Tomi on 3/5/2015 at 19:36
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Why are you repeating the same first level, is it just replaying the short demo or does dying make you restart?
Apparently you got to start all over again if you die:
Quote Posted by henke
Replaying that first section over and over is no fun. This isn't even permadeath in the sense that FTL or Isaac is, where things get randomized upon each restart. No, instead you know exactly where you need to go each time. Go to this room and get the gloves, go here to get the axe, go here to get the key. It quickly becomes a chore.
Gotta say that this game looks like a lot of fun! Thanks for the videos Henke. Permadeath can be really cruel and very frustrating, but it can also make things
really exciting! I hate it when in so many games dying doesn't really matter at all, when it should be something that you should (obviously) avoid at all costs. Of course the game needs to be appropriately designed and balanced for that to work though, and it seems like the design part still needs some more work. Replaying the same maps with no changes at all definitely does sound something that can get boring
really quickly.
Shadowcat on 4/5/2015 at 10:36
Great videos, henke!
I have a love/hate relationship with permadeath games. It adds masses of tension (which is awesome), but it can so easily transition to frustration. If there's a sudden difficulty spike after hours of playing that the game did not prepare me for, and death means I go back to square 1, then that's going to get old really fast. I don't have time for that.
I've played some games in recent times where I found ways to cheat the permadeath systems, and doing so was the only thing that allowed me to enjoy them.
demagogue on 4/5/2015 at 14:31
Permadeath works for the rogue-like that I play on my phone (Shattered Pixel) because it's procedurally generated, so the dungeons & item spawns are completely new every game, although they follow the same schema for each level. That makes every play-through unique. I'm tempted to say it should be a general rule that permadeath should be reserved for procedurally generated rogue-like games to make it work (for this kind of genre).
Malf on 4/5/2015 at 17:02
I've been having a go too, and it's great, but the lack of any progress saved at all can drive you to distraction.
It's testament to exactly how fun it is that I keep going back for more, but they could go a little easier. It can take a long time to get anywhere, and to lose it all and have to repeat it, especially when you may have spent an hour or more progressing, well, it kinda rubs me up the wrong way.
I'm all for hard games, but this is verging on unfair a lot of the time. So far, I've found no health items whatsoever, and there's seemingly no way to save progress.
Weirdly however, the game saves your gear when playing in arena mode. When you die in arena mode, you have to start from the beginning again, same as adventure, but you retain whatever gear you may have picked up from fallen enemies, allowing for a definite sense of progression. Why on earth they couldn't use this system for the main adventure mode too is beyond me.
henke on 4/5/2015 at 18:53
There is one healthpotion in the first level, actually. Spent a couple hours playing through level 2 tonight, didn't find any health there. Luckily I've managed to stay unscathed pretty much since the start though, so I still have my healthpotion with me. Did find some very good armor in level 2 though, plus a proper sword. If I manage to complete this, I might replay it and do a Let's Play series. I think there's only 3 levels.
henke on 4/5/2015 at 19:37
Fuuuuuuuuuck!
I was doing so well. Good armor, good weapons. TWO HEALTHPOTIONS! But then a guy with a sledgehammer landed a good hit on me, and down I went. Unlike most games, the enemies in Exanima are not so gracious as to stand back and let you get back on your feet after you've been knocked down. He just kept wailing at me, keeping me down and whittling my healthbar down to zero. There was literally nothing I could do. Yeah this game does feel unfair at times. :(
henke on 8/5/2015 at 18:48
It begins!
[video=youtube;-OsGR29feC0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OsGR29feC0[/video]
Part 1/3 of my complete playthrough.
Having finished the game my verdict is this: Exanima is one of the best things I've played this year. Certainly the most fresh, and original feeling thing. It's hard though, you really need to be enjoying it to push through the initial learning curve, and to stick with it through some of the unfair treatment it dishes out at you later on. It took me 3-4 hours before I'd beaten the first level, 15 hours before I'd gotten to the end of level 3. The ending is pretty anticlimactic btw.
I'm looking forward to what Bare Mettle does to expand on this, and to what comes next.
henke on 15/11/2015 at 15:56
There's new content for Exanima! The portal at the end of level 3 now takes you to new areas. I wish I could tell you what it's like but I haven't managed to make it there yet. Played for 2-3 hours today and made it to level 3 with pretty good gear, but got slain before getting to the portal. Started again and got killed at the end of level 1. Fuck this game is hard. It's fun, but perhaps not fun enough for how difficult it is.
henke on 20/11/2015 at 21:59
Well, I finally managed to make it back to the portal. There is ONE checkpoint in this game, and it's at the portal. This is my latest excursion into what lies beyond...
[video=youtube;L-iRUzoCyyo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-iRUzoCyyo&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Not sure if there's a way to progress. There might be a key for the door at the end. Perhaps the monster(not seen in this video, only heard) has it.
Yakoob on 21/11/2015 at 00:26
Hmm.. it's been so long since the last update and all im seeing are the same gray boring dungeons. A little disappointing, with such a fun physics combat system I hoped they'd do more with it :/
