyone knows their opinion.

On the system front, yes it can be annoying. She's required for story boss fights, meaning you have to recruit her (which wastes "offering" points normally used to mate with divinities), then you have to train her (she takes the place of one of your characters). Basically she can screw how you planned your schedule. It's nothing you can't handle though, as long as you keep those requirements in mind and show a little flexibility in your planning. Furthermore, those problems have been officially acknowledged and a patch is more than likely on the way (and I assume included day one on international releases).

I'm actually a little upset at the Amazon reviews that acknowledge the game is good but rate it 1 star just because, talk about hyperbole. And I can't believe some of the tweets I've read from a certain segment of the fanbase ("how dare you make my favorite character talks about this Nueko girl!").
Personally, I'm still having a ton of fun with it.
Click to expand...

I guess this is the problem of kinda allienating/ taking away the main point of the older title I guess?

As reading tons of the review, many of the reviewers seems to be a huge fan of the series and they feel really bad after playing this one.


I think this is like the case of Etrian Odyssey 4 to Untold here where they add a story character rather than improving the classic mode more which causes some of the original fans being bitter and angry.(I was one of them sadly.)

Well, I guess this game would maybe fare better outside of JP here or for newcomer who does not experience the older title here.

Also, I don't agree with the scoring here but sometimes, in the spur of rage moment, the score can go like that I guess?
 
S

Sinople

Member
Yeah, I understand your point but I think the reactions are disproportionate here, especially when some of the more extreme fans send offensive and rude messages to the director via twitter. That's some unacceptable behavior.
And I think that if you like the franchise, it's not in your best interest to show dishonesty in reviews, driving away potential buyers in the process and ultimately having a role in killing it for good.

However, put on a more positive light, it shows how passionate the fanbase is with the series.
 
Y

YesManKablam

Member
Looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I'll be waiting for the English release. My Japanese is'nt good enough to understand any game, but I know enough of the basics to not ignore everything and then I start getting confused.
 
S

Sword Familiar

178% of NeoGAF posters don't understand statistics
Still waiting on my copy. Since it didn't arrive today it'll probably show up sometime next week as import packages seem to only arrive on Tuesdays and Thursdays here for some reason.

As a fan of the first game I'm looking forward to diving into the sequel. If it's good enough I might even buy it when it hits the west as well. Games like these need all the sales they can get.
 
B

bobbytkc

ADD New Gen Gamer
Interesting point about the difficulty setting. Will you.miss anything by choosing the easiest and shortest setting?
 
H

hoggert

Member
Thank you for your impressions, Sinople. Much appreciated. I really hate these sorts of fan reactions; trolling domino effect, etc.
 
C

casiopao

Member
Sinople said:
Yeah, I understand your point but I think the reactions are disproportionate here, especially when some of the more extreme fans send offensive and rude messages to the director via twitter. That's some unacceptable behavior.
And I think that if you like the franchise, it's not in your best interest to show dishonesty in reviews, driving away potential buyers in the process and ultimately having a role in killing it for good.

However, put on a more positive light, it shows how passionate the fanbase is with the series.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree with what u say here. I don't feel what they are doing is correct just trying to point that the ones complained also had their legit reason here as they the fans of the series for all this time.

It is like how RE4 become RE5 or 6. Where it throw aways everything which makes the fans love the series. I still agree with u that the fans action on being rude on twitter and giving one star on the game is not a good move though.

Well, what can we do?
 
S

Sinople

Member
Wow, the game is getting hard. The 3rd story boss (
Oro and Boro the snakes
) destroyed me for 2 years straight, in part because everyone died in the interval though. I've thought about a new strategy but I'll wait one more year just to be safe.

bobbytkc said:
Interesting point about the difficulty setting. Will you.miss anything by choosing the easiest and shortest setting?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The way it works is that enemies are weaker (less HP) and you gain more XP but, in return, you have less time to explore in a month, meaning you'll end up missing more equipment and spells, you'll probably free less divinities* and chances are you'll not find all the jobs by the end of the game**. Nothing is blocked or taken away, you'll just have less time to find stuff.
However, you can change the difficulty before entering a dungeon (in the first game, it was possible to change while exploring the dungeon too).

*A good chunk of divinities went MIA, they've become optional non-story boss or are sealed in regular monsters. To convince the first category to go back to heaven, you need to beat them 3 times. It's a little repetitive but they become stronger and stronger (and sometime with a surprise) and give a different chunk of background story every time. To free the second category, you have to be lucky and unlock a specific piece of green equipment at the beginning of the fight using a roulette. I hate this one personally, because I have no luck :(

**Spells and jobs are found the same way, with the roulette at the start of a fight. They're easier to obtain than the green equipment.
 
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