So few developers do something like this. Giving people who paid for an earlier bad product a free copy of the new and improved remake of said bad product? So rare. This kind of developer deserves a lot more recognition.
@@StarlasAiko I believe he said you get the Remaster for free once the game officially launches again, so it might not be in it's proper release state (1.0?) just yet.
I definitely have a weak spot for games where I can recruit randomly generated characters and train them up, like XCOM or Wartales etc. It's like playing Pokémon, but with humans!
@@AndalusianLuis Battle Brothers is more gritty Wartales and it does rng characters amazingly. Getting an amazing recruit actually makes you feel something and people still share their good recruits on socials.
You can only use 1-handed skills with a shield if the shield is a buckler, also the Role Library is used to select your starting gladiators. You can make more than 2 and the ones you dont choose at the beginning will show up in the market.
Such 'deliberately unfair' Gladiator battles were fairly common. And the 'underdogs' were supposed to lose and usually die. Corruption in the arena allowed such things for 'entertainment' and Bet fixing. But when those underdogs managed to win...hooooo boy! That sent the crowds WILD.
Blackthorn arena was a game concept that I was really excited about, the execution was just a bit off, glad the devs are taking another shot at it, this looks like a pretty nice improvement.
Re Splatty's comment about starting with your own Gladiators, YOU CAN. Then when you are customising your leader, there's an option to import the custom Gladiator.
glad those who bought the original version got this for free, i was highly disappointed in it, will have to see if this version is any better. Just installed it
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video splat and showcasing a game like this. It’s deeply appreciated and another game is going on my wishlist. Overall, this game appeals to me a lot. I love the whole business management combined with a pretty cool rpg system. I very much hope the game gets polished up some more, with more quality of life features and just more features in general. I absolutely one hundred percent agree with you when it comes to you idea of a clicking a box to randomize your starting team. At the very least I’d absolutely prefer to be able to created my own starting characters to avoid the endless restarting to reroll your character. It would make life so much easier for min maxers who want the perfect build or role players who have a specific team set up in mind. That would be a huge improvement.
The idea here behind this game is sooo good, but It obviously needs a lot of work. The no one handed abilities with a shield is a big deal, and needs a lot more variety of events. But the premise is totally there.
There are so few good gladiator games. I loved Road to Freedom as a kid, I'm always on the lookout for new gladiator games. Thanks for sharing this, it looks good enough for me.😂
You are probably aware of the "Age of Gladiators" games by Creative Storm Entertainment, if not you might want to check them out. Also Domina is pretty good in my opinion. I'm also a fan of gladiator games, also looking for more.
Pyranha Bites never released something so buggy as Blackthorn Arena. Lets hope they learned something from that clusterfuck of a game and this one will actually work
The game looks good, but the opening narration really hammers home how prevalent the past/present narrator glitch is in the human mind. 3:30 "An aged loyal servant of your family recognized you. He *SWEARS* to help you reclaim your family's glory." He swore. He did it in the past, the narration is about the past. It is a story told about events that happened in the past. It's a nit-pick, but one that still drives me nuts. Game looks good otherwise, but man whenever I come across that stuff (which is a lot, which is frustrating) it bothers the hell out of me.
I don't know if I'm crazy but I think your looking at the betting odds wrong if your dude is at 2.1 it means it pays out higher and as such your less likely to win and when your at 1.9 your guy is advantaged. That and when your picking your party it tells you your auto-sim win odds on the left so you know how tough of a fight your going into somewhat at least.
Oh my lord, its actual real time strategy and not turn based or hex-grid based? That makes me very interested. We Who Are About To Die was like this and that game was so much fun.
I'm sorry... a 40gb demo... for this gameplay and these graphics? Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great game, but holy crap that's a huge amount of what?
It has been a while since I played the first one, but is it me or is this the exact same game? I dont see any difference. As an owner of the former version you get this for free anyways so I guess I'll see... But the first impression isn't great tbh....
Looks decent but I'd have to wait for a deep sale I think. I'll try the ridiculously oversized demo. You almost have to go out of your way to be this inefficient with code and data in modern times.
