Austin can't recommend Witchfire yet, but it's got a bright future (Early Access Review)

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  • Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
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    Witchfire nails its gameplay fundamentals, but the gameplay loop needs a lot more work.
    Video written, voiced and edited by Austin B.
    #Review #Witchfire #EarlyAccess
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Комментарии • 655

  • @SkillUp
    @SkillUp  11 месяцев назад +34

    Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring the video. If you want to set up your own website (and get a discount while doing it), hit this link for more info: www.squarespace.com/skillup

    • @93836
      @93836 11 месяцев назад +1

      Rogue LIKE.
      Not rogue “lite”.

    • @gustavoraddatz
      @gustavoraddatz 11 месяцев назад +1

      Hi, any news on the bg3 review?

    • @mdruffy235
      @mdruffy235 11 месяцев назад

      @@93836 Rogue Lite seems more applicable for this one, so far.

  • @themediater
    @themediater 11 месяцев назад +579

    Early access can be such a double edged sword I think. You can feel like you've played your fill of a game before it's done and then when the "full version" comes out, it might have massively improved and have lots of new content but you'll feel kinda weird going through bits you've already done or seen in a half finished state or whatever.

    • @reheyesd8666
      @reheyesd8666 11 месяцев назад +25

      Yeah, not to mention the risk of devs not finishing the game.
      Sure you get the game at a cheaper price but I just don't think it's worth the risk of a) scams and b) not wanting to play a game you have already finished.
      Early access kind of work with repayable games like builders etc

    • @premc8071
      @premc8071 11 месяцев назад +2

      Look at Gloria Victis, they announced closing servers and permanently putting the game to sleep

    • @themediater
      @themediater 11 месяцев назад +8

      Unfortunately these days you run the risk of the devs not having finished the game regardless of whether it's early access or not (I know it's not a recent phenomenon but feels like it's getting worse and worse)

    • @A5tr0101
      @A5tr0101 11 месяцев назад +4

      Classic case of this for me is the sons of the forrest

    • @tiimhotep
      @tiimhotep 11 месяцев назад +9

      Yeah, I think BG3 hit the right balance of showing us a good amount but not everything. Hopefully these devs can strike the right balance as well.

  • @user-lz5vh9bb5w
    @user-lz5vh9bb5w 11 месяцев назад +210

    Personally I think randomly generated levels only really work in non 3D games.
    Remnant 2 is the best example I've experienced yet of really REALLY good random generation in a 3D game and even that one started feeling copy pasty quite fast.
    But I've never had that problem with a top down-like game.
    I just don't think we're at a point yet where randomly generated 3D levels can feel even nearly as good as handcrafted ones.

    • @watsyurdeal
      @watsyurdeal 11 месяцев назад +10

      Not to mention how hard it is, even in top down or side scroller style games it's hard to make good procedural generation. In a 3D space it's almost unheard of if not impossible.
      It can maybe work if there are rooms, but in a open space? I don't think it'd work so well.

    • @fus132
      @fus132 11 месяцев назад +12

      Random terrain is certainly possible, Hyper Light Breaker is aiming for procedural islands and multiple biomes, with POIs being hand-made but still placed by the algorithm. Examples of this what are out right now would be the Space Engineers and No Man's Sky.
      Another way would be to just have a tile-set of rooms, with doors acting as attachment points and let the algo make a level out of that, Warframe does exactly that, outside of "open world" segments.

    • @epicnab
      @epicnab 11 месяцев назад +8

      I agree. Whenever I hear "procedurally generated" I know it's going to be the same 10-15 rooms again and again, stiched together in different ways and everything starts feeling very samey very fast.

    • @isaacarz-gromov8733
      @isaacarz-gromov8733 11 месяцев назад +25

      Had you ever heard of DRG(Deep Rock Galactic)? It absolutely nailed procedural generation in 3d.

    • @user-lz5vh9bb5w
      @user-lz5vh9bb5w 11 месяцев назад +15

      @@isaacarz-gromov8733 Yeah I've played it and it's an amazing game in so many ways and would recommend it to most people, but I honestly think my argument still works for that game.
      You can absolutely feel the copy paste nature of random generation in it as well.
      That being said, DRG does have the advantage of being set in caverns and not open air environments.
      It's easier to hide the procedural stuff in a setting like that.

  • @multch2006
    @multch2006 11 месяцев назад +392

    I actually can’t wait for the full release of this game because it looks fucking awesome

    • @rhodan74
      @rhodan74 11 месяцев назад +15

      Often times you can't really get a feel for a game when watching footage. Not with this one. Every shot, every dodge, every enemy is pure fire :)

    • @Baddknewz
      @Baddknewz 11 месяцев назад +2

      I’ve never played a game like this but man does this shit look epic af. Might have to check it out frfr

    • @dragonriderabens9761
      @dragonriderabens9761 11 месяцев назад +4

      I’m just waiting for the Steam release

    • @m1ichi
      @m1ichi 11 месяцев назад

      I'm happy to wait the 12 months for the full/steam release, it looks great and will probably be exactly what I'm hoping for come release

    • @DirtyJeffery
      @DirtyJeffery 11 месяцев назад

      @@dragonriderabens9761the developer is fully owned by Epic so it may never release on Steam. I’m unaware of any announcements saying it will or won’t though.

