Picked up the starry new metrovan, Worldless. It's pretty cool! Does some interesting things with the metroidvania formula. There are the typical progression locks that are solved by finding a new powerup, a double-jump or what have you, but the combat system is a rhythm-ish JRPG thing that interacts with exploration in interesting ways.
A lot of the time progression isn't blocked by a locked door or movement obstacle but by a tough encounter. Theoretically if you play skillfully enough you can overcome these enemies, but like the bridges in Dragon Quest if you bump into a big bruiser you know you're headed in the wrong direction. In this way the game funnels you along the intended path in a manner that feels more organic than metroidvanias typically do, which sometimes can become a little obvious with need-double-jump-find-double-jump lock and key pathing. In order to progress here you need to find encounters of appropriate difficulty in order to level up. Luckily, the map is here to help you out.
The game gives you a lot of freedom from the get-go, clearly directing you down one of these spokes but allowing you to poke your head in several others. After a only couple story beats it really gives you free reign to get lost down any of these branches. Each of the branches is a big interconnected stage and the nodes on the map approximate where you are in that space. The nodes are important because they mark where a level-up can be found. Each node is associated with one encounter, and each encounter is a level, thus the map is also a guide to your character progression.
Level-ups are spent on sphere-stilations to purchase new moves. These allow you to respond to and control battles more effectively; to take on harder encounters and explore more of the map, which gives you access to more nodes, and thus more levels and more character progression. It's a nice loop.
Texture is introduced into the loop through the break mechanic. It's possible to beat a monster but not get the level. In order to actually earn that node you've got to absorb the monster's power by filling the gage in the bottom right past a certain threshold and then doing a little QTE. More inputs on the QTE are revealed the higher the gage is filled, but you can attempt it as soon as the gage passes the line. However, missing an input drops the gage and thus represents a significant backslide in the battle's progress.
It's entirely possible to just barely be able to kill a monster--and unlock all the map beyond it--but not be able to break it. Coming back to it when stronger requires careful consideration because it's also possible to over-level and thus make an easy encounter difficult to break because you're just too darn effective.
This makes for interesting exploration as there's always a push-pull between testing the limits of how far you can push forward and retreating to gather strength. The way the game weaves metroidvania exploration with JRPG character progression is engaging and unique. It's an interesting expression of the formula.
As you can see the game's a looker. It's got cool mythic vibes and a gorgeous minimalistic style. Your character is a charming constellation person with tons of personality rendered through nothing more than five dots and a lens flair. When you pull up the map you zoom into her star-head to see the constellation of her thoughts. Flowers spring up at her feat as she runs around. Cool stuff like that.
Game's pretty neat! Worth checking out if you're a metrofan or looking for a different kind of JRPG experience. Don't be expecting any worlds though or you'll end up pretty disappointed.
A lot of the time progression isn't blocked by a locked door or movement obstacle but by a tough encounter. Theoretically if you play skillfully enough you can overcome these enemies, but like the bridges in Dragon Quest if you bump into a big bruiser you know you're headed in the wrong direction. In this way the game funnels you along the intended path in a manner that feels more organic than metroidvanias typically do, which sometimes can become a little obvious with need-double-jump-find-double-jump lock and key pathing. In order to progress here you need to find encounters of appropriate difficulty in order to level up. Luckily, the map is here to help you out.
The game gives you a lot of freedom from the get-go, clearly directing you down one of these spokes but allowing you to poke your head in several others. After a only couple story beats it really gives you free reign to get lost down any of these branches. Each of the branches is a big interconnected stage and the nodes on the map approximate where you are in that space. The nodes are important because they mark where a level-up can be found. Each node is associated with one encounter, and each encounter is a level, thus the map is also a guide to your character progression.
Level-ups are spent on sphere-stilations to purchase new moves. These allow you to respond to and control battles more effectively; to take on harder encounters and explore more of the map, which gives you access to more nodes, and thus more levels and more character progression. It's a nice loop.
Texture is introduced into the loop through the break mechanic. It's possible to beat a monster but not get the level. In order to actually earn that node you've got to absorb the monster's power by filling the gage in the bottom right past a certain threshold and then doing a little QTE. More inputs on the QTE are revealed the higher the gage is filled, but you can attempt it as soon as the gage passes the line. However, missing an input drops the gage and thus represents a significant backslide in the battle's progress.
It's entirely possible to just barely be able to kill a monster--and unlock all the map beyond it--but not be able to break it. Coming back to it when stronger requires careful consideration because it's also possible to over-level and thus make an easy encounter difficult to break because you're just too darn effective.
This makes for interesting exploration as there's always a push-pull between testing the limits of how far you can push forward and retreating to gather strength. The way the game weaves metroidvania exploration with JRPG character progression is engaging and unique. It's an interesting expression of the formula.
As you can see the game's a looker. It's got cool mythic vibes and a gorgeous minimalistic style. Your character is a charming constellation person with tons of personality rendered through nothing more than five dots and a lens flair. When you pull up the map you zoom into her star-head to see the constellation of her thoughts. Flowers spring up at her feat as she runs around. Cool stuff like that.
Game's pretty neat! Worth checking out if you're a metrofan or looking for a different kind of JRPG experience. Don't be expecting any worlds though or you'll end up pretty disappointed.
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