I played 9 Souls-Like games you've never heard of

A Souls Lake is a game that's kind of like Dark Souls.Maybe that means your character can roll around.Maybe you have to worry about a stamina bar.Or maybe big monsters just want to sit on you.Whatever it might be, I like to find Souls Lakes that you probably haven't seen.So if that sounds interesting, this is episode 34 of Steam Dumpster Diving.

Alright, first up, we have the demo for Project Goblin.This is a 3D action -adventure game by Solodev.And as you can probably guess from the title, it involves goblins.And rather than being classified as a Souls -like, I think it's actually a Dragons Dogma -like.And just from glancing at the game, I can tell it fits into this video series pretty nicely.Me, personally, I love Dragons Dogma.

I love Dragons Dogma 2.I will defend these games.But anyway, Project Goblin.It's inspired by Dragons Dogma, as well as Zelda, and I thought it looked really cool.So, let's check it out.Project Goblin.

Project Goblin these nuts.All right, so I can jump, I can attack, I can do a slam attack, air attack, block, and then we have these skills, which look like they're straight out of Dragon's Dogma.Like, even the names, I think, are really similar.All right, it's game time.Die, goblin.Grabbing and throwing?

Hold on, hold on.Yes!Oh my god.This is just like Dragon's Dogma.Oh my god!Yes!

Okay, here we go, here we go.Check this out.Let's block.watch out they're throwing shit okay attack knock them over oh you can knock them over into each other perfect i love that pick them up throw them at the other guy amazing this is what i'm fucking talking about that guy's a rock oh shit oh this is awesome i really like this i really like to see this this is like indie dragon's dogma enemies that wear armor won't take any damageuntil you get rid of it.Okay, so how do I get rid of this guy's armor?

Okay, my idea is...Let's knock these guys over like this.Round slash, good, good.Pick him up and maybe throw him at the armor.Okay, he got stunned, that did something.

Okay, yeah, and then it broke after I just hit it enough.Fuck you.Take that.Though I love how they kinda just throw a little tantrum when they die.Alright, let's try healing.Apple use oh cool.

So you actually have to do the animation.I like that That's one of my biggest complaints about dragon's dogma is you pause the game you click the heal button and it just happens Yeah, so there's no dodge roll.By the way, it is just like all about blocking or positioning moving around Positional combat.Hello goblins.Can you make it to me?Okay.

Yeah, they can jump but check this out Wow, he actually didn't fall in And look at these goofy little animations, like look at this goblin over here by the fire, just chilling, scratching his belly.Stuff like that is what makes a good game a great game.Wait, so are there treasures in the water?Oh, totally.Hell yeah.We even got this like little fuck -ass Ocarina of Time swim animation, kinda.

Fire grease.Ooh, yes.Oh, and I have a bomb.Finishing moves.Ooh, hold on.All right, let's try out a finishing move.

So let's knock these guys over.Then hold strong attack.Oops.Okay, the finishing move takes some time, so knock him over.Hold strong attack.Finish.

Oh, that's awesome!Nice.Oh shit, what is that?Is that a zombie?yeah, we got multiple zombies, okay.Whoa, whoa, whoa, get off me, get off me!

There's so many, there's so many, there's so many!Oh my god, oh my god!This is awesome.Also, I just realized, dude, look, they're ripping out their stomachs and then, like, throwing their guts at me.So funny.It's just, it's dominoes.

It's all about dominoes.Just hit one and knock them into the other.Boom, boom, boom.Oof.A little scary.Okay, these...

These fires look pretty big.I could definitely hit the goblins into them.Okay, you go to hell.Yeah, okay, when you hit them into the fire, they just bounce off of it.I do wish they actually, like, caught on fire properly.I got a little switch here.

Such a neat blend of, like, these little Zelda environmental puzzles and dungeon design with Dragon's Dogwood combat.Oh shit, a harpy.Oh my god.Oops.I just crashed into the wall.Okay, anyway, the trick with harpies is you want to use the Skyrend to move.

Ow.Okay, never mind.The trick with harpies is you just fucking kill them.I didn't really point this out yet, but there is kind of a stamina bar in this game where the green bar at the top is like a stamina bar.And it doesn't go down for normal attacks, but it does go down for special attacks like this, for example.It also goes down for blocking, and it comes back really slow.

