Death In Abyss

It's a very nice looking game, good controlling game, fun idea of a game. And while I admit I have not beaten the game yet I feel like I've observed a bit. The enemy variety is small, though so is the level count so the variety being low is pretty reasonable. Main reason I'm not recommending is because the game feels, unfair. Like a projectile that can travel faster than you that homes in as well. Gotta dodge roll into the attack to get rid of it but that's the same direction most of the melee enemies are so you're diving into danger to get rid of danger. Enemy count is very high but most of the enemies you'll see aren't worth the health or progress to kill (The little bitty things) but sure can take a quarter-ish or fifth-ish of your health away in a single hit. I got stuck on level 5, because for reasons beyond me they added an insta kill enemy with a very high amount of health that can reverse your progress if you try to just avoid it. It feels a little too hostile type of difficult instead of fun type of difficult, especially with how limited your gameplay options are

Its a cool concept it really is and the earlier levels are fun but there's a point where its no longer a climb and is just a brick wall. I got as far as Reternal and that's when the difficulty spike got to be too much. The hoard levels where you are fighting dozens of enemies is great. You are taught to constantly be on the move, pace your boost, and time your dodges to enemies. Its a fast paced combat puzzle of managing your resources. The enemies also all look incredibly interesting. Each one is unique and brings something to the table that honestly adds to the experince. The ugly is the boss fights unfortunately. The health system of this game revolves on either being so good you never get hit or constantly killing enemies. The plausible line of that is between the two. Unfortunately this goes right out the door the moment you get to a boss battle. Bosses have parts that you can damage to get a bit of health back but usually this also progresses the fight and makes it harder. You have to learn what the best order to break these parts is or to pace yourself while damaging them. Thats at least true for the first one. Returnal, that boss is honestly ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in its second phase. I streamed it while playing and died 183 times without ever getting it bellow a quarter of its visible health. Id refund the game if I hadn't wasted so much time on that one level because I'm effectively locked out of the rest of the game by it. It spews more projectiles at you than the cumulative sum of enemies from any other level and you honestly can not boost enough to get your bearings. It is misery. I understand the desire to make a hard game. It makes sense for something of an arcade or endless style, but when you have a campaign the removal of difficulty options soils it for people who honestly just aren't good enough to enjoy it.