Edit: After coming back to play with a gamepad, I have discovered so many game design sins in the first few minutes that I'm completely turned off. Lengthy, unskippable dialogue, how to replenish your potions is not explained. The first time I returned to the sanctuary and exited, my progress was not saved; this time, I played until I had explored the whole lower section to dead ends, returned to the sanctuary, was presented with the character progression menu, and still can't tell if my progress was saved. I'm not sure if I was supposed to die back there to trigger something, or what. I'm also not sure if I'll ever launch this game again. Nice idea, gorgeous graphics, save your money.
---
I'm certain I'll be back to play this game with a gamepad, but the first moments were very off-putting for someone who wasn't expecting the default controls (and might have been off-putting regardless.) You begin the game with the menus disabled, dropped into a gorgeous hand-drawn environment where your character is trudging, slowly and against the wind, through desert sands. After a moment, you realize the only button at your disposal is the right arrow, so you hold it for what I think was about 30 seconds, watching your character trudge and trudge through an empty landscape, before you get a brief eldritch animation and access to the menu.
Now that I have access to the menu, I see that rebinding the movement keys to WASD would require me to also rebind some other functions, already bound to those buttons, but I don't know what those functions are because (as the menu helpfully informs me) I haven't unlocked them yet.
I am annoyed enough to put this aside for a while, and return to it with a gamepad later. Everybody else seems to have enjoyed it enough that I'm confident I will, as well, but not with the keyboard setup and not right after that introduction.
i have changed the OS to linux, and i have the game copy in Epic games, exists a possibility to download the game without piracy or obtaining the game again?
This is going to maybe sound extra but I think that's okay.
I haven't been a videogame person at any point in my life, which has left me feeling like I fall behind when talking to people about videogames and overall game nights. So I decided I should try my hand at getting into them because I just felt like I was missing out!
I stumbled across this game, and I'm a sucker for anything eldritch, so I was very excited when I saw the name pop up.
I clicked and saw the screencaps, and I thought they looked so fucking cool and creative. So I decided so give it a try!
It did NOT disappoint.
The controls were easy to understand. The gameplay is rewarding. Everything hits that sweet spot of being challenging enough and yet not dissuading or annoyingly difficult. Everything feels like an impossible puzzle that you managed to solve. And the skill tree is extremely rewarding to fill out.
I played through both endings and I honestly can't get enough of it.
And to boot the whole thing is simply GORGEOUS to look at!
This game has officially flung me full force into gaming. Though I'm very scared no other game will be able to keep up with this awesome start.
Just finished the game (normal mode), and... definitely a hidden gem.
Most abilities feel great : each one is very useful in its way during combat and easy to pull out, and even though I never seen this keyboard layout, it was actually great! The gravity boots were rarely useful, but it's not like the player didn't already have enough tools at this point.
The game design and style hit me really hard. The rng rooms really feel natural, and the non-rng ones are absolutely beautiful. Especially the last world, I don't know what devs smoked to end up with something so incredible.
All enemies' patterns (I maintain, 100% of them) are really clear, and it rarely took me more than a minute to figure them out. The hardest to understand was the cathedral final boss, but that was because the big crystal wasn't in my field of view when I stun one of the bosses the couple first tries.
It feels like the player is better to do a first run to see where the points of interest are. My first one was really chaotic, and I often found myself skipping areas and bosses only to get back there overpowered. Although, corrupting the air dash was very strong. This thing really overshadowed the grappling hook and gravity boots, allowing me to fly everywhere with 6-8 energy, so I recommend keeping normal air dash to appreciate the game.
Even though it was definitely my biggest surprise in 2022, I avoided it a few times while scrolling in my Ukraine bundle because to be honest, I was so used to games being unbalanced that when I saw the trailer, I thought it was another one where the player is getting thrown tons of enemies at without much balance.
I think that's a game one must play in order to see how fun it is, and would recommend it to anyone who's into metroidvanias.
Definitely a sick job in that game, thanks so much for putting that in Ukraine Bundle!
Got it in Ukrain bundle and just tried yesterday... and heck, I was far from expecting the fun it'd provide me.
