I've been playing Oreshika-Tainted Bloodlines, or OTB for short,
for a good five hours. Those early stages were not exactly smooth, shall we
say; in fact, they were so uncomfortable that I considered quitting the game
entirely at some point. Fortunately, I soldiered on; and I'm glad I did,
because things are slowly but surely getting better between me and OTB.
But I'm getting ahead of myself there. OTB initially confused me to no
end with its outlandish gameplay mechanics — it still does, if I have to be
totally honest; but we're getting there. The game's weird mix of hand-holding
and free reining was especially bewildering for me: I initially mistook Kochin's
monthly suggestions for a lengthy tutorial, before realizing that they were
mere guidelines and that I still had to manage my time carefully to avoid
missing on important events. Another perplexing thing are the actual tutorials,
which tend to elaborate on obvious points that any seasoned RPG player should
figure out by themselves yet leave other important features completely in the
dark. So there's a tutorial to explain how to engage enemies, but none
whatsoever to explain the mechanics of stat blending in the Rite of Union? The
latter would have been a mite more useful than the former, methinks. And since
I'm mentioning the rite of union, why are the gods' stats not expressed via
numbers, and why do they flutter constantly? I get the feeling that you're
trying to confuse me here, game. Just like when you omit to tell me if
Heirlooms can be passed upon the next generation, leaving me agonizing about
whether or not it's worth investing in them. Or when you don't bother telling
me what Training and Bequeathing do, how and why I should use them. Or what all
those fancy elemental stats stand for. Such little omissions are a dime a dozen
in OTB, and they can make a player's life a misery.
Other things were bothering me, such as the rapid flow of time in dungeons and
the stringent time management aspect: while I managed to progress, it didn't
feel like I actually accomplished anything. I was on the wrong rails,
and drastic measures were required if I wanted to enjoy that game. I resorted
to my tried-and-tested trick in such circumstances, namely to start a fresh new
run. That's when I discovered some things I had not suspected, such as the fact
that a number of things are actually random: that includes dungeons and their
inner layouts, inventory in stores, and the very title of the whole epopee. I
could also figure out a number of things that had passed me by, as well as
reinforce what I did know. However, we were not quite there yet; I had chosen
different classes for that second run, and those classes didn't work well
enough together for my taste. I still trouble managing my time, especially the
Rite of Union and my first passing of the torch. That's when I decided not only
to wipe the slate clean again and start another run, but also to experiment
profusely with different settings until I managed to strike gold and get one
that clicked with me. OTB's swift early stages nicely accommodate such
dummy runs, and I'm currently busy with my fourth try. I'm not quite sure yet
if it'll be the last; but I'll get there eventually.
As I'm wrapping my head around the gameplay mechanics more and more with each
try, I'm pondering how I should play. My instinct would have me stubbornly
sticking to the same gods as much as possible for the Rite of Union: since this
is a game, inbreeding probably won't be factored in when it comes to character
growth, will it? The (in)famous Nueko character is not there yet, but I'm
preparing myself for her inevitable invasion of my family — and my party — by
getting used to fighting with only three units. As a matter of fact, I'm
definitely gonna stick to a run with no more than three active party members at
any given time (bar Nueko). Each youth will be trained by their parent and take
their stead in the party when the time is ripe; no idle and dejected family
members losing loyalty at the heardquarters, everybody will get their fifteen
minutes of fame on the battlefield. Like, literally.
Well, that's it for now! I'll see you soon with more tidings of
fighting&breeding, dear fellow gamers. As always, thanks a lot for reading,
and drop by anytime!
No comments:
Post a Comment