  • @cfc3924
    @cfc3924 11 месяцев назад +91

    Bro, Austin, your reviews are so good man!

  • @terrencewhite7367
    @terrencewhite7367 11 месяцев назад +56

    Love the idea of persistent overworld map so I can master certain combat scenarios, but POIs should be randomized to keep runs feeling fresh. Also agree on the run-to-run diversity feeling lacking and needing a bit of a punch to feel worth chasing. Great preview and looking forward to the full release.

    • @tawoorie
      @tawoorie 11 месяцев назад

      static map in a rogue like setting sucks, ac valhalla forgotten saga dlc showed that well

    • @Ryan-nm8pw
      @Ryan-nm8pw 11 месяцев назад +1

      I've played the early access, it really does feel amazing. Learning the map becomes a key part of progression and it's easily one of the best parts of the game so far.

  • @godminnette2
    @godminnette2 11 месяцев назад +24

    I feel like an obvious fix to the gameplay loop here is to make the difficulty scaling disentangled from the upgrades. I was actually extremely on board for this game before that was mentioned; it sort of defeats the whole point of a roguelike to me, far moreso than the lack of procedural generation or mid-run experimentation. Roguelikes are the games that can really make me feel like a speedrunner, improving not just in the normal way of learning new strategies to clear enemies quickly and more efficiently, but also gaining mechanical benefits to aid in doing so. The addition of an in-game timer in some games just adds to this. In fact, reducing the random elements sound like they will aid even further, as I can memorize precise routing, learn optimal terrain to take advantage of, and I don't have to reset runs based entirely on bad drops very often.
    However, scaling difficulty being tied to run-persistent upgrades completely kills that feeling. If there's an increasing force always working against me, I can't see the improvements that would be the entire point of this kind of game, and it would just feel like a slog. I would love to be able to clear the original set of enemies with upgrades from 15 hours of playing, doing so with incredible efficiency and alacrity, just power-stomping them. The current system reminds me of open-world games that scale difficulty of all enemies as you get stronger, including the mooks from the starting area, which totally harms the feeling of progression.
    I don't know how they would make it work narratively, but I would love a system like Heat from Hades to add in more challenge for extra reward. Maybe the Witch's strength waxes and wanes, and the Prayer is choosing to go in at times where her forces are weaker or stronger?

    • @ryo-kai8587
      @ryo-kai8587 11 месяцев назад +3

      Exactly. Having differing difficulty can be very good, but scaling that's directly tied to progression can make it feel like you didn't actually get stronger. I grew up with JRPGs where level scaling was not a thing, and every part of the game serves as a milestone and point of reference for just how much you've grown. This makes your progress and increase in power tangible. With scaling done wrong, the damage numbers get bigger, but that's about it; essentially only your new gear, build synergies and passives matter, while your level often seems like little more than "numbers are supposed to increase over the course of an RPG, right?"

    • @sirzebra
      @sirzebra 11 месяцев назад

      Having played for 20+ hours, i can tell you scaling is indeed a problem as it is now. You're robbed of the early game experience if you have a few good runs and end up in a way more difficult environement without having learned the basics, i feel the rate at which the world / content inside a level changes should be halved at least for the first zone. The foundations are strong tho, could be a very unique and interesting game down the line if they manage to balance it properly. I dont think the devs want to give the classic "getting stronger as you go" feel as it is implemented now, it's more about having always a good challenge, even if your character is indeed doing triple the dps. It's quite strange for now, but defenitetly has a lot of potential, wait and see !

    • @ryo-kai8587
      @ryo-kai8587 11 месяцев назад

      @@sirzebra I get that, and I also get needing more refinement and balancing. Remnant II is a good example of a game that's consistently challenging; When you enter a new zone, it scales to your level, then stays static unless you reroll the entire campaign. This means you can actually get stronger while exploring the zone. If you feel the need to grind a little to get the edge needed to clear it, you can. It also makes it easier to breeze through while revisiting that zone later if you want to make sure you didn't miss anything.
      Once you move on, though, the next area scales again so you can't outlevel the new content from the start. It works in that game pretty well, so there are always ways to balance it to work with a specific project, and I hope the Witchfire team can find that equilibrium for their game. It looks promising, but I probably won't pick it up until it's be refined a bit.

