Mark of the Deep Review (kyvour)
I bought it because it is described as metroidvania.
Maybe yes, but it doesn't have a map, so if you aren't a genius with absolute memory, you never will go back to find all the missing staff. Even if you want... there's no fast travel (or I didn't find it for 2 hours), so you'll need to do it on foot and waste a lot of time.
Ok, that's a bad thing, but not the worst.
As for me, the worst is combat.
- there's no animation cancellation for the main character. If you press the attack button, you can't roll until the attack is finished. At the same time, mobs don't have any effects after your attack, they can instantly turn 180 degrees, and change attack direction in the middle of a series (or there are just quick standalone attacks); Jumping crabs can even jump through textures!
- Buttons on the controller can't be remapped, you can't assign shooting to the trigger/bumper, you need to press B which is opposite to X and requires time just to move your finger to another button;
- A roll has a delay after its animation, so you can't attack it right after it...
- oh... there are also no difficulty settings, so you have what you have, no alternatives...
So after two hours, I have a very frustrating experience.
If you perceive the game simply as an action-adventure (hard adventure), maybe, with souls-like elements (but where they are?), then it may be good. the game has a beautiful picture and a nice sound, and it seems like an interesting story (to my taste), but as metroidvania, it lacks a lot of QoL things and is too pricy in this state.
Maybe, I'll return to this game after a few updates or on a big sale, but now - no, games, in the first order, should be enjoyable, not frustrating.