Gestalt: Steam & Cinder Steam Charts & Stats

it's a good game overall aside from the lengthy cut scenes with too much talking. bosses are a bit easy if you use ur healing, better to fight bosses without using healing potions and u will enjoy bosses much more

Very enjoyable. Feels great to play, is great to look at, music is decent, story is interesting. Only negative I have is the boss fights, I don't mind easy bosses but they aren't only easy but simple, often too simple. Still very much recommended.

A game that doesn't overstay it's welcome with decent fighting and exploration, but this really feels like whatever assets were finished got cobbled together into something somewhat coherent because looking at the devs twitter there is all sorts of stuff that doesn't show up in the game and the story felt more like a glimpse into something bigger. Also the ending is about as abrupt as Wile.E. Coyote about to run into a tunnel only for it to be painted onto a rock and he just crashes into it, turning himself into a pancake. I did like that you can sort of specialize depending on what trinkets you equip.

[h1] TL:DR [url=https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/868/231/f75.png] this is the best visual representation [/url] I can give you of this game. Both story-wise and gameplay-wise. Never a must buy, a maybe if at less than 7,50€ but probably even then only if you want an introduction to metroidvanias but please play Hollow Knight after this cause I swear they can be good games, this just ain't it.[/h1] [hr][/hr] The beginning is good, a decent set-up and interesting story with a nice stance-break system, not overly complicated and not forced on you for every enemy (with the exception of shieldbearers): [list] [*]You want to just damage the enemy? you do A [*]You want/need to stun them? you do B [/list] Bosses have some better resistance and that seems fair cause stunlocking them would make the fight too easy, that being said this is the only thing that is good about them cause I cannot remember a single one apart from the first that was the dumbest and slowest bossfight of them all. You have pretty little at that point so it's just [i]avoid the 2 attacks the boss has>damage them>repeat[/i]. On that note, the combat system ha[strike]s[/strike]d potential but the repositioning tools that give you I-frames are sloooowww both in animation (though like not by too much, just enough that it's annoying in Bossfights and really annoying when you have to traverse the map)AND [b]CD[/b] which in theory should make the fight more methodical but that results in [i]hit and run or just tanking hits to stun them asap>use all your DPS > run away to heal or damage more if heal is not needed[/i]. Not to mention that this means of all the upgrades one can take you will use just a fraction of them, and none are really needed to win fights, they just speed up the process but usually result in you getting damaged cause you are stuck in an animation so you end up either not using the flashy moves or just tanking the boss. There is [u]some[/u] build variety, you can be Tanky, focus on using your gun or sword or be a ""glass cannon"" but it is mostly a fake variety and I'll use spoiler tags in case you wanna play the game without potentially ruining this mostly placebo system: Since [spoiler] every level gives 2 HP IIRC, and you get 50 of them[/spoiler] building tanky is not only boring but relatively useless [spoiler] cause you will get beefy anyway [/spoiler], focusing on DMG is better but [spoiler] Bosses are either DMG sponges or made of glass[/spoiler] can't remember what any of them did but none really lasted the "right amount of damage", so either too little or too long (and the TTK becomes lower the more you go on, which is kinda weird, especially for how incredibly low it gets) this is usually fixed by [spoiler] multiple phases, usually tied to the boss's HP though an important one could have had a time-related difficulty increase with a potential autowin after a certain point... anyway the game has a singular Second Phase, at least that I remember, and even that is like 15/20s more of fighting or less*[/spoiler]. *see "consumables" [hr][/hr] Most NPCS are of the worst variety: the "single interaction" type of NPC that has a single dialogue, usually with choices in how to answer (which baits you into thinking they'll say more later but AFAIK none