People who are opposed to 20 year olds getting married and having children nearly always seem to be the same people who think it’s ok for teenagers to fornicate, funny how that works
I've seen a lot of reviews and even casual saying that dav is "a bad dragon age game but a good action rpg" but i gotta say i...
I don't think it's a good action rpg? I think it's kinda mid?
I'm not gonna go on about the story and characters because you all already know how i feel about that. But the gameplay???
The gameplay doesn't innovate in anyway that hasn't been done before and done better by other games.
As I was playing I often turned to my partner and says "It feels like I'm playing God of War, but less fun." I remarked that Atreus was a far better combat companion than you companions in this game. That a character that was literally a CHILD was capable of taking down enemies on his own where the supposed Heros of the Veilguard cannot.
I felt like I was doing all this combat alone and the only thing my companions where good for was combos and occasional heals. I saw my partner desperately struggling to play as a ranged mage because there really are no dedicated tank options to pull enemy agro and the ones you DO get are inefficient. If you want to feel like a powerful ranged character you literally have to go into the combat settings and turn enemy agro DOWN.
The gameplay is also hurt by trimming the party down to a total of three instead of four.
Maybe I'm just a tactical games pilled bitch but i think to do away with those parts of DA entirely have hurt it. I think letting Rook use the dagger to access all your companions abilities was a mistake.
You SHOULD have to go back and switch your companions out to access hidden areas! And the maps should be flavoured in such a way that the companion who calls them home should be able to flex more when on their home turf!
"ooooh but its tedious" i hear you cry
and i cry back "i don't think you actually enjoy rpg's!!"
Personally I find a game holding my hand and going "its ok sweetie we did away with all those hard gameplay decisions for you" beyond insulting!
the repetitive enemy hordes, the copy and paste mage boss fights, the environmental puzzles that aren't really puzzles because you have the master key in your back pocket! You don't have to think about your party composition because everyone can heal and they're only useful for combos really because their damage output fucking sucks.
Honestly it just adds to the feeling that Rook is shouldering everything on their own, even though the game repeatedly tells you you aren't!! Look at all your friends helping!! Aren't they cool and strong and powerful? Best in their fields!!
And i go "really? i don't see it"
Your gameplay isn't good when every time I'm fighting a new repetitive horde of enemies all I could find myself thinking was
"Damn I should play BG3 again." Or "Man I should play God of War again."
And of course the always in the back of my mind "I wish i was playing Bloodborne"
I wanted to write Stanley and Narrators first real interaction so I quickly typed this up. I don’t think I’ll write more of this soon so I wanted to get it out.
I’ll post it to Ao3 eventually but for now
I hope you like this!!
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Those beautiful blue skies stretched far into the distance.
Stanley used to feel like anything was possible looking out into this world, but as the same script rambled on above him, he couldn’t help but tire of it all. He wanted something new and exciting. That’s all he really needed! Just a good change of pace.
Stanley tried to will his hands to move.
“And Stanley was…”
Stanley pointed towards his nose twisting his hand then flicked his hand away in a lazy manner.
“EXCUSE ME???”
Stanley jumped.
This was the first time the narrator had actually responded to anything he’d done. Of course, the script could fool him sometimes into thinking that someone was actually speaking to him, but when it’s the same every time… it’s hard to believe it’s not a bizarre recording.
This was not a part of the script here? What is this?
Stanley stared at the blue sky wondering if this was all a hallucination. Again.
“Oh? Nothing to say for yourself, you ingrate?” He swore he could almost feel the building around him get tenser. The metal creaked beneath his feet. He desperately tried not to faint.
Stanley hesitantly raised both his hands pointing back and forth between himself and the sky (where he assumed the voice was coming from).
“Yes, I’m talking to You, Stanley,” the voice huffed.
[Stanley couldn’t think of what to say. Thankfully the Narrator was voicing his thoughts for him. Part of him assumed that the voice was a recording at some point. Stanley wondered if he should be freaking out more, but he was just surprised! Why the voice hadn’t spoken to him before? Could he alway do this? Surely he’s done way worse than offhandedly saying he was bored…]
“Irritable, sure, you always are, but you have never voiced any of this directly at me. I’m not the one here guilty of not trying to communicate! You never say anything to me!”
That… is probably true… Stanley shrugged.
