Jesus....Where do i even begin? this'll definitely be a long comment so get a snack if you got one nearby.
Before i get into the game itself i have to say this, never played undertale before. i've watched it enough to know the lore and how the gameplay works mechanically, but as for playing it first hand? Zero experience.
Love Maniac recreates its gameplay almost perfectly with a few small differences.
Now for those of you that DO care about completing the game 100%, it IS NOT possible in this version, being 0.3.4. Even if it was, it is very unforgiving..
If you're aiming for smth close to 100% in v0.3.4, be warned: it's hell on earth.. You'll be restarting constantly because there's no proper retry/no-hit mode, and getting second-round scenes requires awkward resets or dying. I reached about 95% completion except the second round variants of the Vanity skin, The Ring/pale skin(or thats what i choose to assume the skins' reference is from),the G-spot scene(which is what im also choosing to call it), and the no hit run.
The no-hit run is easily the hardest part due to RNG. there is also NOTHING in place to actually let the game know you're trying to no hit the battle, so much so to where i managed to find a bug in the extremely polished Love Maniac.
(For the devs who read the comments, i mangaged to get it through the "Soul Chain" attack, where a chain brings you closer to chara whilist dodging slashes and knife attacks. if you just hug the top right wall or hug the top direction chara is on, the knives just become invisible and intangible all at once, its kinda hilarious and also takes more than one try.)
i would've completed it 100% even with the no-hit run , but forgot to use the pill before the final attack.
I won't talk the rest of you guys' head off and i'll get straight to the point.
Tips,tricks and ticks to "100%ing" the game:
The only three attacks you need to worry about dodging are the following (which have their own rating of how unforgiving they are out of 10) WILL BE OUTDATED AFTER 0.3.4 PATCH:
1. Shooting stars and Knives 9.5/10: the attack that starts off with an array of randomly places knives then stars that shoot at you with the knives resting in their thrown position. Pure RNG. Hug a corner (bottom-right worked best for me) near a knife cluster to better predict the stars.
2. Laser Volley/Slash Frenzy 8/10: the randomly spawned slashes that hit you somehow not at random, but at a speed where you won't be able to tell which one came first to dodge them. (so if you sometimes get by unscathed and wonder how tf you did it, its because they dont all hit at once.) Use X to slow your movement and squeeze through tiny gaps.
3. Cloud knives: 7.5/10 while the attack itself is more dodgeable than the previous ones, if you try to speed through the dialogue like i did, a sheet of knives will spawn before you have a chance to react to them, which could mess up your no-hit run.
(Every other attack is simple enough to where you can dodge it with moderate effort.)
3.5. Save with a pill in your inventory for faster retries.
4. Take your time: the attacks cannot and will not be sped up in anyway, if you're moving too fast you WILL get hit by an attack and get annoyed that you could've easily dodged it.(it happened to me on multiple occasions)
4.5. **You cannot 100% this version of the game.** as of 0.3.4, the SideBJ scene, the one you purchase in the shop has a "second round" variant. Which unfortnately can't be obtained,because the pill can only be used in battle, not the lobby where it's purchased.
(Maybe buying it while already having a pill works. I didn't test it after a nonstop 6+ hours of playing. It's probably not a bug but i'm kind of using "100%" very friviously. sorry to burst your bubble about it.
5. You do not HAVE to attack chara to get the no hit run scene: You don't have to attack Chara to get it, using every ACT option works, almost even better than attacking.
5.5 Buy another pill after unlocking every second-round scene. i've made the mistake of going in another battle without another pill, the tip is purely for those going in blind like i did...well not anymore if you're reading this comment.
6: (While this is unproven because i can't exactly tell at 2 in the morning.) The pill might increase Slash Frenzys' difficulty during no-hit runs, but I can't confirm it. however im almost positive more slashes of Slash Frenzy spawn during a no hit run after taking a pill. Take this tip with a grain of salt, i MAY be trippin tf out.
Overall the game is very solid, Despite the frustrating "100%" grind on my first blind playthrough, I'd still give Love Maniac an 8.5/10. Great gameplay, animations, and overall amazing polish. Would i play it again? absolutely. but hopefully the difficulty gets a more casual approach than what it is currently,and honestly my first no hit run was genuinely a fluke.
My complaints on this playthrough are as such:
- No dedicated no-hit retry mode.
- Returning to the main menu gives no warning about losing unsaved progress (currency/items if you didn't save).
- No-hit attempts could use a little forgiveness, like a purchasable one-time shield called "Broken shield".
I've definitely typed out more than i should have and i have edited this comment as best as i can to fit the "comment" vibe.
Funny notes of my experience when playing the game:
1. charas OST distinctly reminds me of that one vtubers' song, "Cry for me". you'll hear if if you listen to the theme long enough. trust me..
2. for Nebby lovers, Rejoice, for there is a secret scene in the game that can't be manually obtained or unlocked. and it is a rare scene that is able to be activated by just walking in and out of nebbys' shop. i obviously won't tell you what the scene is because....play the fucking game, but its definitely worth every second of your time if you do end up getting it.
3. the "Pale" skin for chara is missing sprites on the "ACT" actions, it's lowkey hilarious when i first saw it.
4. Saying "No" at the start only changes dialogue.
4.5. the names i gave to the attacks of charas' battle are completely made up by yours truly.
Best of luck to those who still choose to "100%" the 0.3.4 version of Love maniac. WITHOUT CHEATING
And to the devs or dev, that read this comment. You guys did a really amazing job. Love Maniac is "100%" worth the download.