I wonder why it didn't seem that popular (considering Hollow Knight and Dead Cells)... maybe people already saw too many dark-themed metroidvanias?
Though, even with each run bringing more than enough RNG (in a very nice way, that is), the non-random bosses, worlds, core abilities and story reminds me too much that I'm still playing on the "same" map as each previous run. Though, it's still a very good game if I put that aside and just focus on remembering what I learnt before to progress easier through the map. The harder modes should also definitely bring me some more fun. One of the best aspect tho : Even though the game is pretty detailed, it runs flawlessly on integrated graphics.
Also, if walljumping precisely, one can actually climb a wall, which allows to pass some rooms that would require double jump, without even unlocking that ability.
Had this game for ages sitting around, sicne I bought it in some "bundle for *current local crisis*" bundle.
Finally decided to play it, really good game, played thorugh it in the last 5 or so days. Only final boss left. went for a 100% corrupted run since those abilities are super useful! :-)
When I first got the "Bundle for Ukraine" I wasn't too sure what I was expecting to find on the list. But this game has been far from a disappointment, it brings a great platforming experience together with fast and simple combat. The graphics and artwork are amazing and I have yet to be truly disappointed. The enemy spawn rate is a bit crazy but I play all my games on Hard or higher so that would more than likely explain that. If anyone is looking for a fun platformer with great graphics and enjoyable combat then Sundered is easily at the top of my list, with or without the bundle.
Pardon my language, but what the fuck is up with the enemy spawn rates in this game? It feels like a dozen enemies spawn per second in areas that I just fought my way through.
It's especially bad with those guys who can shoot lasers at me from across the map. I go to clear out a cluster of those, and just then like four or five more spawn on a platform I just dropped down from.
Am I doing something wrong, because all I can do when things get this crazy is run.
There are areas with "infinite hordes" (when you enter the area you get that text that comes into view with red border announcing infinite hordes). Basically you kill one and another pops up. They are meant to be challenging to get through, but usually have a perk you can unlock.
EDIT: I mention this because I literally stayed in an area for 30 minutes fighting my way through before I realized what was going on, and I was almost done with the game before I noticed the notification whenever I entered those areas -__-
Astounding game, with tight controls and a gorgeous art style/fluid hand-drawn animation. Compelling story and great Lovecraft-ian enemy designs. I am sad that I missed out on this masterpiece when it was first released, but better late than never.
This game clicked immediately because I had a very similar idea of a metroidvania where the character could embrace/resist caos (with pros and cons on each side) I'm definitely going to give this one a try!
I played through the whole of Jotun and loved it, then came to this and had the same feeling. The art style is just sooo good and the combat is quite challenging as well. Really loved it.
Onto Spiritfarer next and then whatever else you release after!!!
I'm about halfway through and couldn't resist leaving some comment now cause this game is a freaking marvel. When the game started I just sat and stared at Eshe standing there for a few minutes cause the art is so good that I thought it was a cutscene. The game controls like a dream, and it solidly filled the metroidvania shaped hole left after I'd finished Hollow Knight. It turns out the true elder beings deserving of out worship were the animators all along.
Sidescrolling Metroidvania with some roguelite progression mechanics. The fluid animations and feeling of the combat is rather addicting, even if it isnt super deep. However, exploring, walljumping and navigating the levels to unlock new level areas while unlocking more skill boosts is just a darn addicting little gameplay loop that is hard to put down. Even if it doesnt quite reach the heights of the best in the Metroidvania genre, it just adds a fantastic art style and an intriguing background story with multiple endings on top of its 15 hour package, and you got a very, very enjoyable game. 4,5/5
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Very good game, loved the aesthetic and the gameplay.
Edit: After coming back to play with a gamepad, I have discovered so many game design sins in the first few minutes that I'm completely turned off. Lengthy, unskippable dialogue, how to replenish your potions is not explained. The first time I returned to the sanctuary and exited, my progress was not saved; this time, I played until I had explored the whole lower section to dead ends, returned to the sanctuary, was presented with the character progression menu, and still can't tell if my progress was saved. I'm not sure if I was supposed to die back there to trigger something, or what. I'm also not sure if I'll ever launch this game again. Nice idea, gorgeous graphics, save your money.
