NanoApostle Review (Phranc)
Very Solid Combat, Wish There Were More
I rarely write reviews for boss-rush games because most of them feel like demos showcasing ideas. Well, NanoApostle IS one of them but the core gameplay is really satisfying. The boss fights are unique and intense. Plus, it is made by the same team who made Pronty. It's a short and memorable experience. Yet, I can't help but wonder what this game would be with full level design and full story expansion.
Things I Like About NanoApostle:
Tight Gameplay
Boss fights are the main dish, and the combat delivers!
Combat is really solid. Controls feel smooth and responsive. Dodging and parrying are equally viable. Both the Charged Attack and Spiral Attack(refreshed after successfully landing charged attack) can parry boss' move sets, easily my favorite playstyle,.
There are also two nice features: Destruction Point and Infection. Destruction Point occurs when players parry a specific attack or at the end of the certain combo. Hitting the boss during this small period will deal extra damage. Triggering enough Destruction Points allows you to hook the bosses, instantly bursting down a chunk of their health and stunning them for some time.
Shooting bosses with ranged attack will inflict Infection on them. This diamond-shaped meter will fill up when you damage the boss. Once filled, the meter will heal you and then disappear. This serves as a way to encourage more aggressive playstyle.
All six bosses are unique and fun to engage. Their move sets may look intimidating but they are not hard to learn. Every attack is a chance for retaliation should you learn their capacity proper.
You can earn skill points from fulfilling the challenges from each bosses. They can also earn them from completing the additional obstacle courses and eliminations.
Unlock mods with skill points to further customize your playstyle. Mods are crucial to your build. Some focus on making your Light Attack hit longer and harder, some reinforce your Charged Attack with extra damage and Infection, while others provide potent buff with trade-off or conditions.
Interestingly, every mod is categorized with a specific type. Each type will offer you bonus passive effect. The more of the same type together, the more benefits you can earn from them.
Things I Dislike About NanoApostle:
A "Tech-demo", Maybe?
This is more of my personal rant than the game's fault.
Don't get me wrong. I do like this game, but so many parts of it just feel crude compared to the combat. The level design, the flashback cut-scenes, and even some UI are way too simple.
Maybe it's because of budget or time restraint, the dev team have to sacrifice some parts to make the main attraction as satisfying as possible. And they did a great job.
However, part of me still wonder would it be better if the game had a proper level design with inter-connecting world, and an actual story progression with better animation or simply more detailed slideshow.
中文小簡評
→我很少寫Boss Rush遊戲的心得，因為我總覺得這類型的遊戲要嘛作者想試試點子而已，要嘛團隊資金和時間不足。這款奈米使徒計畫明顯為後者(我猜拉)，但不影響其戰鬥的爽快度。
→戰鬥節奏快，操作流暢，架招與翻滾需要同時運用才會有最大效益，續力攻擊可以架招這點尤其爽快，我後期都用這招跟Boss貼臉硬槓。
→遊戲有兩個特別的機制：一定次數的架招或一些連段的尾聲會觸發「破壞點」，觸發多次可以讓你用鉤鎖對Boss爆擊，Boss會因此癱瘓幾秒；而「感染」則是用遠程攻擊為Boss附加劑量表，透過攻擊充滿後能獲得少量回血，算是鼓勵玩家積極進攻。
→六位Boss定位鮮明，招式看似嚇人，熟悉後實則處處皆是破綻。關卡內也有特殊條件供挑戰，完成後會獎勵玩家技能點解鎖模組。
→多種模組可解鎖，可以依照喜愛的玩法自由搭配，看是要強化普通攻擊或續力攻擊，還是要強化生存能力，亦或是雙面刃性質的增益皆有。值得一提的是，每項模組都有類型之分，不同類型會提供不同被動，同類型越多被動越強。
→後來才知道是棄海製作團隊做的，難怪Boss打起來有股熟悉的感覺。很好奇這款究竟算不算技術展示，戰鬥方面雖然出色，其他部分就顯得十分簡陋，場景毫無特色，回憶場景只是簡單的構圖幻燈片，或許是資金和時間不足的關係吧。