Ruining It For Everyone Else Since 2004
Played a bit of Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. I’m currently on Chapter 1 Normal Difficulty, and it reeeally throws the kitchen sink at you in Single Player. I’m getting through it though. These games tend to be even better with friends… DAMN YOU TIMEZONES.
Went dancing through pretty shapes and lights in Outland! I gained the laser ability and destroyed a bunch of jellyfish. Apparently I got a “rare” achievement for finding 10 collectables. Although, looking at the global achievement stats for Outland it looks like not many have finished this game. Thanks to the Steam Deck though I might change that… a little. I seem to really like playing Metroidvanias on it, it just feels right.
As simple as it is in design – it does present a fun challenge. Time is literally everything in getting through some of these obstacles. If you’re red (dark) the red beams won’t hurt you, same if you turn blue (light) and run through the blue beams.
Timing, it’s everything.
Made some progress in Shantae: Half Genie Hero on Steam Deck! Next Stop: The Hypno Baron’s Castle!
Unlocked everything in the Whisker Squadron Survivor Demo! I think that means I have to buy it when it launches.
Been playing more of the Grim Guardians: Demon Purge Demo, it’s a fun challenge! So far I’ve managed to unlock a new technique that combines both characters, also I defeated the BAT BOSS. This really does a good job nailing the Castlevania aesthetic.
If you like Metroidvanias I recommend giving it a try!
It’s Steam’s Next Fest! That amazing time of year when indies release demos for the masses to play with! (Well, technically these games get released all the time… but for a short time we get to see them shine in the spotlight!) I’ve already found a few metroidvanias to pack onto my Steam Deck to try!
The first Demo I played was A Sister’s Journey; A colorful pixely Metroidvania where you play a young girl named Violet, and you’re on a journey to find your sister! (Duh!) Run and gun your way through enemies, climb beautiful pixelated landscapes and dart around to avoid dangerous spikes and pits. It did lag a little bit on my Steam Deck by a couple of the waterfalls, but with a little bit of tweaking the game runs much better. It even has settings for the Steam Deck in mind as shown above.
Another Metroidvania that caught my eye was Trinity Fusion. Unlike the other demos I downloaded today; this one uses 3D graphics! You have three parallel selves that you can control, each containing different abilities. Trinity Fusion also makes use of procedurally generated levels, meaning a different experience each time you die and restart. You can also gain different abilities and weapons along the way. It should go without saying, but my love of my life so far in the demo is the lightning katana!
Last and certainly not least is a Metroidvania that gives vibes of the old school Castlevania games. In Grim Guardians: Demon Purge you play as two demon slayers; Shinobu and Maya. Shinobu packs a gun and daggers to protect herself while Maya carries a sword and a Shinigami barrier. You can swap between both characters at any time. In fact, it’s a good idea to switch regularly as you start to lose health on either one. You also have a chance to revive your other self should you get skull-fucked by a bunch of enemies.
Maya is also capable of climbing into smaller areas, unlike her taller counterpart. I like being able to switch between two different play styles. Out of the three demos I played I think this one has my most attention. I might pay it another visit tomorrow!
Have you tried any demos during Next Fest? Feel free to share in the comments!
Back into Outland! And The Overlord’s heart grew six sizes that day… When you’re a klutz like me that’s a good thing. 😛 I didn’t get to play for too long, but I did uncover new ground and even found a secret in a previous area. Like with most metroidvanias I imagine I’ll be doing a lot of backtracking.
After all these years, many attempts and many breaks in between… I finally defeated the fucking warlock! WOO!!! HUZZAH!!! EXCELSIOR!!! That doesn’t mean that I completed the game – I still have a couple pages to find of the Warlock’s diary, and more achievements to grab, but I made that bastard wake the fuck up long enough to kick his ass!
Made more progress in Outland today! It took several tries, but The High Priestess was no match for The High Overlord! It was a tough battle, but eventually it became kinda like a game of Simon to me, only if you fuck up you’ll die.
Bonus: I CAN TELEPORT NOW!!!
Taking a break from one pummeling and getting through another one. In this case it’s Outland! I made quite a bit of progress! Increased my health, and now I can harness both the power of light and darkness in the name of getting more achievements!!! Bwahahahahahahaha!