do) and then won't matter ever again apart from repeating the same last sentence of the first interaction, or a similar one in the best case scenario. Same with buildings, some are straight up inaccessible the whole game (or at least I cannot remember visiting the Apothecary once, same with a mechanic-looking shop nearby in Irkalla) and some have one [b]1[/b] SINGULAR interaction, like the barman who can give you a drink but won't talk or comment much more on your adventure when you go there later (and I think it will stay that way until the end, no matter your progress but I haven't verified) or the bookshop which will stay closed once you have talked enough with the NPC inside. There's even a shop on a second floor of some building that has 0 interaction and an invisible wall at 2/3ds of the room, coinciding with where the shop owner is, you'll meet an NPC there and that is the full extent of its usefulness... the game starts to reek of being unfinished the more you progress and it gets worse, [b] a LOT[/b] worse*. *see "ending" [hr][/hr] Scraps are the currency, you can get them through quests, killing enemies and breaking stuff... aaand the game throws them at you so much that it's honestly confusing why they didn't just rework the economy, I ended the game with more than 100k, like WAY more and had bought everything I needed and more without farming more than maybe 5k, it also feels wrong to go around with that much currency since, considering the level of technology shown, they are physically on you, I get suspension of disbelief and all that but cmon DEVs, just slash the last 3 zeroes and keep numbers where they still make sense. Having 100 coin and buying something for 20 or 50 coins feels waay more impactful than spending 20000 or 50000 out of 100000, and possibly the wealth amount in the game should be enough that you can buy every one-time-only purchase + some bonuses here and there for those who like to explore, even the amount of currency suggests the game should have gone on longer but that development was cut short... or worse*. *see "ending" [hr][/hr] The consumables are so overkill it is puzzling, I used one Energy Drink I think once to see how it worked and never had the slightest thought of having to use one of the buffs cause they are completely unnecessary, they are there if you want to make things quicker but they are not your usual expendable helping hand that can go from small bonus that costs little, to medium bonus that helps more but costs more and is scarcer in quantity + the occasional Big bonus from quests/from paying a lot to buy it, they are a "skip one of the core mechanics" button or buffs so overkill that it gets dumb and the antidote + the standard rechargeable healing that we all know and love... [hr][/hr] [h2]Ending [/h2] ...Speaking of which, you can [spoiler] power them up with Infused Amanitas, but you get more than the number needed to power them up, same with levels so [/spoiler] I honestly have no idea if there is a way to use these things cause you can [spoiler] buy things from the scientist, get to max level [/spoiler] and still have some, this and some of the "*" mentioned prior + the Story which I will talk about next all seem to point to what I hope was development being cut short cause considering [spoiler] the last 2 cutscenes, one where we enter the big door that we hear the whole game will lead to catastrophe (or maybe not but who knows? [apparently not even the Devs…]) and the other where there is the "character X is still alive" trope that initially gives you faith the story will be concluded but that alas ends on a cliffhanger [/spoiler] just lead me to the hypothesis that the game will receive, or rather was supposed to receive, either a DLC (that, unless given for free, means you have to pay to see an actual ending) or worse, a sequel... considering the image I linked at the start though who would buy that? If this result was not caused by problems during development I can only say that to me this is not how you build up for future iterations in a universe, this is how you shoot your own company in the foot but I hope to be proven wrong, though I have little faith in it. [hr][/hr] Oh yea wait, do you remember that [spoiler] big important choice that Aletheia had to make about the fate of the world since "the steam is fading" and yadda yadda yadda[/spoiler]? Neither did the Devs apparently