---
I'm certain I'll be back to play this game with a gamepad, but the first moments were very off-putting for someone who wasn't expecting the default controls (and might have been off-putting regardless.) You begin the game with the menus disabled, dropped into a gorgeous hand-drawn environment where your character is trudging, slowly and against the wind, through desert sands. After a moment, you realize the only button at your disposal is the right arrow, so you hold it for what I think was about 30 seconds, watching your character trudge and trudge through an empty landscape, before you get a brief eldritch animation and access to the menu.
Now that I have access to the menu, I see that rebinding the movement keys to WASD would require me to also rebind some other functions, already bound to those buttons, but I don't know what those functions are because (as the menu helpfully informs me) I haven't unlocked them yet.
I am annoyed enough to put this aside for a while, and return to it with a gamepad later. Everybody else seems to have enjoyed it enough that I'm confident I will, as well, but not with the keyboard setup and not right after that introduction.
I love this metroidvania! I also made a short video (in French) to present Sundered :
i have changed the OS to linux, and i have the game copy in Epic games, exists a possibility to download the game without piracy or obtaining the game again?
This is going to maybe sound extra but I think that's okay.
I haven't been a videogame person at any point in my life, which has left me feeling like I fall behind when talking to people about videogames and overall game nights. So I decided I should try my hand at getting into them because I just felt like I was missing out!
I stumbled across this game, and I'm a sucker for anything eldritch, so I was very excited when I saw the name pop up.
I clicked and saw the screencaps, and I thought they looked so fucking cool and creative. So I decided so give it a try!
It did NOT disappoint.
The controls were easy to understand. The gameplay is rewarding. Everything hits that sweet spot of being challenging enough and yet not dissuading or annoyingly difficult. Everything feels like an impossible puzzle that you managed to solve. And the skill tree is extremely rewarding to fill out.
I played through both endings and I honestly can't get enough of it.
And to boot the whole thing is simply GORGEOUS to look at!
This game has officially flung me full force into gaming. Though I'm very scared no other game will be able to keep up with this awesome start.
are you SURE you haven't been a videogame person before this? because this sounds like a professional review XD
same energy as
"sorry for poor english"
*academy level essay*
Is there a way to play it with a PS5 dualsense controller?
This was such a blast to play!
Just finished the game (normal mode), and... definitely a hidden gem.
Most abilities feel great : each one is very useful in its way during combat and easy to pull out, and even though I never seen this keyboard layout, it was actually great! The gravity boots were rarely useful, but it's not like the player didn't already have enough tools at this point.
The game design and style hit me really hard. The rng rooms really feel natural, and the non-rng ones are absolutely beautiful. Especially the last world, I don't know what devs smoked to end up with something so incredible.
All enemies' patterns (I maintain, 100% of them) are really clear, and it rarely took me more than a minute to figure them out. The hardest to understand was the cathedral final boss, but that was because the big crystal wasn't in my field of view when I stun one of the bosses the couple first tries.
It feels like the player is better to do a first run to see where the points of interest are. My first one was really chaotic, and I often found myself skipping areas and bosses only to get back there overpowered.
Although, corrupting the air dash was very strong. This thing really overshadowed the grappling hook and gravity boots, allowing me to fly everywhere with 6-8 energy, so I recommend keeping normal air dash to appreciate the game.
Even though it was definitely my biggest surprise in 2022, I avoided it a few times while scrolling in my Ukraine bundle because to be honest, I was so used to games being unbalanced that when I saw the trailer, I thought it was another one where the player is getting thrown tons of enemies at without much balance.
I think that's a game one must play in order to see how fun it is, and would recommend it to anyone who's into metroidvanias.
Definitely a sick job in that game, thanks so much for putting that in Ukraine Bundle!
Got it in Ukrain bundle and just tried yesterday... and heck, I was far from expecting the fun it'd provide me.
I wonder why it didn't seem that popular (considering Hollow Knight and Dead Cells)... maybe people already saw too many dark-themed metroidvanias?
Though, even with each run bringing more than enough RNG (in a very nice way, that is), the non-random bosses, worlds, core abilities and story reminds me too much that I'm still playing on the "same" map as each previous run.
