I love souls games, but other than Blasphemous and Dead Cells, I have struggled to stick with Metroidvanias a lot. I find that they are open in the worst way possible for me, because I can get lost and then spend time “progressing” only to find the way blocked and having to backtrack. These days I have low tolerance for wasting time, or more specifically to the feeling that I’m wasting time.
To each their own, but when I played through Blasphemous just recently it felt like the game had tons of design elements intended to either piss you off or deliberately waste your time or both.
Yeah, I never finished that and didn’t even get the sequel because it felt like it was deliberately designed to waste time to pad out the game time. Hollowknight never feels like that even though it took me several tries to finish it and it made me mad because of how unbeatable some bosses felt.
Sounds like you’d rather watch a movie or show. Not a knock. I tend to not engage with plot in games unless it’s like BG3 where it’s fundamental. I like that for TV and movies, I just have the director giving me the optimal way to engage with their story and themes.
I am a sucker for a good magic or power system, so will happily explore through skill trees and the like.
If Id rather watch a movie or a show I would watch a movie or a show. No, I just don’t like backtracking.
Or more specifically my playstyle forces me back track a lot since I tend to become a systemic explorer, trying to find every nook and cranny of a game due to fomo. I tend to prefer more railroaded experience these days, due to that but that’s not the same as wanting to be a spectator instead of a participant.
I’m not a soulslike fan myself, but I don’t think hollow knight is very soulslike - the combat is very snappy, avoiding locking you into animations or making you consider your momentum, and I have the impression soulslikes also tend to be way more environmentally lethal, so to speak.
It might have some of that visual/lore/exploration vibe though.
I think this is possibly also the problem for me. I compulsively explore, and the more a game has to explore the higher the chances I’ll get tired of it before I even finish it.
HK was that good.
If you are at all a fan of souls-likes, metroidvanias, environmental storytelling, then you need to give the original more than 10 minutes.
Enjoy it as a metroidvania and beat the final boss – then realize you still have places you haven’t fully explored…
I love souls games, but other than Blasphemous and Dead Cells, I have struggled to stick with Metroidvanias a lot. I find that they are open in the worst way possible for me, because I can get lost and then spend time “progressing” only to find the way blocked and having to backtrack. These days I have low tolerance for wasting time, or more specifically to the feeling that I’m wasting time.
Hollow knight was the game that got me into the genre. I found blasphemous to be utterly boring in comparison.
You mean you GET to backtrack
Sounds like the genre’s just not for you. I also don’t enjoy games like this BUT it’s not wasting time if you’re having fun
I would argue that Blasphemous wouldn’t exist without Hollow Knight, and HK is still the better Metroidvania.
Dead Cells is not a Metroidvania game. It is a roguelite.
Edit: roguelite, not roguelike.
To each their own, but when I played through Blasphemous just recently it felt like the game had tons of design elements intended to either piss you off or deliberately waste your time or both.
Yeah, I never finished that and didn’t even get the sequel because it felt like it was deliberately designed to waste time to pad out the game time. Hollowknight never feels like that even though it took me several tries to finish it and it made me mad because of how unbeatable some bosses felt.
Sounds like you’d rather watch a movie or show. Not a knock. I tend to not engage with plot in games unless it’s like BG3 where it’s fundamental. I like that for TV and movies, I just have the director giving me the optimal way to engage with their story and themes.
I am a sucker for a good magic or power system, so will happily explore through skill trees and the like.
If Id rather watch a movie or a show I would watch a movie or a show. No, I just don’t like backtracking.
Or more specifically my playstyle forces me back track a lot since I tend to become a systemic explorer, trying to find every nook and cranny of a game due to fomo. I tend to prefer more railroaded experience these days, due to that but that’s not the same as wanting to be a spectator instead of a participant.
I’m not a soulslike fan myself, but I don’t think hollow knight is very soulslike - the combat is very snappy, avoiding locking you into animations or making you consider your momentum, and I have the impression soulslikes also tend to be way more environmentally lethal, so to speak.
It might have some of that visual/lore/exploration vibe though.
Couldn’t be me.
I think this is possibly also the problem for me. I compulsively explore, and the more a game has to explore the higher the chances I’ll get tired of it before I even finish it.