    • @sirzebra
      @sirzebra 11 месяцев назад

      @@ryo-kai8587 that remnant system could be very good here, allowing maps to "soft lock" around a bracket of levels could be the sweet spot. You'd have tough difficilty at the start of each level, but could revisit older ones with a real se'se of how much power was gained (even if it barely enough to explore the latest unlocked map)
      You could then allow "Always on scaling" for older levels as a newgame plus feature instead.

  • @eStecko
    @eStecko 11 месяцев назад +18

    In the end, it's only on the Epic store, so I don't really mind waiting until the full release and a Steam version at the same time. I see that as a win-win.

    • @Greippi10
      @Greippi10 11 месяцев назад +2

      Same, I heard about this game on a podcast and was very interested until I saw it was only on Epic and for 40€ too. It seems my patience was a good thing.

    • @engineerskalinera
      @engineerskalinera 11 месяцев назад

      I really hope this game comes out on Steam. I would really like to avoid installing Epic Games if I can. There's a reason the US government doesn't allow the launcher to be installed on computers with classified information on them. It's CCP spyware.

  • @UncleBalthasarGelt
    @UncleBalthasarGelt 11 месяцев назад +69

    Say what you want about Bungie, but Destiny's gunplay feels amazing and i'm glad other devs are inspired by it.

    • @Harvester88
      @Harvester88 11 месяцев назад +10

      It’s one of the only things I missed about it.

    • @Jdemonify
      @Jdemonify 11 месяцев назад +1

      and some point the raids and mechanics. but yes gun skill gameplay is top tier

    • @e2rqey
      @e2rqey 11 месяцев назад +3

      That's really the core of Destiny's appeal imo. They made the act of shooting stuff so damn satisfying.
      The entire rest of the game is just giving you reasons to shoot stuff.
      I'm glad they tried to emulate Destiny's weapon feedback and handling. But tbh, Witchfire's guns don't feel anywhere near as good as Destiny's. It's not even close. Part of the issue is the way they've designed their enemies. The guns feel way too weak relative the enemy. The feedback isn't really their either. It's definitely not an easy bar to reach.
      Destiny is basically the gold standard for gun feel and feedback. It's amazing that they have so many guns, and all of them feel great to use. Even the worst feeling gun in Destiny, is significantly better than the majority of guns in other games.

    • @lewis18051
      @lewis18051 11 месяцев назад

      @@e2rqeyalso the sound effects of the guns in Destiny is always amazing! Many people don’t realise or forget how important the sound effects of weapons are, it’s one of my complaints with Warframe the lack of different sound effects on weapons I think Outriders has the same problem!

  • @batt0usai377
    @batt0usai377 11 месяцев назад +40

    I think level dependent enemy difficulty is cool on paper but doesn't translate well in gameplay (at least not right now). I'd rather have difficulty based on the class/type of items I have. For example, I leveled up 6 times and already had much higher level enemies stalking the map whereas the research was terribly slower to catch up and items were still locked behind a timer. I shouldnt be able to kill legendary enemies with just two guns and a basic spell. The item rank should be equally rewarding as I face more challenging enemies.

    • @ringo1m
      @ringo1m 11 месяцев назад +1

      well I made a mistake of having a really good run with a huge amount of witchfire (30k) and level up 5-6 levels from like 6 to 13 ... the game has become completely unplayable after that. Forced to start with new game feels really bad. Imagine you're trying to do a boss run, and while you're fighting the boss the witch decide to call in calamity, you're now fighting the boss, who spawn minions, while having calamity spawn even MORE minions that does absolutely nothing to improve the gameplay. A couple of that and I just decide to call it quit xD

  • @thornescapes7707
    @thornescapes7707 11 месяцев назад +7

    It looks incredible, but definitely see what you're saying about the gameplay loop. Gotta be honest that I would love seeing a version of this as more of a traditional type RPG rather than a rogue-like. Those kinds of games are just more my preference and it looks like it could go either way.

  • @dho1899
    @dho1899 11 месяцев назад +7

    I like the static maps, it allows for learning the land gaining advantages from knowing it. I ran the first map more times than I can count so I could level up and more importantly try to get optimal temp buffs to take on the boss. Great game, just the right amount of difficulty for me.

    • @JovianStone_
      @JovianStone_ 9 месяцев назад

      Same here, and now I've done the same with the second map. I've got everything unlocked and maxed out, more than 2 million Witchfire gained, and I'm still not bored

  • @bullbae02
    @bullbae02 11 месяцев назад +17

    I want more skillup reviews especially if that means a lot more Austin reviews too... keep it up guys!

  • @kaibe5241
    @kaibe5241 11 месяцев назад +8

    I hope they nail this one because personally, the concept and aesthetic is incredible.

  • @arjunsreedhar3024
    @arjunsreedhar3024 11 месяцев назад +11

    I agree, it's got s bright future

  • @soulsmith4787
    @soulsmith4787 11 месяцев назад +8

    It has s lot of potential!

