Written by Thomas G.J. Sharpe
I give certain favour to games that start as Ludum Dare
entries (a video-game creation time-challenge) as I know from first-hand
experience the environment where they are fostered. Developers who get into LD
are ones who at the core want to make games and know the power of simplicity
and originality. Just having a browse over the mass of titles made in the
competition over the years, you will find some true gems, most outstripping
mainstream games by miles in the design stakes, however crunchy the execution.
I cannot claim that my efforts as a part of an LD team have been anything more
than music and art assets, but I see the value.
Titan Souls is one of these gems that glittered a
little brighter than the rest in LD #28, winning overall, audio and mood
catergories. I include this historical information not only to show off my
thorough researching abilities (and constant strive for review style that reads
more like a Victorian old-man-of-letters), but these accolades serve as a three
word springboard.
Set in a charmingly realised 2D-top-down-pixel-art world,
you play a lone archer who has a lone arrow to let loose at nineteen different
titans. The mood is silent and still, but sadly never reaches a deeper level
for me. Waterfalls, lava, forests, ancient ruins are all great, but for all of
the great art work, charming is all it ever is. Not ever foreboding nor
beautiful, just... nice. The titans take various forms and usually have one-hit
deaths, like your own character. This is the central conceit; enter boss arena,
work out weak point, make your shot.
The difficulty arises in the arrow mechanic. You can charge
your shot to get more distance, but you must remain still when shooting.
Further, you have to retrieve your arrow physically or use a “call-back” style
spell, which again, renders you still. The only other skill you have is a
roll-dodge and run, bound to the same key. This simplicity is what makes this
game so appealing to me. In practice, however, I found the play to be more
about pin-point accuracy, perfectly timed dodging and, most of all, a lot...
far too much... excessive... walking. When you die in Titan Souls, you
return to the most local hub, which varies in distance from the boss areas. I
have not found one that is close enough for me not to get frustrated. Truly,
the opposite of Hotline Miami and it's psychopathically flippant restart
mashes; back in the game, back in the game, back in the game. No, in a game
breaking choice (for me), the developers force you to walk back through the
charming, yet empty, environments again and again. As for on the most part, the
bosses are tough, although repetitive, in their attacks and require large
amounts of poise.
A lot of titans require you to see a full couple of attack
patterns before you figure it out. Of course, guess at an angle of attack wrong
and you could waste ten minutes on two or three tries, walking included. This
is not a case of “yeah, brutal gameplay!” or “you ain't good enough”, it is
simply inaccessible for me, through no fault of my own. In Dark Souls (Titan
Souls clearly doing a bit of a nod) where you plan your attacks, develop
strategy and die a lot, you don't ever feel cheated. It was always your fault. Titan
Souls shouts “think fast!” and hurls a basketball at your genitals. So, to
even get to the point of figuring it out, let alone practicing executing a
strategy, requires so much walking that I really, really struggled to keep on
playing.
I very much enjoy this game, and it is perhaps my
impatience, but I want to be fighting, dying, figuring it out much faster, then
having a little explore through the great world. The music is fantastic, by the
way, as are the grunts and growls of the bosses. At its centre, however, lurks
this ugly design issue that leaves me out in the cold, when all I want to do is
swallow boss spirits and enjoy the atmosphere.
Second opinion
from Gareth
I agree with pretty much everything that Tom has said here.
However, the walking issue was much less of a problem for me. It really would
have been a useful addition to put a save point before the entrance to each
guardian as they do have a tendency to kill you in seconds. That said, Most of
them are set within a few screens of the save point. It is a strange design
choice but not something that I would say brings the experience down that much.
It also has to be said that the Vita stick isn’t quite up to
the job for the level of precision that is needed for a game like this. It
gives it a good go but I would recommend sticking to the PS4 or PC version for
taking out the super tricky beasties.
The design of the world and the individual Titans is strong
and defeating one certainly brings about the same feeling of achievement as
found in games like Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus - two games which
have clearly influenced its design. I would certainly recommend this to anyone
who likes a challenge as there’s some clever design at play and an interesting world
to explore.
Tom’s Score 6/10
Gareth’s Score 7/10
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