One handed is for weapon in one hand the the second hand free. Two-handed is for weapon held in both hands. Weapon & Shield is for one handed weapon and shield in the other hand.
glad to see this game get more light. it is a gem...if you can deal with the jankiness. but I must say it is far far better off now than when they released it the first time and is really a great game.
RTWP has got to be one of the most obnoxious gameplay mechanics for this type of game. Worst of both worlds. Not actioney enough to be fun for fast paced play and not tactically or mechanically in-depth enough to warrant turn based. At least here it's not a hybrid rpg game, which is balanced for one only, meaning the other is either too slow or too simple.
RTWP can be interesting too, when it's deep enough to make you micro a lot of precise actions in split second time. I'd say Ufo After series made a decent attempt, and got it about right by the 3rd game (Afterlight).
@@Whatever100500I think Divinity and Pillars made good use of it. It's not an easy mechanic to integrate correctly and most people end up making it focus too much on one side or the other, whether it's the micro or the action. I think the "choose your style" like Divinity gives is a good idea. One thing it makes me think about is that, "What if, if you decide to choose action above strategy, it reduces the actions or mechanics you need to keep things going?" Then vice-versa with strategy focus, you can make more micro-decisions, like choosing AI focus.
Bro, they is a neutral term. Grammatically, you can use it as a pronoun for singular and plural people. It's wild you would call out something so benign. Sensitive much?
Why did they choose to make the gladiators prisoners/slaves? There were some that were and some that weren't. Seems like that could have been easily avoided. Really disappointing
So few developers do something like this. Giving people who paid for an earlier bad product a free copy of the new and improved remake of said bad product? So rare. This kind of developer deserves a lot more recognition.
The dev of Telepath Tactics (which included a graphic change)
I may have missed it ion the video, but how does one get the new version for free? I had the old version a few years already.
@@belazarius727 Thanks for the shout-out, Belazarius! ❤
yeah thats happend to a few games i bought, glad they did this also cause i hated/loved the first game
@@StarlasAiko I believe he said you get the Remaster for free once the game officially launches again, so it might not be in it's proper release state (1.0?) just yet.
I've played and beaten everything piranha bytes have ever made. The jank is part of my DNA now.
Check out "Drova" then ;-)
It's "Gothic 2D" basically.
@@igorthelight Splat made a video about that game about 2 weeks ago if anyone missed it.
@@Rymdpandan Yep!
I definitely have a weak spot for games where I can recruit randomly generated characters and train them up, like XCOM or Wartales etc. It's like playing Pokémon, but with humans!
Yeah that’s one of the reasons why I like xcom. I’ll have to check out wartales
@@AndalusianLuis Battle Brothers is more gritty Wartales and it does rng characters amazingly. Getting an amazing recruit actually makes you feel something and people still share their good recruits on socials.
damn.. now i have to reinstall xcom again.
thanks.. i guess
Wyldermyth scratches that itch too, although it's not really gritty, more old school fairy tale I guess?
You can only use 1-handed skills with a shield if the shield is a buckler, also the Role Library is used to select your starting gladiators. You can make more than 2 and the ones you dont choose at the beginning will show up in the market.
Actually You can select the gladiators You begin with, create some on the role library, and then select them at they character creation
Such 'deliberately unfair' Gladiator battles were fairly common. And the 'underdogs' were supposed to lose and usually die. Corruption in the arena allowed such things for 'entertainment' and Bet fixing. But when those underdogs managed to win...hooooo boy! That sent the crowds WILD.
Splattercat thank you for playing and reviewing all these games , your channel is a haven
Blackthorn arena was a game concept that I was really excited about, the execution was just a bit off, glad the devs are taking another shot at it, this looks like a pretty nice improvement.
Re Splatty's comment about starting with your own Gladiators, YOU CAN. Then when you are customising your leader, there's an option to import the custom Gladiator.
I'd def watch a stream of this. Spalding doing work in that last fight.
glad those who bought the original version got this for free, i was highly disappointed in it, will have to see if this version is any better. Just installed it
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video splat and showcasing a game like this. It’s deeply appreciated and another game is going on my wishlist.
Overall, this game appeals to me a lot. I love the whole business management combined with a pretty cool rpg system. I very much hope the game gets polished up some more, with more quality of life features and just more features in general.