  • @Zathren
    @Zathren 11 месяцев назад +22

    Can't wait for this game. I don't mind waiting six months or a year for the game to get itself right. Thanks for the review!

    • @blokin5039
      @blokin5039 11 месяцев назад

      Preview

    • @reblaw89
      @reblaw89 11 месяцев назад

      Sad for us, it's confirmed the wait will be around a year for full release.

    • @_holy__ghost
      @_holy__ghost 11 месяцев назад

      ​@@reblaw89thats good news, it means they actually have time to implement feedback. 6 months is nothing in dev time

  • @MortiefiedBear
    @MortiefiedBear 11 месяцев назад +36

    Such s bright future ahead of it. Can't wait to see where it goes!

  • @EastyyBlogspot
    @EastyyBlogspot 11 месяцев назад +13

    Early access is such a mine field, I plan to wait and see how they react to feedback and adding content before diving in

    • @BiigDaddyDellta
      @BiigDaddyDellta 11 месяцев назад +5

      It's supposed to be. They want feedback and criticism, so the final product can be as good as it Caan be.

    • @EastyyBlogspot
      @EastyyBlogspot 11 месяцев назад +1

      @@BiigDaddyDellta I had a quick look and they have put out quite a few updates already which is cool, i do not expect them to keep that pace up but still it is a very promising early sign

  • @emilrostad9720
    @emilrostad9720 11 месяцев назад +3

    I much perfer persistent upgrades to "scrambling" as he calls it. Much more satisfying knowing your work will pay of, rather than being shafted on the regular by RNG. Looking forward to this!

  • @ryhanon7
    @ryhanon7 11 месяцев назад +2

    Bungie's influence on gaming - shooters in particular - is unrivaled. They were the first to give us so many things and I love that a developer like this isn't trying to shy away from their influences.

  • @BirdMoose
    @BirdMoose 11 месяцев назад +1

    I think non-procedural levels could actually be a good thing, if they find other ways to mix up runs. For example certain areas in the map could change, like what was once a flat plain would not how a small village or camp in it, or a once navigable canyon is blocked off, taking familiar hand crafted areas and twisting them to be interesting.
    I gave two full geometry examples, but there are a lot of other options, like making an area have some kind of blight in some runs but not others, or localized weather events, or a million other interesting twists on the same spaces.

  • @fragr33f74
    @fragr33f74 11 месяцев назад +2

    Honestly, I would've loved if this was a straight up single player shooter. The gunplay looks great and the spells actually look super creative and fun.

  • @somerandomyoutuber7202
    @somerandomyoutuber7202 11 месяцев назад +7

    Austin is sounding more and more like ralph as the reviews go on. Loving it! If these are his first fortes into reviewing then he's got a bright future ahead!

    • @Skegfromcraigslist
      @Skegfromcraigslist 11 месяцев назад +1

      It’s eerie how much they sound alike. Not just because of the accent but their cadence, rhythm of speaking and general phrasing. I thought this was Ralph for a solid few minutes

    • @Greippi10
      @Greippi10 11 месяцев назад

      He has learned from the best!

  • @thefreshtowel9815
    @thefreshtowel9815 11 месяцев назад +1

    "It's got an intriguing Vanhesling inspired -"
    Say no more you've sold me

  • @alexr1632
    @alexr1632 11 месяцев назад +14

    I disagree on the maps being monotonous. Much like Hunt: Showdown, the map being the same makes it recognizable. You start to learn the environment and when stuff like the calamity occurs, having the ability to know where you need to go and what the strategy is helps a lot. I think the balance is perfect.

  • @yian5165
    @yian5165 11 месяцев назад +2

    Love love love having more reviews, especially since Austin is such a great reviewer

  • @hell5fire974
    @hell5fire974 11 месяцев назад +3

    Game looks sick, and the fact that the devs seem to be open to community feedback as you've pointed out gives a lot of hope that they'll be open to some of the suggestions you've made.

  • @jakubzachnik1070
    @jakubzachnik1070 11 месяцев назад +9

    Its great to see small, indie Polish studio reviewed here. Even if its not yet recommended, I'm glad that Witchfire is being noticed.

    • @JAN0L
      @JAN0L 11 месяцев назад +1

      Speaking of small Polish studios this channel should definitely cover Against the Storm.
      A great mix of Rougelike and survival city-builder. They've been killing it in the Early Access.

  • @SomeDamnChannel
    @SomeDamnChannel 11 месяцев назад +1

    Hey Austin & ShillUp,
    I'm really digging Austin's contributions to the channel. Keep it up. You're doing great. Thank you for continuing to publish quality video game content.
    XOXO,
    Ian

  • @angrymikko
    @angrymikko 11 месяцев назад +1

    Every time I see the term rogue like I have to give a game hard pass. I get that this is the trend now but it’s just not for me. Maybe I’ll never be good enough for these games because I’d take persistent progression any day of the week over losing everything. Since of place and environment storytelling will always be better than randomised generic level pieces in my book.
    For what it’s worth the devs did a great job with the look of this game.

