I didn't choose that title solely because RemiLore is a Hack and Slash
in which you collect candies, but also to convey that it stands halfway between
hardcore and casual. As such, it's bound to ruffle pretty much everyone's
feathers at first — including mine. Here are a couple of things you may want to
know about that game before you commit yourself to a purchase:
— It's much harder than you'd think. RemiLore may be hardly
longer and deeper than your average phone game, but that doesn't mean it's a
cakewalk. Mashing the A button won't do the trick and carry you through the
game; this is no mere Action-RPG, but a true blue Hack and Slash, which implies
subtler fighting physics and a higher level of technicality. Mastering the flow
of battle through sheer exposure is crucial to progress, as each weapon and
each foe has its own fighting rhythm and style.
— It's a Die and Retry thing. Not in a platformy sort of way, though:
since levels are randomly generated, you won't have to learn every single enemy
placement à la Ghosts' n Goblins to make it through RemiLore.
Instead, it's an iterative process: you gain better weapons and abilities as
you forge ahead, which allows you to progress a bit further each time, until
you finally make it to the credits.
— It's utterly shallow. Not only can you forget right away about any
sort of RPG mechanic involving levels, skills or customization, but you must
also renounce any sort of evolution in the core gameplay. Punching things into
oblivion is this game's sole reason to live, and that's what you'll be doing
from the title screen to the credits. The story is so utterly futile that
you're given the option to play the whole thing without cutscenes, right from
the first run. If you don't like that maniacal focus on all things fighting,
you'd better give RemiLore a very wide berth.
— It's both cruel and forgiving. RemiLore slaps you with one hand
and strokes you with the other, in the blindest and most befuzzling — or
infuriating — way. You die and die and die again, with no save point
whatsoever to preserve your hard-earned progress through levels; yet you get to
keep your weapon, your upgrades and most of your hard-earned Candy. You
sometimes get a handful of healing potions at once, or a bunch of amazing
weapons; yet you cannot store any of them for future use. You get blessed with
the sweetest upgrades, and cursed with the meanest downgrades the minute after.
— The fighting system is awesome. Not only is there a lovely
physicality to all thing punching, with neat hitboxes, automatic aiming in
melee and just the right density and elasticity from foes, but you can
really punch it your way thanks to all the weapons and upgrades
available. Want to be all about combos? You can! Want to use magic and hardly
lift a finger? You can too! Well, if you get the right upgrade, that is. Which
can be tricky sometimes. But still, the possibility is there! Cherry on the
cake, you can destroy furniture for extra fun and Candies. It's so darn addictive
that I just cannot leave a room before every single movable
smashable lies in tatters.
In a nutshell: RemiLore is a cute Hack and Slash with excellent physics
yet shallow gameplay. I'm not too sure there is actually a wide audience for
that kind of thing — or even an audience at all, for that matter: hardcore Hack
and Slash aficionados may sniff at the game's lack of depth and challenge,
while casual players may be put off by its unexpected difficulty spikes. Heck,
even I cannot swear I'll manage to finish it: I went in expecting a
light-hearted, easy-peasy ride, and kinda got more than I bargained for. Oh well, we'll see!
No comments:
Post a Comment