So it is kind of a resource you have to be thinking about during combat.And yeah, that is kind of basically how it works in Dragon's Dogma as well.Dude, look at this.That's so cool looking.Another harpy.Okay, okay.

Let's jump up.Drink the potion.Ow.Ow.Okay.wow.

Rest now, brave knights.Are you kidding?Oh my god, they put it in the game.They put it in the game!I'm gonna let it take me. I was hoping they had that in the game.That's such an iconic Dragon's Dogma thing.

Having harpies pull you into the air.That's cool too.So he can block my attacks, but I can still bump him into a wall.All right, here we go.New enemy, Pobgoblin.So these guys you can't toss around the same way you can with the little goblins.

I believe.Oh, look, he got his, like, sword stuck in the ground.Oh, wait, I can pick him up.Okay, well, fuck you then.Okay, I think it's just harder to stun them than the normal goblins, but you can still do that, I guess.Enemy damage areas.

Some enemies react in different ways to your attacks depending on where they land, taking less damage or even none at all depending on the body part you hit.Ooh, I like that.Okay, cool, yeah, I think I hit him on the head last time and that's why I got him so quick.Let's take the little guys out first.Avoid that attack.Spank him Okay.

Yeah.Wow, he attacks really quick.Let's go with a dash.Oh, wow.Okay.Yeah, this guy's a threat Wow, yeah, I don't know how I got him so quick last time.

Okay, wait, I have an idea Maybe maybe I should leave one of the goblins alive to like Purposefully hit into him and like use as a stunning tool shield bash.Yep.Yep stunned him then hit him She'll bash again.Nope.Nope.Nope.

She'll bash perfect.Okay, he just fucking kicked me didn't do that much damage though.I'm alive Yeah, that's the trick.Well, that's part of a trick.It's tough.It's tough.

Yeah, see, I love it.like this.I love combat that has me thinking in ways like this.You know, I'm thinking about the environment.I'm thinking about other enemies.I'm thinking of like ways I can be kind of scrappy and creative in the moment.

It's sick, man.We have a big one with a harpy.So pick up the harpy because it's a fucking idiot.Throw the harpy.Perfect.Yep.

OK, careful, careful.Oh, my God.He hit me on the ledge.Holy shit.That's really cool how he can knock you back like that.Oh, fuck.

Let's do it.You and me, man.Whoa.Whoa.Am I even dealing damage?What is that?

What is that?Move, move, move.Come on.Laser eyes.Okay, wait, I hit him a little bit.I'm just doing, like, strong attacks.

Ow, ow, he ricocheted me off the firewall.Eat the cheese.Okay, I had to jump that.Oh, this is fucking awesome.My attacks don't even hurt him half the time.Like, is it like you have to hit the head?

It might be.Wow, yeah.Let's try again.I wish I had saved a few more of my consumables, but I have a good amount of them.Let's try a fire buff right away.Okay.

Okay, I think I did more.Just gotta hit him in the face.Hitting him in the face is so tough.See, I wish this game had the climbing mechanics of Dragon's Dogma.I don't think it does.Oh my god, get off of me.

Hmm.Okay, this is interesting.It's like a puzzle.Gotta treat it like a puzzle.Maybe I should be using this move more.I haven't really had the chance to use this properly, but it kind of makes sense here.

Dodge the attack, then go in.Okay, that hit him a little bit.Yeah, I don't know, I don't know.Okay, I'm learning, I'm learning.Oh, he's staggered, he's staggered.Good, good, good.

Yeah, I think I'm doing it right, it's just tough to get the hits in.You pretty much have to do jumping heavy, nothing else works.Ow.Let's pull out a bomb.Wait for an opening.Yep, avoid that, avoid that, avoid that.

Pull out a bomb, throw it.Good.Okay, then we fire grease.That's fine, that's fine.Then we warrior's amulet for double damage.Let me run him.

Come on.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

Yep, yep, yep.Sky runs.Yes, yes, stagger him again.Thank you, double damage.Yes, yes.Take that.

Many thanks for playing.The demo will be updated in the future with more content.Stay tuned.Man, what a cool demo and what an awesome proof of concept.This is such a delightful blend of Dragon's Dogma inspired combat with Zelda -ish dungeons and retro aesthetics.Everything about this is so charming to me.

