Wrote this up on another small forum where some of the peoples were on the fence about the game. Most of you have already played the game, obviously, for those who haven't I hope this can help answer some questions or give some insight.
A couple of points from more of my gaming time with it...
- Level designs are really, really good. There's no jumping and all that but the layouts are awesome. Some people have likened it to Castlevania. Its almost like that but not as much interaction with the environments and hidden nooks (though there are are hidden nooks with good equipment). The layouts are certainly high up there, quality wise.
Plus each level has some sort of switch that allows you to get back to a part thats farther in. The way they implement these "shortcuts" are pretty ingenious. In some cases they're just locked doors but in the mining level its actually a lift thats right next to the levels entrance.
-Ambiance. This game is chock full of that good shit. I tried out Level 3? yesterday, which is the Prison Tower. Oh man. Absolutely creepy. You've got these Cthulhu like creatures that specialize in magic. They have these eerie bells that you can hear from far off. This resonating "Ting" can be heard when they're around.
-The way encumbrance is handled is great from a tactical standpoint and how the gamer has to deal with this. You've got Item Encumbrance and Equipped Encumbrance. Item Encumbrance is obvious, you can't carry beyond the limit. Now the weight limit on what can be Equipped really makes you think about if you want to equip that ornate set of Armor with cool magical properties or stay in assassin cloth and be able to be as agile as possible.
-They really thought about animation. This is in regards to weapons and shields. Different weapons react differently, mainly in their speed of movement and angles. You can easily jab and slash with a dagger or rapier and that Bastard Sword takes a little longer to build up and swing. With shields, the smaller ones can be brought up and dropped quickly but the bigger ones have to be heaved into place. All of this equals a rewarding feeling when you've learned the timing with a particular weapon.
-Each weapon has its strength and weaknesses. Rapiers are good for piercing things, like metal, but they obviously don't slash so enemies with exposed skin are better dealt with by edged weapons (daggers, long swords, scimitars). Then you've got enemies with shield that can be a huge nuisance if you don't have a larger weapon (Long Sword, Claymore, Axe), these weapons are fantastic for breaking guard. Then you've got Spears that are awesome in that you can hold a shield and keep your distance but they are abysmal for guard breaking.
-Spells are also used in this game. I was confused at first, wondering why I couldn't cast a spell I just bought but I came to find I needed a catalyst (basically something that the spell can be funneled through, like a wand). I ended up finding my first wand (a wooden one, very basic) and started blasting shit. I just love that Spells have another layer of determined power in the form of catalysts. Just another piece of equipment to find, which I love.
-There are dragons in this game and I don't think I've played an RPG that was able to make them so damn fearsome. You don't face them directly (as in in battle, at first) but they are there looming over one of the levels. The sound they make when they're about to breath fire gave me goosebumps. The sound design and enemy design in general are very good.
-Difficulty. This game is hard but not "why do I keep dieing at this spot?" hard more "Shit, I should have slowed down and thought about this first" hard. I've never faulted the game for my own death (well, maybe once where the camera was at an awkward angle and I rolled off the edge of a cliff). With that said, the only penalty that comes with death is losing your souls (which can be thought of as currency) and progress through a level. Thats it.
Slow it down, don't bite off more than you can chew and read all the messages being left by other souls. And unless you're saving for a very expensive item, don't hoard souls, use them. By hoarding souls you're asking to lose them.
But thats about it, Its extremely robust when you think about all these mechanics, equipment types and enemies. Also I dont' think I've written this much about a game in my life which should give you an idea how much I dig it.