Though, it's still a very good game if I put that aside and just focus on remembering what I learnt before to progress easier through the map. The harder modes should also definitely bring me some more fun.
One of the best aspect tho : Even though the game is pretty detailed, it runs flawlessly on integrated graphics.
Also, if walljumping precisely, one can actually climb a wall, which allows to pass some rooms that would require double jump, without even unlocking that ability.
This Shining Trapezohedron person seems friendly, I trust them.
I really enjoyed this gorgeous game, with great gameplay and many different path possibilities. Probably a must-play for metroidvania fans!
Had this game for ages sitting around, sicne I bought it in some "bundle for *current local crisis*" bundle.
Finally decided to play it, really good game, played thorugh it in the last 5 or so days.
Only final boss left.
went for a 100% corrupted run since those abilities are super useful! :-)
Quite the special game, I enjoyed playing it a lot, though the theme already appealed to me.
When I first got the "Bundle for Ukraine" I wasn't too sure what I was expecting to find on the list. But this game has been far from a disappointment, it brings a great platforming experience together with fast and simple combat. The graphics and artwork are amazing and I have yet to be truly disappointed. The enemy spawn rate is a bit crazy but I play all my games on Hard or higher so that would more than likely explain that. If anyone is looking for a fun platformer with great graphics and enjoyable combat then Sundered is easily at the top of my list, with or without the bundle.
leaving the current queer bundle aside, those super "bundle for *current political trend topic*" are always very worth their money.
and after like 3-4 days of the bundle start, many sites will tell you the best games in the bundles :-)
Pardon my language, but what the fuck is up with the enemy spawn rates in this game? It feels like a dozen enemies spawn per second in areas that I just fought my way through.
It's especially bad with those guys who can shoot lasers at me from across the map. I go to clear out a cluster of those, and just then like four or five more spawn on a platform I just dropped down from.
Am I doing something wrong, because all I can do when things get this crazy is run.
There are areas with "infinite hordes" (when you enter the area you get that text that comes into view with red border announcing infinite hordes). Basically you kill one and another pops up. They are meant to be challenging to get through, but usually have a perk you can unlock.
EDIT: I mention this because I literally stayed in an area for 30 minutes fighting my way through before I realized what was going on, and I was almost done with the game before I noticed the notification whenever I entered those areas -__-
Very good metroidvania, love the art style.
Praise Joko !
Doesn't even support Xbox controller on linux properly. Disappointed.
Astounding game, with tight controls and a gorgeous art style/fluid hand-drawn animation. Compelling story and great Lovecraft-ian enemy designs. I am sad that I missed out on this masterpiece when it was first released, but better late than never.
Game of the bundle for sure.
After the first boss fight I was hooked. Terrific game. Beautiful art, especially in the later enemies.
This game clicked immediately because I had a very similar idea of a metroidvania where the character could embrace/resist caos (with pros and cons on each side)
I'm definitely going to give this one a try!
Also, I loved Spiritfarer <3
I played through the whole of Jotun and loved it, then came to this and had the same feeling. The art style is just sooo good and the combat is quite challenging as well. Really loved it.
Onto Spiritfarer next and then whatever else you release after!!!
I'm about halfway through and couldn't resist leaving some comment now cause this game is a freaking marvel.
When the game started I just sat and stared at Eshe standing there for a few minutes cause the art is so good that I thought it was a cutscene. The game controls like a dream, and it solidly filled the metroidvania shaped hole left after I'd finished Hollow Knight.
It turns out the true elder beings deserving of out worship were the animators all along.
Concerteza vou compra o game, muito show seu game.
Sidescrolling Metroidvania with some roguelite progression mechanics. The fluid animations and feeling of the combat is rather addicting, even if it isnt super deep. However, exploring, walljumping and navigating the levels to unlock new level areas while unlocking more skill boosts is just a darn addicting little gameplay loop that is hard to put down. Even if it doesnt quite reach the heights of the best in the Metroidvania genre, it just adds a fantastic art style and an intriguing background story with multiple endings on top of its 15 hour package, and you got a very, very enjoyable game. 4,5/5
More Itch Bundle impressions: https://tomalexi.itch.io/
Youtube Channel: http://bit.ly/YTPList