The real magic here is how reactive all the enemies are, how they react to every hit, how you can knock them over onto the ground, how you can pick them up, how you can throw them into other enemies.It creates this combat where you're constantly thinking about ways you can utilize the environment or other enemies to your advantage, and you can be creative with it, and it just feels really fresh.Now, of course, this is true of Dragon's Dogma as well, and it's part of why I wish more people would try it, but I think the dev here also struck a really good balance with the difficulty as well, where, like, you can't just button mash for the most part.You have to be thoughtful with where you get your openings.Everything is generally predictable and telegraphed, but you gotta be smart.Even with the healing, this dev made the conscious decision to make healing very slow.

I like that a lot.and all of that gives this game a nice bit of bite.for me in a way that Dragon's Dogma doesn't always because, you know, those games I think do have some difficulty curve issues where they do get a little too easy.But here I was like generally having to lock in on most fights.And then yeah, the demon at the end, super neat encounter, nice palette cleanser.I liked having to figure him out like as a little puzzle of how to hit him and how to use my items, and when to find openings, all that.

This is a solo dev project, incredible work.Please keep cooking, man.Like, I really, really like what you're doing.And if nothing else, I hope this inspires more people to make Dragon's Dogma likes.We need more of those.Truly.

Awesome job, man. I'm Andre the Blacksmith.I need a new computer.

Perfect timing.This video's sponsor is Starforge Systems.

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Now here's the rest of the video.

Alright, next up we have the demo for Mortal Shell 2.If there's one game you've already heard of in this video, it's almost certainly this game.This is one of the higher profile Soulslakes coming out, and I figured some people would probably be a little curious about my thoughts on it.So I actually never included Mortal Shell 1 in any of these videos, but I did play it back when it released in 2020.And basically, I think Mortal Shell is a decent game with a lot of cool ideas, like the hardening system and the shell system, and it has a cool aesthetic.But overall, I didn't love it.

I thought some of the boss and enemy design was lacking, and I thought the level design was outright bad for big chunks of the game.So all that is to say, I think Mortal Shell 2 is a fantastic chance for the devs to, like, take what they've learned from the first game, apply it to a sequel, and yeah, I'm going into this not a huge Mortal Shell fan, but, like, very open -minded, wanting this game to be good.Let's check it out.

Wake up.

No, five more minutes, please.I wanna go to school.Oh my god inhabit heros Whoa, okay.I like that.So I think we just inhabited one of the one of the shells like that's kind of the thing of this game is you like take over these bodies.All right, so we have a two -handed sword some sort of gun and Untarnished seal.

It's our block.I guess wow.Wow, like this is gorgeous.Look at this.Goddamn.Let's test out light attack Okay already feels good already feels very weighty just from the light attack.

I like that Heavy attack.Oh, that was cool.Did I just grab it by the blade?I love that.I guess let's test out the gun we have.Oh my god.

That's awesome.I guess it's like a shotgun.I think ammo is very limited though.I only have one shot left.Okay, I can also block with left bumper.That guy just fell over.

I think there might be perfect blocking.Let's test it.So that's perfect block, and then you can...Okay, you have a crit.Nice.That seemed like a pretty generous window.

All right, they're teaching me how to use my range weapon.Got it.Okay, but firing your sidearm costs resolve, which regenerates by landing melee hits.Cool.Hey, what's up, guys?Boom.

Boom.Yeah, stay down.Okay, and we can heal with up on the D -pad.Nice.Yeah, so I believe the first game had ranged weapons too, but I don't think they were like a core part of the combat loop in the same way that it seems to be here.So I'm liking that change so far already.

Oh, that was a dash attack.Okay.Good to know.Oh, and we have plunging attacks, wow.Also good to know.You have found a beacon, allowing the Undermother to locate your presence within the world and revive you here if you're defeated.

Enter the beacon to attempt the challenge of cleansing it.Okay, yeah, let's do it.I've never seen that before, that sounds like a potentially fun system.Some enemies are more vulnerable to certain attacks.Try experimenting with attack types such as light, heavy, and ranged.So let me guess, the shield guy, you gotta use heavy attacks on.

Yep, I think I was right.What about ranged attacks?Nope.That's a boulder, oh my god.Die.Oh, oh.

Bro, bro.Okay.I like the boulder guy, I like the shield guys.Very, very cool design so far, like visually for sure.Oh, that was it.Cleanse corruption.

Okay, well that was just the intro to the concept, so.That's neat, it's like a little mini dungeon to cleanse stuff.And then to tell me what I get for cleansing it.Maybe I have like extra health?Or like maybe it was just for the item that I found in there, I'm not sure.Each shell can perform unique abilities.