I absolutely one hundred percent agree with you when it comes to you idea of a clicking a box to randomize your starting team. At the very least I’d absolutely prefer to be able to created my own starting characters to avoid the endless restarting to reroll your character. It would make life so much easier for min maxers who want the perfect build or role players who have a specific team set up in mind. That would be a huge improvement.
(you can create your starting gladiators even since the initial game release back in 2020)
I like this, a fantasy style gladiator game is an awesome idea for a game, hopefully they add more stuff to it
The idea here behind this game is sooo good, but It obviously needs a lot of work. The no one handed abilities with a shield is a big deal, and needs a lot more variety of events. But the premise is totally there.
the action is fast pace and violent for me
nice to see another gladiator game!
I'll wishlist it for now. I'm not planning to buy it immediately, but I do smell a labor of love from the devs.
There are so few good gladiator games. I loved Road to Freedom as a kid, I'm always on the lookout for new gladiator games. Thanks for sharing this, it looks good enough for me.😂
You are probably aware of the "Age of Gladiators" games by Creative Storm Entertainment, if not you might want to check them out. Also Domina is pretty good in my opinion.
I'm also a fan of gladiator games, also looking for more.
@@MrNorker77domina, what a classic. Shame the dev did what he did.
might give this one a shot, thx!
I love this game even before the reforge
ThankYou SirSpla77!
Pirahna Bytes. Now THAT'S a name I haven't heard in some time, lol. The OG of jank, before Bethesda 'Triple A'd' bugginess, lol.
I bought the original so I am stoked for it.
Pyranha Bites never released something so buggy as Blackthorn Arena. Lets hope they learned something from that clusterfuck of a game and this one will actually work
26:43 You didn't get the free gladiator because he died in the fight.
I was gonna comment this
I always go to "the freelands" for the best in slave pit gladiator entertainment. It's just science.
Wild that the demo requires 40GB when the System Reqts say 30GB for the actual game.
😂 there's other games that play better and are smaller. I almost want to buy this to see where the bloat is.
@@irkanorphyn what would be alternative games?
That’s an insane size for an indie
it's a demo, they probably didn't spend time optimizing the bundle yet
@@irkanorphynit's only 25 GB for me. And it's not too too bad to me anyway
I don't know why, but I like a lot just to listen you talk about the game even if I don't like the game. (It's not the case here)
Same :)
Glad I am not the only one
Awesome content as always bro! 🍻😎🌴
You are the goat dude.
14:22 Yea no. Who keeps doing range when there's a melee on your face?
Someone who forgot their dagger!
West coasters
I'm more amazed at the fact that the melee guy doesn't manage to hit someone who is too busy shooting to defend themselves.
I'm sturggling to see much different from the original tbh Shame, as it has so much potential.
Thank you for all your information!!
Playing the demo, 40GB for the graphics that you see here is insane.
The game looks good, but the opening narration really hammers home how prevalent the past/present narrator glitch is in the human mind. 3:30 "An aged loyal servant of your family recognized you. He *SWEARS* to help you reclaim your family's glory."
He swore. He did it in the past, the narration is about the past. It is a story told about events that happened in the past. It's a nit-pick, but one that still drives me nuts. Game looks good otherwise, but man whenever I come across that stuff (which is a lot, which is frustrating) it bothers the hell out of me.
I don't know if I'm crazy but I think your looking at the betting odds wrong if your dude is at 2.1 it means it pays out higher and as such your less likely to win and when your at 1.9 your guy is advantaged. That and when your picking your party it tells you your auto-sim win odds on the left so you know how tough of a fight your going into somewhat at least.
I'll take the Gothic series over the Elder Scrolls games any time. I just love how Piranha Bytes create their worlds. Its feels so believable.
Oh my lord, its actual real time strategy and not turn based or hex-grid based? That makes me very interested. We Who Are About To Die was like this and that game was so much fun.
I'm sorry... a 40gb demo... for this gameplay and these graphics?
Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great game, but holy crap that's a huge amount of what?
That's a good point ! They probably didn't focus on optimizing the bundle yet
In the old game, I have never been able to make bank. Always go bankrupt and loose my gladiators.
It has been a while since I played the first one, but is it me or is this the exact same game? I dont see any difference. As an owner of the former version you get this for free anyways so I guess I'll see... But the first impression isn't great tbh....