“I CANT BELIEVE- Hold on, I-“ some papers shuffled and the voice got a little farther away as a chair rolled, “This conversation isn’t over.”
Stanley furrowed his brow waiting for-
THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE EN
Stanley blinked back to reality to see he was sitting in his office once more.
“Okayyy,” the Narrator’s chair sounded like it rolled back over to him, “Now let’s have a chat. You and I. We’ve been working well together for a long time now, despite your issues… Is there something wrong with my story, Stanley? Is there a reason you’re so bored with my life’s work!? I’ll have you know I’ve been working very hard- WILL YOU LISTEN?!”
Stanley stopped pressing buttons on the keyboard to look up.
“I’m really trying to have a serious conversation with you here, Stanley! Face to face!” The lights flickered briefly.
[ He rolled his eyes at the ceiling all smug, “What face?” Stanley laughed to himself. ]
“You’re very funny, Stanley… Is this about you having a default model or nothing at all when it’s Not. Even. Necessary?” The walls shook slightly in irritation.
[“It wasn’t but it definitely is now.” Stanley mused. It was more intended to poke fun at his Narrator for being so elusive for all these years. It’s hard to take a disembodied voice seriously. Although….. Now that he thinks of it, his hands and body do randomly disappear…]
“You’re bothered by my lack of a face?! Seriously?!” The building made a noise like it was about to cave in, “I don’t need one! I’m not even an actual character in the story! I’m the Narrator! I read the script! As a matter of fact, you don’t even need a body or face! It’s not important! This is a first person game with no other players!”
[ “You asked,” Stanley would cross his arms if he felt like he had any right now, “What kind of a writer can’t even take a little bit of constructive criticism?”]
“Fine! Fine! No, I really see how it is! Sure!”
Stanley waited for more. The Narrator loved to talk after all, but he was scarily quiet.
There was a slight ambient noise when Stanley strained his hearing.
Frantic typing. Mouse clicks. Scratching of pens and pencils on paper. Occasionally a mutter or deep breath from the Narrator.
Stanley stared a the ceiling listening to the sounds of him working. It was odd. And yet… Something felt different. He couldn’t explain it but it did. He felt more… there. More present…
“Are you ready to talk, Stanley?” Narrator sounded like it was right above him. Not like the general sense, but literally right above his head. He had a bad feeling.
Then the walls started creaking loudly. Cracks splintered along the ceiling as bright yellow fingers pushed their way in.
He fell off his chair in shock, trying to get away.
The top of his office was easily pulled away like the lid on a can to reveal a big smiling face in a black void.
Stanley’s first thought was that he looked like a giant mouse cursor.
Greying hair swept to the side with a yellow arrow streaked through his hair twisting up like a smile. His skin looked grey as well. His eyes were almost hidden behind a square pair of yellow tinted glasses. A smile stretched across his face. The phrase “tombstone teeth” sprung the Stanley’s mind. He wore a black suit with a highlighter yellow tie that was currently jabbing him in the chest.
Honestly, he looked like an odd abstraction of an older businessman.
“Is this better for you?” This is the most self assured man Stanley had even seen in his life, “As a skilled writer, director, producer, developer, actor, I could go on, I obviously can take some criticism.”
Stanley was pretty sure he had a 50/50 shot of getting killed if he criticized anything right now.
“Obviously, you seem to have… critiques,” Narrator ground his teeth and the arrow in his hair spiked downwards, “Perhaps, it’s time I get back to work… In the meantime, you can do what you like. I’ll take and comments into… consideration…”
Stanley stared at the arrow stabbing into his chest. It didn’t go away. His body felt more permanent.
He smiled up at his bizarre new companion. Well, not new per say but…
Stanley pointed at the abstract man with a smile then cupped his ear.
“I- uh“ he stuttered while turning pink. His tie pulled back to wrap around the Narrator, “Of course I was listening to you, Stanley. I want you to like my game. Besides, it only makes sense to have a proper model for my main character!”
[Stanley could get used to the company. He could feel the smile on his face, “Especially with company as cute as this.”]
“AH! THATS IT!”
The Narrator covered his face, “I think I liked you better when you didn’t talk to me! I’m working! I can’t see you!” He pulled up a stack of papers from somewhere (?) and started to write.
