Apologies for the overtly negative title, but I'm getting a little frustrated over here. This year, I've played Khazan, which I've enjoyed a lot, the Elden Ring DLC, which I need to get back to at some point but enjoyed so far, and Lies of P (again) + its DLC, which I've loved. All of these have one thing in common: quality. This makes it really hard for me to give smaller soulslikes a fair chance.
A few months ago, I gave Thymesia a shot. I definitely see the potential and vision and liked some of its mechanics quite a bit, but it just doesn't hold up to the greater soulslikes I've played. I didn't even manage to kill the first boss out of impatience and because of a lack of enjoyment.
Just tried Lords of the Fallen too and, man, I feel like they didn't even try to make this second attempt any better than the first. I was taken aback by the wide range of classes to choose from, but the gameplay just feels so unnecessarily convoluted, floaty and weightless. All of these different mechanics are thrown into the mix that end up being next to meaningless because you end up going from point A to B with a minor detour because you're travelling through the Shadow Realm™. That first boss was also an absolute nothing-burger.
Like, what gives? Are games like Khazan and Lies of P that much of an anomaly? I woild have really liked to expand my repertoire of soulslikes to play, but I'm just getting disappointed left and right despite going into it with an open mind.
Have any of you guys experienced something like that? I really wanted to give both of these a try, but man. Maybe I just need a break from the genre...
There is the thing: DS1 and exploring enjoyers in general don't play with wiki, and don't watch Vaatividya. They play really slowly, exploring every inch of the map, and some even make notes. No help, you observe, connect the dots and make assumptions. I watch certain streamers who deeply annoyed by Vaati followers in chat, because they come, claim the streamers are wrong, and explain the lore the way Vaati told them, even though he made that part up.
The problem with LoP is that in the eyes of many "haters", that it's not cohesive at all. The game is inspired by the Pinocchio tale, but the action takes place in a town with a Slavic name, looking like France in the belle epoque period. The art direction is far from great. Areas and buildings look quite generic, and it's especially striking on comparing the Krat view from the mountain, to FromSoft titles, where areas are recognizable only by buildings' silhouettes or palette colors. Enemy design becomes quite boring after cathedral: I cannot even remember a few interesting mutant enemies, they feel the same. Bosses, except the two last ones, were good for me, but they share the same issues ER bosses have.
The game has an amazing "cover", but not much of a substance. Did the developers care, or just tried to make an impression? It's not so striking if you focus on overcoming challenges and experimenting with weapons, and follow the story as a spectator. And I value your experience if you get everything want. But if you try on the role of an archeologist, "a lore hunter", it feels lackluster comparing to the FromSoft games, and even LoTF.