Alright, here we go, this is like the main thing.of Mortal Shell now.Using shell abilities costs resolve.Okay, so the same resource as the ranged weapon, which regenerates when landing melee hits.Yep.Heroes petrifies nearby enemies, leaving them unable to act.

While hardened, they take no damage but suffer break damage instead.All right, let's test that on this guy.So petrify.And, oh, I broke him in one hit, and I step on his face.Alright.Oh, also I'm poisoned, I didn't realize.

Look at how stinky I look.Alright, let's test it on this guy.Mini boss.So, heavy attack, heavy attack, heavy attack.He's building up.Got it.

Okay.Decent damage.Let's take it easy.Let's do it again.Pretty free when it's like a one -on -one like this.Let's try the ranged attack.

Oh, wow.Yeah, that damage is good.I got the boulder guy again.Let's dodge that.So far, like, really well telegraphed.Really fun animations.

I like the dismemberment.His arm just fell off.Yeah, this feels solid.Let's be careful.That big guy looks a little scary.

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa.Yep, yep.

Yeah, perfect block.Okay, I see the stagger bar filling up slowly.Yep, keep it coming.Nice.Oh, nice.It's whale on him, whale on him.

And then petrify.Look at that.Right before he hit me.And just keep doing heavy attacks.Oh, wrong button, wrong button!I hit the range button.

Okay, okay.I meant the block.Alright, these guys feel good to fight.This feels like a side area.What is this?Oh, that's a big guy.

Uh...Tainted Vestige.Okay.

Woo!

I'm on fire.Oh, I tried to block?Was that a grab attack?Oh my god.Oh my god.Wait, am I still alive?

What?Oh, he like ate my shell.I'm naked now.Okay, that's interesting.Is that how the first game worked?I forget.

Well, I still got my gun.Okay, I got him.That was really cool.He ate me?He ate my clothes, spit me out, and I kill him naked.Also, it says 84 % at the bottom.

I think that fills up as I deal damage, and then I guess that when it fills up all the way, I get my armor back and, you know, my ability back.That's cool.Garak's Den.Oh, what is that?Oh, what is that?Oh, die.

Little hermit crab.Uh, can I do like a plunge attack?Oh, get shit on.Freeze.Okay.So, frozen both.

That's big.Oh my goodness.Oh my goodness.Oh my goodness, we're doing it again.Wow, you actually toss them.Man, that would be so cool if, like, for this enemy, where you toss them like that, if you could toss it into another enemy and, like, stagger them or hurt them or something.

Please tell me that's a thing.If it's not, devs, you gotta do it, man.All right, so is this like a jump pad to get back out?Whoa, wait.Wait, that was cool.Did my shell throw me?

Oh, that's so cool.I really like that.All right, where are you?Hop down.I'm ready for you.Are you - is there no boss?

Really?Oh, maybe.Maybe after this cutscene.oh there you go whoa he's like made of rubble and like a gate it looks like multiple gates let's fucking go tar golem dodge okay that was a grab attack i think red flashing means grab attack whoa okay maybe red isn't necessarily grab attack it just meanslike you can't block it It's probably that and like sometimes it's a grab but sometimes it's like a slam like that.Oh, I staggered him Yeah, kick him kick him in the head stab him in the head get him.

Oh, yeah Go go go.Let's get behind him.So we unfreezes.Okay, never mind.I was like he'll keep swinging forward I wish this how it works.Apparently not shoot him shoot a few times.

Boom.Why is he not dead?Why is he not dead?You should be dead.What is happening my clothes give them back Okay Thanks, man.Uh, you should turn around though.

Okay.Vatra's seal.When equipped, the Vatra's seal allows you to harden.Okay, this is the one.This is like the iconic mortal shell thing.Harden your flesh to prevent damage from enemy attacks.

Yeah, so that's the thing.It's like you start an attack and then like you freeze yourself mid -attack so that like you can block theirs but then like follow through with your own attack after you unfreeze oh okay so if i equip this i think it replaces my block is that right yeah so i can't block normally now with like the perfect blocking i just have hardened all right really great job in these environments oh title drop hell yeah they know they're cooking they know the merrow keep oh hello yeah so these are the other classes and shells you can find There we go, unknown shell.Let's track that.Wait, so did I - did I lose my other shell?Yeah, my shell's gone, by the way.So, the hero shell?

