#the textorcist

[uncannytimecandy]

can i get some game recs for my collection

[mysteamgrids]

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

[evilisk-played]

Games in 2021, Part 3 (End of May Edition)

In which I thank Epic for all these free games (thank you Epic)

= = =

Costume Quest 2 System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: RPG

I wish there was more to say other than this “this was a neat and charming little game”. Because the game really is as short as it is charming; I had it fully complete in about 5 hours and was just left wanting more.

I should really get around to playing the first game. And watching the show (which is a thing that absolutely exists)

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: Typing / Bullet Hell Hybrid

As a person who is actually competent at both typing and shmups I was expecting to love this game. Alas, this game was more frustrating rather than difficult. It feels like it was developed story first rather than gameplay first and it’s very obvious in the annoying boss gimmicks (like one boss mixing numbers into words, or another boss turning words upside down, or that super form which makes sense from a story POV but adds very little to the gameplay other than prolonging fights).

I think a shmup and typing game hybrid could be good, I just don’t agree with the Textorcist’s idealization of that concept.

The Darkest Dungeon System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: WRPG / Roguelike

One of the hardest games I’ve ever played (and not for the usual reasons). First the game was killing me because of the cold and calculating mindset you’re required to have (this game gets called an "adventurer manager sim” game, and for very good reason). Then the game was killing me because of the IRL stress damage. I, no joke, cannot play a session of this game without becoming a mess (my hands end up shaking, my foot is just fidgeting like crazy, butterflies in the stomach etc.)

Props to this game; I respect what it does, even though I absolutely CANNOT play this game myself.

Into The Breach System: PC (Epic Games Store) Genre: SRPG / Puzzle

Another game I expected to love but didn’t. I love SPRG’s. But this was way more like a Roguelike Puzzler than an actual SRPG. While the concept was very novel for me, Into The Breach just fails to replicate what I personally find to be fun in the genre, and I ended up dropping this after a few hours.

Knights of the Card Table System: PC (itch.io) Genre: “RPG” (Puzzle)

This one was actually from the BLM bundle from last year. This was another I game ended up dropping after realizing it was another “surprise puzzle game”. The gameplay is way too simplistic, with too many “filler levels” (I didn’t even get to the point shown in the thumbnail above; I was 2 hours in and still fighting beginner level enemies).

[judocruisegaming]

Time for more Textorcist!!! Here’s part 2 of our First Look at Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbi. This time we take on a TOFU BLACK METAL BAND!!! 

BULLET HELL + TYPING??? | The Textorcist | First Look 2/2 | [Textorcist ...

[judocruisegaming]

Check this out!! A bullet hell game where you type words to shoot. Check out our first look at THE TEXTORCIST: THE STORY of RAY BIBBI!!!

BULLET HELL + TYPING??? | The Textorcist | First Look 1/2 | [Textorcist ...

[blackroseraven]

So the latest game I've been vaguely obsessed with is The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia. It is a mix of typing game and bullet hell, which go together surprisingly well. You play as Ray, who is a former exorcist for the Holy Church, now doing private exorcism work. It very much follows the tried and true trope of the disillusioned former hero who is forced to reckon with his past, and the gradual rekindling of his faith. I felt it actually handled it pretty well by never taking itself too seriously and playing off a lot of said stereotypes, going so far as to make tongue-in-cheek references where possible, such as when Ray travels to Naples to reconnect with his old master, Naples is portrayed as Tokyo, complete with Mt. Vesuvius replaced by Mount Fuji.

It has a very simple but effective artstyle, using RPG-maker style pixelated sprites and simple graphics. We mainly get textboxes for dialogue, with a few instances of scrolling text for narrative purposes. The music is excellent, providing a lot of atmosphere in both the humdrum moments toodling around Ray's office, but also during combat: almost every combat event has its own theme, which helps to emphasize the importance of every exorcism you have to perform.

Difficulty ramps very smoothly by first having you deal with exorcisms in English, and then Latin. Some exorcisms additionally require you to deal with interruptions on the fly, such as randomly inserted words, or text being manipulated or blocked by the enemy. While the bullet hell aspect can feel overwhelming at times, it's important to note that Ray doesn't lose health from taking a hit: his bible must be knocked out of his hand first, and then he becomes vulnerable to losing health from the next attack. Conversely, however, you can't do anything but run around when you drop your bible, and verses need to be restarted and completed in full.

Combat is broken into multiple attack phases: for each phase you have to complete a phrase or short verse, while the enemy attempts to kill you. Completing a verse deals damage to the enemy, removing a point of health and moving them into the next phase. Later in the game, some demonic phases become 'shielded,' requiring a special action in order to destroy the enemy's barrier before you can actually continue the exorcism.

I actually thought for a little while the game was bridging into "too difficult" territory, but the best advice I found for the game was 'don't get caught up in the typing aspect.' You actually do have plenty of time to type, and getting the next letter in the sequence correct is enough to refresh the counter. Rather than getting lost in typing, it's important to focus on the bullet hell aspect and learn enemy patterns and how to dodge attacks.

I was stuck on one boss, for example, for a very long time, until I finally realized that I was making it much harder on myself than it had to be, and there was a safe zone to hide in where attacks could be easily strafed and avoided. The game takes advantage of the way your brain naturally wants to hyperfocus on completing the sentence laid out before you in order to allow the enemy to ambush you: most enemies telegraph their major attacks ahead of time, and all of their attacks are avoidable once you begin to understand their patterns.

You can also earn and equip Trinkets, which give you certain benefits - or negatives - that impact both your score and Ray's performance. Wise Pear Bookmark, for example, means that Ray doesn't instantly lose his place when he drops his bible, allowing you to pick up from where you left off as long as you can sweep the bible up fast enough, although it reduces your score by 30%. Score cannot be reduced below 0%, making it difficult to equip more than three trinkets, unless you're willing to also equip something that increases your score percentage, always at a negative effect to Ray.

So yeah, it's a game I can definitely recommend. It's clever, charming, and challenging, and in spite of how frustrated it managed to make me at points, I kept coming back to it again and again and I already want to play through the game all over again.

[22nd]

i died screenshotting this.

[nepikigaming]

A bullet-hell shooter combined with... a typing game? Those genres usually shouldn't work together, but that didn't stop developer MorbidWare from creating The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia! Read my full thoughts down below: https://nepikigaming.com/2020/10/23/the-textorcist-the-story-of-ray-bibbia/