It's games like these that make me wish there were a mixed option for reviews. I'm so torn. I do enjoy this game, but I completely understand why people are frustrated by stuff regarding this game.
Here's the TL;DR:
Q:Is it fun?
A:kinda***
Q:If it is why are you giving a negative review?
A:Because I can't leave a mixed review and I skewed more negative.
Now here's the long version.
I've basically done everything so I thought I'd give my thoughts:
[h1]Of course there are positives[/h1]
I would not be spending so much time writing this review and playing this game if I thought there were none. The game is quite charming and I do enjoy that there are a lot the game doesn't explain. Organically figuring things out is very satisfying and feels quite retro. Even if you are stumped, I absolutely adore the fact that there is a phone number you can call to figure out how to unlock characters. Seriously, even if you already unlocked everyone, I highly recommend giving it a whirl. it's on the main website for this game. https://www.darkscrolls.com/
Despite how easy most of them are, I do quite like the boss designs. They don't need to be these complex 10-phase nightmares and some of them did things that surprised me[spoiler]the final boss shoving the screen forward was very clever[/spoiler] though I wished more of the bosses did stuff like that.
It's also a complete experience. Hate to say it, but that's pretty uncommon nowadays. The whole thing for a modest price. If they do release new content, which I don't think they'll do, I might be a little skeeved depending on what the content is but as it stands it is a full game.
Now with that all said, why a negative review?
[h1]The game isn't very stable[/h1]
I've actually played one of their previous games, Gato Roboto, and had very few complaints about the performance of the game. This one however has some issues. On multiple occasions, the game completely crashed and I lost progress. The game's framerate on my set up (a GPD Win Mini) was better in windowed mode than in full screen. Also, the achievements appear to be bugged. Unless there is some additional unique condition for the characters or they have some other definition of "recruit", I'm pretty sure I got them.
[h1]The game lacks features that I'd expect a game like this to have[/h1]
There really should be key binding but from what I've seen there isn't. There is a whole controller that I'm not using and for a game like this, I'd like to use other buttons aside from the face buttons. That would also remove conflicts with stuff like using your "ult" and interacting with objects. They are fortunate that Steam Input exists but even as a matter of convenience it should be a feature.
[h1]The game's balance/rewards are very strange[/h1]
[h2]These characters are not made equal.[/h2]
Sure, they do have unique abilities and strengths/weaknesses. However, some completely decimate this game while others don't seem to have the same value. There are characters in this side-scrolling platformer that straight up fly while others get a modest double jump. Some characters have ways of being completely intangible for a LONG time basically guaranteeing victory while some simply don't have those benefits.
I'm not saying to remove the strengths of the characters, but just make sure that they feel at least close to each other in power. I liked most of the cast, but those few that I didn't, I saw little to no reason to play them. Give them something to really make them shine like [spoiler] the dwarf's ability to skip the gobbo toll and cheese gobbo[/spoiler] which I really enjoy. I love when a character has the ability to do something crazy and it allows for it.
Quick side note, I wish there were more non-human characters to play as.
[h2]Another thing are the enemies.[/h2]
I actually really enjoy the different enemies and think their abilities are good and add some diverse challenges to face. However, in this side-scrolling schmup, there really should be more enemies. There are many moments where there are just no enemies on screen with nothing for me to do but wait. For the portion before a bossfight, that makes sense(though I'd make the period shorter). Before an enemy wave attack?
[h2]This has effects on the economy of the game.[/h2]
Of course you need gold to get upgrades but depending on your layout, you might just get nothing. There was a time when I flawlessly beat a level and killed basically everything and opened every chest. I got one upgrade. If that was the intent of the enemy density, add more enemies and make them drop less. That said, I'm not sure that it is. There are some instances where I get flooded in cash and can get two or three upgrades. Due to, again, the enemies, sometimes you just don't get the same rewards even if you played better.
[h2]Then there's that damn cannon[/h2]
At around the midpoint of every level, there is a small gauntlet where enemies will be spawned in to attack you in waves. If you beat every wave, there is a cannon that is offered to you. When you interact with it, the cannon shoots you forward to the next shop skipping a hefty portion of the level. Now honestly, considering how important money is to collect, [b]why on earth would anyone do this?[/b] Now you're short on cash and you skipped the whole reason why you paid for the game. The cannon is the strangest design decision I've seen in a game in a while offering only one benefit: it saved you time you didn't need to save. [spoiler]That is unless the one non-bugged achievement I haven't gotten, Eggedplant, requires you to do the levels faster[/spoiler]
[h1]Finally, the end[/h1]
Lots of strengths and lots of negatives. This game's mixed rating is well deserved. It definitely has an audience but it's most certainly not for everyone.