  • @BasementMinions
    @BasementMinions 11 месяцев назад +5

    Wonderful insight as always Austin. Will be interested to see how this game lands in 1.0

  • @johnotron604
    @johnotron604 11 месяцев назад +1

    Sounds like they've got a solid base and seems like this has big potential. Hopefully they get the sales/resources to make the improvements and changes. Love the setting and style.

  • @hellobro789-je6qp
    @hellobro789-je6qp 11 месяцев назад +2

    are we not getting this week in videogames today?

  • @kirker87
    @kirker87 11 месяцев назад +1

    have s great day everyone!!

  • @tchulinomu
    @tchulinomu 11 месяцев назад +4

    The game's aesthetic looks reeeeeally cool, can't wait to try it out when fully released

  • @chaplin006
    @chaplin006 9 месяцев назад +1

    I love the way they changed the rogue-like formula here unlike the reviewer. Its great really and feels fresh. I love to learn the layouts of the levels and use it to my advantage for example. I love there are lots of permanent stuff to unlock. Give it a shot, the gameplay the action is superb. Definitely one of the best fps games out there even in its early access state.

  • @australianwi-fi
    @australianwi-fi 11 месяцев назад +115

    got s bright future

    • @itsgonnabeokay9341
      @itsgonnabeokay9341 11 месяцев назад +14

      "a" is near "s" so it's understandable

    • @elizacevert4017
      @elizacevert4017 11 месяцев назад +19

      @@itsgonnabeokay9341 not reslly

    • @AmbitiousPanda
      @AmbitiousPanda 11 месяцев назад +2

      @@itsgonnabeokay9341no excuse, ppl need to grow a brain

    • @mechanicalmonk2020
      @mechanicalmonk2020 11 месяцев назад +3

      ​@@itsgonnabeokay9341in a text message, yes. In a RUclips video produced by multiple people for a large RUclips channel, no.

    • @chaserseven2886
      @chaserseven2886 11 месяцев назад +24

      The grammar goons are at an all time high

  • @Ashtarte3D
    @Ashtarte3D 11 месяцев назад +3

    The portals sound like they COULD be a cool idea, if they weren't just randomly placed. Make them after a boss so you can't spam them and will be potentially suffering in resources. Currently it sounds like it provokes the old adage "given the chance players will optimize out the fun."

    • @sirzebra
      @sirzebra 11 месяцев назад +1

      if you had played the game, you would understand their actual placement gives them the double edged sword feel : sometimes they are so easy to reach you feel like you should continue further (and risk it all falling in the wrong ambush) and other times you really want to leave but will have to face a tough fight just to manage to extract. Frankly, it's one of the few things that really clicks as it is now. Difficulty is steep and extracting in itself passed the first few xp levels is not something you'll abuse easily.

  • @yaminub
    @yaminub 11 месяцев назад

    @15:30 It is $39.99 USD on my store (USA). Looks like a very fun game. I would say it is probably worth the buy-in if one is interested in providing feedback and plans on purchasing the full game at release anyway. I will probably pick it up over the winter after a few updates and other releases out of the way.

  • @elderwitch8632
    @elderwitch8632 24 дня назад +1

    I would like the calamity to be like a special portal you can summon, if you have achieved something or cleared a number of enemies or whatever. And you should be rewarded with a rare/good powerup and bonus witchfire. high risk high reward.
    Random enemies spawning in is annoying. (Outside of the normal mobs)
    Also how to access new areas was a bit convoluded.. i played for a good while before finally googling how to progress in the restricted parts of the map (upgrading gnosis). i shouldnt need to consult the internet on how to unlock stuff or make progress.

  • @Mcl_Blue
    @Mcl_Blue 11 месяцев назад +1

    I used to be incredibly hyped for this game, ever since they announced it, kept looking forward to it for *years,* long after everyone else forgot it existed. Then one day they announced the game would be a "roguelite", and my hype completely died right then and there, and never came back. I'm sad to say that nothing I saw or heard here changed that.

  • @awesomeLDZ
    @awesomeLDZ 11 месяцев назад

    It seems like this game would hugely benefit from having a procedurally generated dungeon type thing, maybe with some modifiers or temporary loot you can get for leveling and farming the currency/mats, then using that to go into the open world area and fight bosses for more major upgrades.

