Almost Dark-Souls - bongseng
Final Score: 4/5 Stars
Before getting into the game, I'm happy to have found the original creator of assets that I've previously seen displayed here on Itch.io. They are simple but extremely functional and interesting artworks.
The description already demonstrates immense humility on the part of the original creator and shows due credit to all the music creators.
Moving on to the game, unfortunately it doesn't have an executable file, being 100% played via the web. Which, in a way, can be negative from my point of view, but in a general and impartial view of mine, it's a matter of preference.
The game being controlled by the arrow keys seems, at the very least, a bit outdated, especially for a game of this decade. Most games nowadays have WASD inputs because it's relatively easier to do everything with just one hand, and most of the inputs used are a finger's distance from each other.
For example: If the game were WASD, the attack could be on R and the Shield on Q, which would make the entire gameplay of attacking, defending, and healing much more effective. Because all the keys would be a finger's width apart.
So much so that the current keybinds don't even fit correctly on the fingers; you almost have to make a claw grip to use the current keybinds, which proves a negative input planning.
Normally, good planning is one where the hand can be at rest or comfortable at all times, without needing strange movements. That's how games and controls are usually designed.
The character and boss selection screen doesn't have much to say about it; I feel it lacks some background music, or at least some sound feedback when clicking the buttons. As well as a little decoration that would bring a different feel to the page.
I will test all the characters and all the bosses to be able to give a more informed opinion on the game.
The gameplay loop is simple, since it's a boss rush.
I think that to a certain extent, the replayability is there, through character selection and trying to figure out which character is the meta for each boss.
The game has no controller compatibility whatsoever, which some might consider a negative factor.
The first character I tested was Knight 2H.
The animations are simple and functional; I feel that Taurus's attack repertoire is so simple that it's memorable right after the first attack.
BUG: IT'S POSSIBLE TO ROLL WHILE STANDING STILL
BUG: SOMETIMES, EVEN WHILE ROLLING UNDER THE TAURUS WHILE HE ATTACKS, THE ATTACK HITS THE CHARACTER, GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT THE DAMAGE COLLIDER IS THE ENTIRE BODY AND NOT JUST HIS WEAPON.
The excessively limited space makes movement extremely difficult, since in just a few steps we are already within the Taurus's attack range, creating a short window to heal.
The Taurus's attack range is too large for the size of the map.
BUG: THE TAURUS CAN ATTACK FROM BEHIND FOR SOME REASON.
BUG: OUR CHARACTER'S DAMAGE COLLIDER IS MISCONFIGURED, SINCE IT'S POSSIBLE TO DAMAGE THE TAURUS JUST BY TOUCHING HIS AXE. Even with his health below zero, the Taurus managed to attack and kill my character.
For some reason, as soon as we win, we get a death screen giving us the option to return to the menu, something that could have been easily solved by simply opening the same options after victory.
The next character I will test will be Tarkus.
The Bell Gargoyle's arsenal, compared to Taurus's, is a bit larger, but still easy to memorize, and especially easy to defend against, since using the shield absorbs all damage.
I liked the fact that a second Bell Gargoyle appears, just like in the original Dark Souls, however, like Taurus, it becomes a bigger problem due to the tiny map dimensions.
I missed the music in the battle against the Bell Gargoyle.
The last character I will test will be the Knight 1H+Shield.
In general, it's a simple Boss-Rush game, with basic mechanics, but all of them work correctly and are responsive. I felt that the biggest problem here is the map dimensions and the colliders. I think a larger combat area would make it easier to use the mechanics properly. The art direction is simple but well-constructed. The bosses function correctly, and each one has a repertoire similar to the original games. The characters are unique, but there isn't much difference between Tarkus and Knight 1H, since the mechanics are practically the same. I feel that a long-range character or one with spells would work well as a third character.