Looks decent but I'd have to wait for a deep sale I think. I'll try the ridiculously oversized demo. You almost have to go out of your way to be this inefficient with code and data in modern times.
One handed is for weapon in one hand the the second hand free.
Two-handed is for weapon held in both hands.
Weapon & Shield is for one handed weapon and shield in the other hand.
I don't think Splattercat understands how odds work, the lower the number means you'r more favoured not the other way around.
26:33 He died so you could not get him. Also don't just give up try to use your stun locks to win against the odds, pay attention to cooldowns.
How much content does the demo have? I beat the original multiple times, don't want to dive in if its only like 2 hours of content
Is it just me or what...
2:43 "To save the crumbling family business your father did something shameful, dishonest and unacceptable to his penis"
Is "Reforged" to Blackthorn Arena what "Warband" was to Mount & Blade?
Wait...do you have to buy this again if you already own the original game?
According to the devs you'll get it for free once it's released.
@@alltat Oh cool, good on them.
I'll be honest: them doing that makes me want to support the janque
This is pretty cool, jank and all. The combat controls is what sold it for me.
excellent!
splatt should play Exanima
5:15 that chick got absolutely destroyed
Obliterated. BTFO. Literal catastrophe.
play this to prove you've been dumbed down.
if im wizard of the coast, i through more money to these guys and make a dark sun game
glad to see this game get more light. it is a gem...if you can deal with the jankiness. but I must say it is far far better off now than when they released it the first time and is really a great game.
17:39 hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!
=1 like for derogatory use of nerd at 26:00
this game actually reminds me of the combat of Dragon Age: Origins a lot, I loved the tactical style of it so much
"Dungeon," "fixes them right up." Right...
🖤
The second challenger didn't join you because he died in the fight; Madison went a bit too hard
comment for the comment god!
Did she really say peers?
My name is...
Waiting for splatt to do elin...
👍
Hi
You missed a game named Elin. Its a classic by the same devs of Elona
Blackthorn arena basicly took your money and stopped making updates, to this day the game is still broken
Casually implying BG3 is not real Baldur's Gate, class.
Bit too indepth stats imo.
I really hate games that unavoidably stomp you
RTWP has got to be one of the most obnoxious gameplay mechanics for this type of game. Worst of both worlds. Not actioney enough to be fun for fast paced play and not tactically or mechanically in-depth enough to warrant turn based. At least here it's not a hybrid rpg game, which is balanced for one only, meaning the other is either too slow or too simple.
RTWP can be interesting too, when it's deep enough to make you micro a lot of precise actions in split second time. I'd say Ufo After series made a decent attempt, and got it about right by the 3rd game (Afterlight).
@@Whatever100500I think Divinity and Pillars made good use of it. It's not an easy mechanic to integrate correctly and most people end up making it focus too much on one side or the other, whether it's the micro or the action. I think the "choose your style" like Divinity gives is a good idea.
One thing it makes me think about is that, "What if, if you decide to choose action above strategy, it reduces the actions or mechanics you need to keep things going?" Then vice-versa with strategy focus, you can make more micro-decisions, like choosing AI focus.
I actually was digging the real-time pause here as it allowed judicious use of skills.
I know RTWP is a huge bone for some people though 🤷♂️
Somehow manages to be less janky than a $300 million dollar Bethesda game.
so practically the arena part from bannerlord with worse graphics and gameplay.
I hate this semi turn-based crap.
15:14 why you use ''they''? That's clearly a woman, use she, goddamit.
Baby got their feelings hurt? Baby wanna cry in the internet? Lmao
Bro, they is a neutral term. Grammatically, you can use it as a pronoun for singular and plural people. It's wild you would call out something so benign. Sensitive much?
All of your comments on this channel are gawking at female characters. Please touch grass
Nobody was hurt using proper language. Splattercat shouldn't have to explain their wording.
new to youtube?
Game devs need to stop with these long introductory expositions. It's just bad. Show don't tell.
Why did they choose to make the gladiators prisoners/slaves? There were some that were and some that weren't. Seems like that could have been easily avoided. Really disappointing
Unless their grasp of history is severely off, this world is clearly a fictitious fantasy one so I’m really not sure what the issue is.