  • @jamesmcbride5754
    @jamesmcbride5754 11 месяцев назад

    I'm pretty confident is the knowledge that this one of the first builds that is being reviewed, there has been SIX patches since that have made a HUGH difference in early game difficulty

  • @joreck
    @joreck 11 месяцев назад +1

    honestly, this game has me so intrigued. what a bummer it isn't on steam :(

  • @christopherdelrosario1854
    @christopherdelrosario1854 11 месяцев назад +1

    This kind of reminds me of Darkwatch from the PlayStation 2 era. If it has that same aesthetic, I think personally I’m gonna love this!

  • @bjanes4766
    @bjanes4766 11 месяцев назад +1

    I much prefer hand crafted levels to generated ones so this is perfect

  • @Craig-gq9wd
    @Craig-gq9wd 11 месяцев назад +1

    I got the game after this review! 5 hours in. The gameplay & setting are worth your time. I personally like the static maps. I do get what Austin says about individual runs not feeling varied. I’m liking it. If they deliver updates as promised I’ll be very happy

  • @zebeegchungus
    @zebeegchungus 11 месяцев назад +3

    Never heard of this. Looks promising

  • @kirklandish
    @kirklandish 11 месяцев назад +1

    I kind of wonder if this game would be better as a more standard linear action game rather than a rogue lite. With an end game challenge mode that is randomized for some replay ability. It looks promising though, I hope it gets a PS5 release.

  • @pie6088
    @pie6088 8 месяцев назад +1

    You guys should make a follow up vid in the future

  • @MrPwner911
    @MrPwner911 11 месяцев назад

    I'm probably gonna wait for this game to (hopefully) arrive on Steam, not because I'm adverse to EGS but I'd like to have most, if not all my games in one library.

  • @Elc22
    @Elc22 11 месяцев назад

    It's a game to keep on the radar for sure, the aesthetic and the gunplay look very impressive. It's going to take time for them to adjust the progression and general loop of things, but I'm imagining that it will be a pretty good time when it goes 1.0

  • @marcusmerchant5697
    @marcusmerchant5697 11 месяцев назад

    Everything needs a good foundation to grow properly. If we go by games that were in early access for months/years (like Hades and, recently, Cyberpunk 2077) then got released in an amazing state, Witchfire may be something great in the future

  • @alexsawicki
    @alexsawicki 11 месяцев назад +1

    On the difficulty thing, as you level up: Seems the game could learn something from Hades, and the Heat system. Just watching this... It seems that leveling up maybe should unlock the *OPTION* to increase the difficulty in various ways. Maybe even having something like the Heat system, where unlocks happen at progressively higher difficulty, but the player gets to choose what things are added to the difficulty.

    • @ryo-kai8587
      @ryo-kai8587 11 месяцев назад

      Agreed! In most (but not all) scenarios I've seen, difficulty scaling tied directly to level just makes it feel like you didn't actually get stronger, the numbers just got bigger. The Heat system addresses that issue very well; without auto-scaling, the content you're familiar with serves as a point of reference for how much you've grown, making your progress tangible and satisfying. Then, you get to up the difficulty deliberately, and you reap rewards tied to it which make it feel worthwhile to pursue.

  • @benmccarroll117
    @benmccarroll117 11 месяцев назад +1

    From watching this review, I think they should lean harder into the extraction shooter. A single big map, a variety of enemies scattered in different zones, each with their own visual identity, with more danger the longer you hang around.
    I actually think destiny needs a mode like that, and this seems like a great way to do it

    • @chronodis
      @chronodis 11 месяцев назад +1

      as long as its a PVE extraction shooter, and not one of those shitty PVP ones where people camp the exit zones

  • @beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1
    @beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1 11 месяцев назад

    Does Austin have a new/better mic? Sounds cleaner and like there's more quality to your voice
    Thanks for the review!

  • @AetherXIV
    @AetherXIV 11 месяцев назад

    ty. will keep my eye on this for now

  • @udit1093
    @udit1093 11 месяцев назад

    was waiting for someone to review this

  • @1234matthewjohnson
    @1234matthewjohnson 11 месяцев назад

    did the first level, loved it, put it aside for the full release - cool

  • @versusforward
    @versusforward 11 месяцев назад

    These are some of the devs that made Bulletstorm and one of my favorite FPS action games of all time, Painkiller. Hoping it gets polished up and perfected.

  • @Joe-bk3qw
    @Joe-bk3qw 11 месяцев назад +1

    Looks like a game with great potential. Nice review/preview Austin

  • @JovianStone_
    @JovianStone_ 9 месяцев назад +1

    This game is incredible. I wasn't sure at first, but I stuck with it and it's really, really fun. It can only improve from here.

  • @zythesly
    @zythesly 11 месяцев назад

    I feel like they should take a leaf out of the infinity blade series. Make the re-running part of the story that increases the difficulty instead of the levelling system and make there be multiple locations to end the run have some surprises when you revisit them. Maybe a new path opens up or a new boss appears who you're not ready to face.

