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Stumbling through Chasm
I saw a great-looking retro styled game going past on Twitter - it sold me on the idea of a fantasy Super Metroid, just after a successful run through Super Metroid (where by 'successful' I mean that I completed the game and nobody was severely injured). This is Chasm, an independent release coming soon from Discord Studios.
The game turned out to be not really like Super Metroid at all in actual gameplay - it's more of a Diablo side-scrolling dungeon crawl, but the aesthetic of slowly building up and equipping your character is there (it's actually a bit more like Symphony of the Night in this regard, but I haven't seen any ability-gathering yet).
The demo lasts for three floors, but the dungeon is randomly generated each time - it looks like the start of a very promising game!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxbsD2-p7w
The game turned out to be not really like Super Metroid at all in actual gameplay - it's more of a Diablo side-scrolling dungeon crawl, but the aesthetic of slowly building up and equipping your character is there (it's actually a bit more like Symphony of the Night in this regard, but I haven't seen any ability-gathering yet).
The demo lasts for three floors, but the dungeon is randomly generated each time - it looks like the start of a very promising game!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxbsD2-p7w
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Somewhat stealing Ravenworks' setup, here...
2:00ish: These graphics really are appealing. I'm actually watching this for the second time, so I'm able to focus more on the backgrounds. Even the blue doorways that lead outside seem to have been given some thought; they certainly convey a sense of contrast between the (hopefully) warm indoors and the treacherously cold outdoors.
2:07: I think you should do our next Unreal Tournament video solely in the Crone voice. =D
4:30: "Some Monster was awakened by a quake and we closed down all the mines... and we called it Margaret Thatcher." As silly as it is to be expected to say different things about people when they're dead than you would have when they were alive, I have to admit I was surprised to hear that only a couple of months on! Although, being a Brit, you'd probably have good reason to have strong opinions about her.
4:32: I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but some games do let you walk away from your would-be obligation for an alternate ending, and I think more should. This is a nice touch, though - just having the area loop around takes care of any sort of driving force or motive behind the protagonist.
5:00: The game is fairly immersive, so it'd be nice if it'd give you a hint about where you could find the weapon rather than have you resort to theft... still, maybe the innkeeper has something to say if you talk to her first?
... okay, so when I go through the video minute by minute to try to remember the points I wanted to talk about, it turns out I find too many random things to talk about. Let's try (and probably fail) to stick to something a little less pointless..
7:55ish: You know, one thing that tends to annoy me in games is how, often without any compelling reason, they are all too eager to make enemy drops (gold, energy, missiles, etc) disappear as rapidly as possible, so that you're scampering around to collect them after dealing with the enemies. It's nice to see a game that has them remain until you're ready to pick them up. After all, you've already earned them by making the kill.
9:15: Although I feel that most modern games "With RPG elements" are uninspired copies of World of Warcraft (via Diablo 2), because they just go for the now-uninspired skill-tree model... it seems oddly restrictive to have a modern game that has level-ups but no associated customisation. Speaking personally, I like being able to customise my characters at least a little bit, even if it's just putting a few stat points into defence or spell power instead of attack strength. I guess you have the altars, at least.
The "carry weight" looks a little worrying. I'm usually in favour of realism in games, even if it's a potentially annoying encumberance limit, but... I have to say, I don't really expect it in a 2D platformer/RPG. I won't go so far as to say that it's out of place,,, but it seems a little strange to me.
10:55: As inconvenient as it is against these smaller enemies, I think the simple change in attack style/arc between weapons is an excellent way to differentiate them.
17:19: The name "Mister Blobby" comes to mind for these jumping crystal enemies, unfortunately... maybe it's appropriate, though, as the first one you encountered killed you so rapidly.
18:50: "It started out like a normal day but soon he was trapped in a cave underground, poisoned, and surrounded by bloodthirsty rats." This was excellent not only because it sounds like the very thing you would hear on that sort of show on TV (and I think you've referenced it before), but also because it leads me to wonder just how that 999 call would sound...
21:55 "Whoa, there's a crocodile with a sword there! Sorry, Alligator." Sorry, Kobold (probably)!
24:50: For when you buy and hopefully record the whole thing, that "S" on the map is probably a save point, if they have them down there.
(Fine, Livejournal, be that way. I'll shorten my message.)
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The game really does have a nice style, there's something... comforting and familiar about pixel artwork that rendered graphics really can't match. Perhaps it's nostalgia, or perhaps just the... intangible visual appeal, I don't know.
I was surprised as well to have no options at all on levelling up, but when I think about it this is very normal for non-Diablo-style RPGs... I've just grown so used to having an ability tree in this context. I'd love to see something even quite simple there, like a list of special moves per weapon that you can buy with points gained from levelling (and yes, the difference in attack arc is a fantastic feature). In other RPG considerations, I think the most annoying carry limit that I ever experienced was Albion - where your money counted towards your weight limit! So you couldn't just carry around thousands of gold coins - you had to invest their value in something hopefully less heavy, or stash them somewhere safe.
Margaret Thatcher made life very difficult for a lot of Northern miners... the title is justified!
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I'm glad to know the rambly replies are, somehow, beneficial. I'll try to keep them up!
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As you said, the game isn't really a Metroidvania so much as an action-RPG with hints of Diablo... but to me it does feel very much like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - moreso, with its RPG elements, than Metrioid - so I can see why people would lump it in there. I think the term "Metroidvania" is typically applied to fairly open, nonlinear maps with progression meted out to you in the form of newly-discovered items or abilities, and so far this seems to have a more a typically roguelike progression, although it does share some superficial similarities with Metroidvania-style games.
You know, I like the tribute inherent in "Metroidvania", but it's a somewhat unwieldy genre name that sort of.. affectionately damns games to derivativeness even before they begin, even if they have been inspired by such great forebears. I think we need a proper genre name, one that isn't a portmanteau of two different titles.
The game does, indeed, look fantastic and well polished. And If they're Kickstarting this, I think it's great that they've got so much to show already. Everyone and their dog seems to have turned to Kickstarter as a source of funding, and I have to question the ability versus the ambition of some of the projects, so it's nice to see something that already has its foundations laid.
And... wow, you missed a lot of things with this video! The excuse of how difficult it is to provide commentary and play at the same time - which is the cause behind us shooting our own cores multitple times in UT3, I'm sure - is all well and good, but it only goes so far! I have to admit, as much as I respect your game-playing skills, when you bought the bandana I had to wonder for the rest of the video whether you actually equipped it.
But, er, don't be deterred! In as much demand as you have been for (very enjoyable!) multi-person projects, it's nice to see you continuing with the solo adventures as well. This was fantastically charming, as always.
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I can't believe I was staring that antidote in the fact - I had to put that note into the video to stem my embarrassment! I did equip the bandana, though - you can see it there when I next go into the equip menu.
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This looks like a really charming little game; I love the art style, and the little chomp noises that accompany you eating an apple and such. Although I was actually shouting at the screen that you had an Antidote in your inventory. One small point bugs me, though; if your character's supposed to have come home from being at war for several years, why doesn't he have his own sword instead of having to loot the innkeeper's attic for one? :P
D.F.
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As for the war... well, maybe he bent it on a particularly hard helmet.
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I mean, I really would like to play it. Ah, it's just that I will probably forget it will exist some time after I post this!
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