I mean, I am all for failure as a whole. Cause it really is true what they say about the growth being in the action of failure. I also like tactics, but I like to have the space to think on the tactics I am enduring. I think it's cool that a game introduced that in a very action-oriented way. There seems to be a lot of creativity in the creatures as well, which I like. I will say as I get older my reaction time has lessened even worse than I'd say it originally was. I never played shooters or anything, although I had friends go ham on them. I think perhaps it might be an incongruity with what I want out of a game with swords x boss battles. The game I think of when I think of big papa boss battles is Shadow of the Colossus. Cause it's pretty much the only one I have ever played like that. I feel the game though, while exciting, is actually pretty slowly paced. Which makes it more accessible to me. Most "sword" games though, I want to play like a dumb-dumb. I wanna hack, slash, and feel all powerful. Smash everything in sight (Dynasty Warriors). I think the two clashing might also be making it difficult for me to pick it up. But I guess the third thing is that pretty much any time I have grabbed a game that is hyper popular nowadays I don't really seem to like it much. That might be an age thing too, idk. Might be a lot of things, but I generally think I might not be the audience for most AAA games. In fact, I know I am not =P!

Would you say the same thing about dodging in bullet hells? What OP said is right. Parrying is an easy mechanic to give dopamine, just like dodging lots of things in bullet hells. At one point, the choice for defensive mechanism aren't infinite. We usually see armor, dodge and parry/block. Parrying is clearly popular by looking at smash successes from FromSoftware where this is a key mechanic in the games. People usually complain about parrying when it isn't clear when to parry, or parrying is inconsistent. It feels cheap. The mechanic itself isn't the issue, but how it is implemented.

>The mechanic itself isn't the issue, but how it is implemented. It depends on how (and where) its implemented is his point. It needs to be woven into the comvat system as it is in FromSoft, Batman, Ultrakill, or Cuphead, not tacked on because its easy or popular. Each of those uses parrying in a different way to enhance its combat. On the other hand, if you take these mechanics without the greater context or understanding of why it works, then it'll tends to stand out as bad, or remain unused. Doom Eternal is an example that immediately comes to mind. The whole game is about fast paced combat, with a plethora of new mobility mechanics, that is, until you encounter one of the enemies you need to parry. Then, the game comes to a grinding halt while you wait for the enemy to take action, so you are able to react, completely opposite the rage-fueled persona and the mobility focus of every other mechanic. Compare that to Ultrakill, where parrying isn't just a reactive way to mitigate damage, its a situational attack that allows you to keep moving and keep up your carnage. Game mechanics work best when they're cohesive. Parrying, due to its simplicity can be tacked on easily, breaking this cohesiveness if not given the same weight as the rest of the mechanics.

OP's point is that parry in itself doesn't need much more around it to feel rewarding. The guy I replied to said that this is a crutch. I asked if that applied to bullet hell dodging because dodging in bullet hell is a core gameplay element and you'll be hard pressed to find people calling that mechanic a crutch. But you'll find shitty bullet hell with a terrible implementation of the mechanic. The mechanic itself isn't a crutch and has been used successfully numerous times and I fail how to see how the mechanic in itself is crutch, and not the bad implementation by some devs. Show me a great game mechanic and I can find you terrible implementation of that game mechanic.

>Not everyone wants to play a game that relies on responding to cues. >Overuse of one mechanic can make it unappealing. I feel the same about games that rely on reactions during cutscenes or climbing. On the one hand having to be on edge all the time is annoying, but on the other, the absence of interaction can hamper suspense. For example, I've been playing Horizon Forbidden West lately - There's a lot of climbing, and the devs love to throw a mid-climb "post you're hanging on starts to fall" gag, but with no reaction mechanic, it's pretty much always harmless and kinda feels "why bother"

Its a crutch because its used to hold the game up, rather than the game supporting its own weight. In your bullet hell example, dodging isn't a crutch, it's the foundational mechanic. A better example would be a slot machine system (something that is near-inherently engaging) being added to a bullet hell game, not because it fits but because its fun and helps distract from the fact that they haven't put any effort into the core gameplay. The mechanic isn't a crutch, its inclusion as a tacked-on addition is.

I agree.. It's very rewarding

I've tried a couple soulslikes and I think I could get into them but it seems like they need a decent chunk of time dedicated to them before you can have any fun. I did enjoy a more stripped down version that I found in Titan Souls though-- it's a boss rush game with simple and tight mechanics, so you can jump in and try a boss or two without any other lead up. https://youtu.be/afIZ1AS7BAY?t=111

Then it can be said about any mechanic, isn't it? In Soulslike, parry is part of the core mechanics. When Balatro exploded, a ton of copy cats tried to get in on the action. It happens all the time. Why is parrying any different?

Pretty sure this kind of game mechanic (expose yourself to an enemy attack for a skill check that regains health) can be traced back at least to the Dodgeball DLC for Outside. Game mechanics are like TV tropes, they echo what came before them, almost without exception

Using your clones example, the Slay the Spire "clones" that give roguelike deckbuilders a bad name aren't Inscryption or Monster Train or Balatro. Its things like Across the Obelisk and Wildfrost, that are good, but fail to capture what makes others great, and the numerous low-effort copies you've likely never heard of that viewed it as an easy way to make a good game without understanding it. Its not that Roguelike Deckbuilders are bad, obviously, its that lazy, or thoughtless use of the mechanics that is. A game isn't one mechanic, and trying to treat it as such just results in a messy or bad game.

Whoa AtO catching strays? I enjoy it a lot, particularly great that it's multiplayer

It's funny, I think soulslike games gave me a lot more patience and endurance, I remember several times fighting a boss for an hour+ over and over until I "get it" then when you finally win... The victory feels sooooo earned.

That's a fine take. If you realize you're not having fun, there's no shame in stopping. For me, the dopamine rush of finally killing a boss after several attempts is worth it. Although the number of attempts I'm willing to put in is quite limited (~15), and I have quit several games after hitting a road block.

No no no no. No. You ever played DOOM? And i dont mean the recent incarnations, i mean the original one. No Parry. Only damage and more damage. And lots of endorfines. BFE. I hate parrying.

It is a fun game - I bought it and have put a dozen hours or so into it, but it also really doesn't capture the brilliance of Slay the Spire or the other more influential roguelike deckbuilders. In particular, a lot of it feels either clunky or repetitive. It *is* a good game, but *just* good rather than amazing.

I like how it's used in the new Indiana Jones game. You can approach fights like a hack-n-slash and just wail on people, but occasionally they dodge or parry, and you need to react. But fights aren't about waiting to parry like Jason Bourne, it's just a useful ability.

I'm inclined to agree on the latest release, but Doom 2016 is fucking amazing.

Semi-Ramblomatic is also his long-form content. Fully Ramblomatic, which used to run as Zero Punctuation, is even more concise.

Glad to see second wind is doing so well. I haven't been back to the escapist since the exodus.