    • @343Epsilon
      @343Epsilon 11 месяцев назад

      Pretty much the remnant series

  • @korvusfilms1
    @korvusfilms1 11 месяцев назад +19

    For me, the calamities are really sucking the fun out of this game right now

    • @braydensearle
      @braydensearle 11 месяцев назад

      The warden could spawn on a calamity instead of just having the single event. So many ways to fix this game.

    • @branjeff1
      @branjeff1 11 месяцев назад

      The Calamity needs more variety, booking it to the tornado to shoot swirly skulls once every 5 minutes gets old fast. And wasting your ammo to kill enough mobs to stop it sucks. The minibosses that can spawn are a good step, just need to have some variation with the tornado

  • @tiagoalvarez7092
    @tiagoalvarez7092 11 месяцев назад

    I might get this just because how it looks. I really dig it!

  • @Fancy_Raptor
    @Fancy_Raptor 11 месяцев назад +1

    Witchfire feels like you’re running around a destiny patrol zone trying to find relic iron. The shooting is great, but everything else gets old so fast.

  • @NevermoreNeverAgain
    @NevermoreNeverAgain 11 месяцев назад +1

    I hope this game will make it onto PC one day (GOG/Steam) and is malware (EOS/EAC) clear... but I don't hold my breath.

  • @S2Pot_Gaming
    @S2Pot_Gaming 11 месяцев назад

    I am so hyped for this game. Funny enough, even though I love typical rogues, the tweaks the Astronauts have made to the formula is exactly what I want from a game like this: let me unlock and craft a build outside of the dungeon, and then let me throw myself at a brutally difficult gauntlet where my knowledge, build, and skill carries me through. Seems really cool to me, even if it does lack some of the typical roguelite formula. Thanks for the review!

  • @rmeng3
    @rmeng3 11 месяцев назад

    Really good review. I agree that the fun bit of a roguelike is the crazy synergies you can get going during a run. Sounds like it's missing the mark right now for me, but I hope they get things figured out!

  • @zblurth855
    @zblurth855 11 месяцев назад +1

    full price EA on epic with some needed tweak may not be the thing I want to invest in but maybe it will make feedback easier to handle for the small team, I will let them cook and decide if the game is worth the price at launch but destiny gunplay without bungi bullshit sure does sound appealing

  • @mattm1773
    @mattm1773 11 месяцев назад

    great review!
    only tested w/ upscaling though? interested to see the raw performance of the game.
    well done austin!

  • @suffering5203
    @suffering5203 11 месяцев назад

    Dis is like my dream fantasy game come true - the look, the vibe, the gunplay it's all I ever wanted. Now just need that Hades level of level/stage progression - hopefully they tie up the story and progression in a good way and make some optimizations, my gpu is old school gtx 1650 ti : (

  • @mrnewson
    @mrnewson 11 месяцев назад

    Looks good.
    I'm happy with the fact there is less rogue lite crap.
    I like keeping at least some of the stuff I unlock.

  • @marvinvogtde
    @marvinvogtde 11 месяцев назад

    Will definitely check this one out, not quite yet, mostly because this year is soooo loaded with other stuff, but as soon as I'm free this will be next

  • @NadeemShekh-uy9zn
    @NadeemShekh-uy9zn 11 месяцев назад +1

    Its like the Van Helsing movie with Hugh Jackman

  • @elliottpartridge5542
    @elliottpartridge5542 11 месяцев назад

    I've truly never enjoyed and trusted video game content as much as what Austin and ShillUp turn out by themselves every week. It's on a whole different level and they desevre all their success, even when I disagree with their review takes.

  • @Merlin_Price
    @Merlin_Price 11 месяцев назад +1

    I'm sure all this feedback will be very useful for these devs. The high difficulty in early access is good imo. Always overtune until you know what players are willing to endure.

  • @spliterator1981
    @spliterator1981 11 месяцев назад

    Man, Austin's enunciation has improved so much since his first review. Absolutely fantastic improvement all around over such a short time

  • @ivonbeton4725
    @ivonbeton4725 11 месяцев назад

    I'm keeping my eye on this, but I noticed that when playing Outriders endgame that when you have to continuously grind maps which aren't procedurally generated, it can get old REALLY fast.

  • @BMGrayFox1991
    @BMGrayFox1991 11 месяцев назад

    Risk of Rain 2 also does rogue-lite with static maps, but the format of it's systems means that there is some amount of randomisation as to what map you will be taken to next.
    The whole thing about having a rogue-lite but you don't lose your cool equipment on death feels like "eating your cake and having it too". As a fundimental design decision seems like a flawed way to go. At what point does it just become a stunted single-player campaign at that point? The current level-up systems don't seem to make up for what is lost by stripping the majority of the parts that make rogue-lites fun.

  • @uy9584
    @uy9584 11 месяцев назад +1

    Dude, Austin is such a talented critic.