Just gone.That's interesting.

Yep.

You said it, man.Oh!I didn't think it'd let me do that.He said it.Like, I think he wanted it.With proper timing, parry incoming attacks.

Oh.So that's different than perfect guarding.All right, let's test the parry.Wow.Okay, so that was like one hit.Or one parry as opposed to, like, three perfect blocks?

That seems way better.Hold on, before I go, I just thought of a joke.Dark Souls players be like, you get it?Okay.I'm good now.Really?

Yeah, sure man.Wow.So I gotta say, if a guy's gonna wash my feet in a Souls -like, I think they should commit harder.I think they should show it.Don't fade to black.Animate it.

I don't even want to see it, but...I think - I think you should do it still.Like, it's not what I would want, but it's what Miyazaki would want.Whoa, my god!Holy shit.That is the fastest elevator ever.

A to activate.What am I doing?What in the fuck?Oh, it's fast travel!Oh!Okay, cool.

Yeah, I guess let's go here.Is this new?Goddamn.That's so cool.Awesome.So...

Yeah, I think this is new.Begin trial.All right, whoa, whoa, whoa, let me show off the hardened ability.Okay, so I'm gonna sprint, attack, freeze.He hits me, I hit him.There you go.

That's a pretty good example of like how to use that move.Definitely a lot harder to use than like the standard block, but like it is cool.So I want to mess with it more.Oh, hello.Great Arbiter of Flesh.You look kind of scary.

Can I walk away?I wonder if he can handle this wagon.Ooh, he cannot.The barrels though, will he break the barrel?Oh, wow.He'll just phase through them.

All right.Okay.Okay.Oh my God.Back up, back up.Nice.

Yep.Just keep, keep hardening.Okay, so the hearting comes back really fast if he like, breaks it and I time it properly.Oh, I can't do that!That was awesome.Is there a bloodstain somewhere?

Oh, I think this is it, yeah.Let's grab that.Okay, so if I time it properly, it comes back really fast.Like that.So I still do want to time it.There we go, there we go.

Almost got him.Almost got him.Arbiter's Prize.Consume 30 resolve to infuse your weapon with blood curse.Okay, I'll try it.I can equip it on my sword.

What the hell?There's bear traps?I didn't even notice that.Man, that would've been really funny if I like, I stepped in that while fighting the boss.Alright, we got a pack of guys.Ooh, what if I like sneak up on them from the right?

Wait for it, wait for it, get a little closer.Yep.Hell yeah.Beautiful, dude.See, this combat, it's...It feels so good.

It's just like fun to watch too, I imagine, just like as a viewer or even for me, like it's fun to watch it all happen.Oh, I just parried it back.at him.That was awesome.It looked like it should have hit him, though, but it didn't.Let's try again.

There we go.OK, that's fucking sick.Hello.Oh, my God.We're going to dig up a body.Switch to Teal.

Yes.Hell yeah.Teal gains shadow and prepares to perform a shadow strike with his dagger.Whoa.So I'm invisible and undetectable during it, okay.Dashing just before getting struck grants Teal shadow and inflicts stagger damage.

Okay, so he's like a perfect dodge guy.Makes sense.Huzzah, I have clothes now, once again.Shattering Stone, what's up?So melee attacks deal 150 % stagger damage.And look, so it looks like it levels up.

as I use it, and eventually will deal 220 % stagger damage.Which seems crazy, by the way.Like, that seems almost too good, if I'm understanding that correctly.Alright, let's go stealth and stab.Oh, that's awesome.What is that guy, by the way?

What is that chin?Got a corkscrew chin.Oh, that is a weird -looking thing.I don't like that.I don't like that.Got back up.

Let's go invisible mid -combat.Stab.Very cool.Yeah, I like that by the way.It's not like just a stealth thing for out -of -combat.It's a mid -combat thing too.

Into the town we go.Mushroom village, aww.Look at them dancing.Got all the instruments.Oh.Hey.

Okay, okay, okay.Dude, the music changed too.I feel like - I feel like he's probably buffing them.Let's - let's kill the music guy.Okay, sorry to be the party crasher.Dude, this is such a cool area.

Like, look at this shit.Like, there's so much verticality.There's all these little bridges connecting everything.Like, the light is peeking down and, like, creating shadows and shade in different ways.It's just good shit.