Great game! Almost everything is on point in this game. Gameplay, mechanics, progression, story, music, style, you name it... But there is one HUGE flaw! The ENDING is a wet fart.

Good game but I would say it is for those who enjoy an easy ride, Great story but easy like butter no Secret or something that adds a bit difficulty to the game. 7/10

A decently fun metroidvania. Probably an average B tier. This game is not doing anything too groundbreaking but it does most of what it does pretty well. Pros: awesome soundtrack great pixel art movement controls feel really good decent progression system Cons: some pretty annoying level design in a few areas Most consumable items have a very minimal value Some upgrades are not terribly useful enemy design/repetitive combat: enemies attack too fast with no stagger. You will spend pretty much the entire game taking one maybe two swings and dodging out. Upgrades allow you to extend your 3-strike combo, but nothing really offers a window to even exhaust the basic 3-strikes. Too many narrative interruptions: The narrative overall was pretty decent it's presented through frequent cut scenes though. Cut scenes will often be triggered just by entering a room mid exploration and can get intrusive with the frequent interruptions. Worth a play through for metroidvania fans looking for a new and fairly short experience. Nothing really overly unique or ground breaking, but a decent execution of the standard metroidvania tropes that most fans of the genre will probably enjoy. Average B tier experience.

Couldn't finish it. Despite the unlocking of the map felt unpleasant and incoherent, most attacks made no difference, enemies were simple damage sponges, and the story tries to be cryptic but obvious at the same time, I was enjoying it enough to keep on playing. What killed me was the underdevelopment of the characters and how they were slapped in the story trying to build atmosphere and a sense of identity (for the protagonist and her world), but ended been just tokens and troupes so basic I couldn't keep up... even read it has a cliffhanger for a sequel. why? what for? it already killed any character interesting enough to care playing. Honestly, from the first hour, I felt the game was rushed, some art wasn't consistent and the writers didn't know how to show the story without the weird cut-scenes.

This is a game that I was truly excited to play because of it's steampunk genre and interesting trailers. Sadly, I actually left disliking the game because there were just so many anomalies that annoyed me. First, Difficulty. It was an easy metroidvania, nothing special, but what annoyed me the most that a lot of the boss fights felt like it had artificial difficulty and the stages were more annoying than the bosses themselves. The 2nd boss at that point in the game sucked not because it only had 2-3 moves, but because of it's rng factor with the falling boulders and it's massive aoe with it's jump for some reason making you have to space appropriately to do dmg which sucks at that time of the game since his hp is massive and your damage is lacking so it was just a stall fest. There's also that boss in the scrap sea that was so annoying because all of his moves were telegraphed but because he spawned adds and had a weird hitbox in his hammer, it was still annoying even though you could have just used the item to increase your damage because it was stalling again like stop. Second, Story. This is probably the best part of the game because while it was short, at least it explained everything that it needed to and made it as straightforward as possible despite the game's length. I just really hated how the game ended because it tried to set itself up for a sequel which sucks because I expected to see what happens if you opened the gate in this game specifically, not a sequel that will most likely never come. I'll just add the characters here as well, they were good despite having little dialogue overall and most of them pretty much established the personality types that they wanted them to be. Third, Collectibles. It's a metroidvania, of course there's a lot of em and that's no issue. I just don't get how there's more ability points available than it's usage. I also don't get why it's corgi's like they're cute but it felt out of place because I don't see it as a steampunk type of dog, and idk how they even got to those places and how they got back at the end. Fourth, Gameplay. Let's be honest, after you get all abilities, you're busted. The style of movement also reminded me of the old Megaman Zero games but a bit more stiffer. By itself, that's not an issue but competing with other metroidvanias in terms of fluidity, this game pretty much lost. Enemies don't take hitstun as well which sucks because that means it would take forever to add-clear and give it even more artificial difficulty. You also don't use most of the moves you get in the game which is such a waste like you get your full combo but you only use the first 1-3 strikes at best. You also don't use all your heavy attack variants as well and only use like 1-3 of them just like the combo which is such a waste of a skill tree. It just had too much skills shoved in your face and never use em, it sucks. Fifth, Aesthetics. I think the game is visually stunning, there's not much to say that it was just plain beautiful but because of that, it tries to hide the flaws that's in the game which sucks because it basically means that the game is all style, no substance. Overall, I think it's a good game but I cannot in good faith necessarily recommend it to others. It's short, nothing missable, and might even give you a fun time but it's a double edged sword because it also started to feel like a chore because of the awareness that the game is short as hell. Maybe I would have loved if the game was longer or if it wasn't as rushed and didn't leave an unnecessary cliffhanger and actually gave justifiable difficulty than bullet sponges at the beginning, 6.5/10

This game is honestly very fun. The combat flows really well, it can be very difficult, the story is easy to follow and interesting. I had absolutely no problems with the game, and would highly recommend it. And then there is the final boss and the ending. The last five bosses are horrendously easy, the final boss is a cakewalk. You can just damage tank and gun him down. You literally do not even need to use the sword. And the ending is horrible, tons of buildup to absolutely zero pay-off, and 3 different rug-pulls that frankly made very little sense. I suppose to properly judge the story I have to wait for a sequel, and hope its any good. Genuinely dissapointed. Edit: Also my In Game Time to 100% was 7h 59m. I left it open for like a day while not playing.