  • @angrykook1
    @angrykook1 11 месяцев назад +6

    Honestly no clue why they went in the Roguelike direction. This looked like a very promising campaign back in 2017. It used to look dark, unsettling, mysterious. I feel like these elements have all been toned down and I'm really sad, not what I was expecting.

  • @BUCCIMAIN
    @BUCCIMAIN 11 месяцев назад +1

    Can't wait for it to be released on Steam

  • @mariomcp
    @mariomcp 11 месяцев назад

    I have taken to completely avoiding games in early access, NOT because of a bias against them but because I learned my lesson from Divinity Original Sin. I backed the game on kickstarter and played the hell out of the early access with my GF... probably going through the first chapter like 5 times together. Then when the game actually released neither of us really wanted to do the opening to the game anymore and so we didn't end up playing it. I only was prompted to finally beat the game (alone, since my GF was still not interested) when the second was coming out. That taught me that I personally will have an issue going back to play a game that I played a lot in early access. But respect to the people who play and help improve the game prior to release.

  • @lachyjp
    @lachyjp 11 месяцев назад

    AUSTIN - buy a Vornado, best thing I ever bought for Aus summers. It’s 10x better than a normal fan, circulation around the room is awesome.
    also great video :)))

  • @matthewhaworth5935
    @matthewhaworth5935 11 месяцев назад

    I seriously love what I'm seeing here. It has so much of what I love wrapped up into one and is stunning visually. The only thing I'm really left wondering on is the whole "roguelite for people that hate roguelites." It just seems like such a stupid thing to say let alone to market your game on or to hold as a design goal. The roguelite genre has a massive audience, and I'm sure this game will still draw a lot of them even with that self imposed moniker.. but I just can't help but wonder how much better this game could be if it just embraced some more traditional roguelite design staples alongside their more unique ones. Imagine a dark souls difficulty and imposing boss battles, with a bit of vermintide/darktide frenetic gameplay, the dark and oozing Gothic beauty of what they have here, and a risk of rain 2 style gameplay loop in conjunction with their meta progression spell weapon and item upgrades etc. That's the game I want! Definitely gonna check it out anyway and I'll reserve judgement until then, but I can't help but already feel like this is so close to my ideal FPS roguelite but just a little bit off in quite a few ways. Definitely excited to see how it pans out.

  • @lRecon
    @lRecon 11 месяцев назад

    It facinates me how Raplh sounds much like Austin.

  • @cassolmedia
    @cassolmedia 11 месяцев назад

    the overworld map sounds interesting for a rouge-like, but the lack or randomization really screams "bandit camps" to me... I'm hoping this is good at launch (or whenever it's not exclusive to epic anymore haha).
    I'd probably check it out on a sale, but I don't think it scratches the rouge-like itch.

  • @nbaumg
    @nbaumg 11 месяцев назад

    this game sounds very interesting and im one of the people that never liked rough lites much. i like the idea of carrying over most abilitys and unlocks. i hope they can make it work

  • @3bladeninja21
    @3bladeninja21 11 месяцев назад +2

    My theory is that Austin doesn't actually exist. It's Skillup changing his voice slightly.

  • @Lukoro05
    @Lukoro05 11 месяцев назад

    You're doing a LOT better with your video titles. Good work!

  • @I_am_ENSanity
    @I_am_ENSanity 11 месяцев назад +1

    Will wait to see of the full release is good and will then probably wait another month at least.

  • @YourDadYoda
    @YourDadYoda 11 месяцев назад +1

    This is the first time I’ve even heard of this game and I’m already obsessed

  • @deankelly5760
    @deankelly5760 11 месяцев назад

    Im just glad it’s in people’s hands now so the developers can hopefully take feedback and make the game better. Rogue like shooter similar to dark souls in terms of difficulty.

  • @DragonHeart613
    @DragonHeart613 11 месяцев назад +1

    Who's Austin??? What happened to Skill-Up? I think someone previously mentioned that Skill-Up was playing a ton of Baldur's Gate 3 for review but not sure.

  • @MalleeMate
    @MalleeMate 11 месяцев назад

    Yes king, I was hoping the team would drop a review for this one. Looks so beautiful, but there were definitely suspicions.

  • @Olygrom
    @Olygrom 11 месяцев назад +1

    Sort of surprised to find out its a roguelite having not heard about it since its original (and fantastic) trailer. I kind of figured it'd pseudo open with Doom Eternal like levels. Not against the idea of non-procedural levels (Risk of Rain 2 handles that well enough) especially if there are maybe alterations to the landscape like outposts etc.

  • @donaldslayer
    @donaldslayer 11 месяцев назад

    This might be what I’m looking for. Downloading it now.

  • @MyJ109
    @MyJ109 11 месяцев назад

    That smg looked so good to use 😮