|
Tuesday 4 March, 2008
Gameplay 2:
What I found frustrating about this game was that there was little else to do beside engaging in battles. Usually I wouldn't mind that, but I was just really unhappy with how lacklustering the game was. When I took control of Dororo for the second time, I was suppose to explore two floors of a house to look for items that would help Hyakki prove that a village's "protector" was actually a demon. The rooms that I had to explore were very scarce. The only items that I found were the ones essential to the storyline and power-ups after I defeated the occasional skeleton here and there. There wasn't much else to do in regards to exploring. The game didn't seem to want the player to be able to explore this fictional world, which in my opinion completely defeats the purpose of video games. If a player isn't encouraged to explore and learn about the gameworld than how is that person suppose to connect to the game?
I understand that as a third person action game, Blood Will Tell isn't suppose to be as time consuming and indepth as an RPG, but there are other games of the same genre such as The Legend of Zelda that I felt did a much better job with player and game interactivity.
I will admit that I may have spoken too soon when I said that the bosses weren't difficult. The last two that I have fought have been harder. I actually haven't beaten the newest one yet, she keeps killing me with her crazy lightening and wind attacks. It's odd because in all the boss battles I haven't been able to heal myself. Hyakki doesn't have access to heal himself and there aren't any healing items to pick up during the boss battles. It makes fighting rather difficult, if not annoying.
It's a shame because this game includes some of my favorite things: samurai, fighting, guns and swords violence, and demons....yet I don't really like it. I'm not sure if I'll actually finish playing this game. I probably will, if only to spite those damn demons, but it definitely won't be on the top of my To-Do List, if I even had such a list.
Design:
The idea of a limbs containing an arsenal of weapons is brilliant and amazing, but the execution of the game as a whole left me wanting. There were some design elements that I really liked such as Dororo's participation in battles. I also enjoyed how even if his health gauge ran out, he would automatically be revived as long as Hyakki was still alive. That enabled me to concentrate on my own health and not have to worry about protecting the A.I.
The game also had a nifty map in the top right corner of the screen that marked my destination and where I was on the map. It prevented me from getting lost, which I came to appreciate as I was navigating through a dumpy village with a swarm of monsters behind me and low health.
But despite that this game had something major working against it: the level design. Of course the game world is expected to look drab since demons are terrorizing villages, but still, this was just sad. From what I have played so far, the levels looked like they weren't a top priority. How I navigated through the levels was really basic. What's even more is that their physical appearance was lacking. The environment seemed empty and desolate, but not in a way that would help the story. It just came off as a half-hearted attempt at recreating ancient Japan. Maybe things get better later in the game, but somehow I doubt that.
****disclaimer: so GameLog says that I gave this game a rating of 5 stars out of 5.....yeah, it's lying. I don't, more like a 1 or 2.
|