What is that thing?Whoa.Let's go.

invisible again.Yep.Nice Dude, the parry is strong.Very very strong.But yeah, look at this like look at all the verticality.Look at these bridges.

That's what I'm talking about.I love it.Oh playtest area limit.Damn it.See sometimes I forget I'm playing a demo because I get so sucked in I just want to play the whole game.Whoa.

All right.Double boulder guy.Fuck.Fuck.Wait, he hit the other guy.Fuck.

Yeah.Yes, my favorite.My favorite thing.Hit him.Hit each other.What the fuck?

Okay, it looks like they can only hit each other with the ranged attacks.Like this.Oh, he ducked.Damn it.I'm gonna make him kill each other.Just, just throw.

Just throw at him.There we go.Nice.Nice.There we go.I don't have to mention it yet as well.

Dude, the sound design.The sound design is like fucking stellar.And that's what like really sells all this stuff.Oh, beacon.Yes.Let us cleanse the beacon.

Oh, hell yeah.Well, there's the axe and dagger.Wait, what is going on here?Is this...Can I walk through this?Woah.

Woah, that's trippy.That's really trippy.Okay, I like that.Oh, goddamn, bro!Oh my god!Dude, fucking Dark Souls 1 Torch Hollow over here.

Oh, what the fuck?Oh my god!Oh my god!What are those?That was a fucking surprise.This is sick.

Back up, use the pillars.Okay, then I'm gonna go through the pillars.Stab him again.Oh, he's made clones of himself!That's not the real one.That's not the real one.

This one?Nope, nope, nope.There's so many things, bro!Come on, come on, come on.There we go.Volatile Fragment.

New Tarstone.Enemies dying by a ranged attack will explode and deal splash damage.Oh, that's sick.All right, that was cool.And that was just, like, inside a beacon, like, inside a checkpoint.That was a real surprise.

I didn't know...I didn't know they were gonna do stuff like that.Whoa, that's...Okay, that just one -shot me.That was pretty cool, though.Oh, look at all the arrows in me.

Dude, what the fuck happened to me?What's up?Oh, are you a frog?It's a frog!It's a frog lady.Woo!

I love her design.Damn, this looks cool.Look at the rain.Look at these guys.Ow, okay, I should focus.Oh, they're healing him.

They're healing him!Fuck you!That's cool, though.Wow, this is kind of a nightmare.Jesus.Go.

Proc on this.That's nothing.Hop to it and die.Hop to it and die.That's nothing.What are you?

What are you?This reminds me of the, uh, the Ocarina of Time guy from the Shadow Temple, you know what I'm talking about?Is it like - Is everyone the health bar?Is it like a group fight?Yep, that's exactly what it is.Okay.

Alright, let's load them.Yep.Slash damage.Perfect, perfect.Alright, let's try the weapon buff.I haven't really done much of that.

Weapon is buffed.Going in.Some hits off.Parry.Oh, there's more.There's more.

What the fuck?!Dude, imagine if they both grab me at the same time and just rip me apart.Good, good.Check this out.Explode her, stagger him.Perfect.

Perfect.Oh, I like how he tries to keep himself up.What the hell?The Wandering Shepherd.Oh no.Oh no.

Fuck.Wait, this is sick.I like this.I like this a lot.I'm gonna stab you.Okay, dude, fuck off.

They got hands, dude.This is awesome.This is an inspired fight.Should I take these guys out or do they keep respawning?I can't tell.Fuck you.

Fuck you.Oh, oh, what is happening?What is happening?Oh wait, I'm a sheep!When did that happen?I didn't even notice!

I was like, why is there a white sheep?It's me!It's me!Oh man, dude, I love this.Yay, tar -bladed trophy.Man, what a fun boss.

I love shit like that.I love when it's like weird and creative and like mechanically different and interesting.And there's like a sense of humor to it all.Perfect.All right, so let's test out the new ability from the boss.Oh, that's cool.

Wow, and I hurt myself with it.Good to know.All right, let's try that again.Back up, then fire it.Okay.That's really neat.

And I actually really like being able to hurt myself with it.Oh, man. I have no healing left, but this is a boss.Oh, good.The fuck?Is that a cannon arm?It's a crow inside!

What in the shi - Okay.Yeah, man.Yeah, man, sure.The rocket wheelchair.

What the fuck?

Holy shit, dude, the bulldozer.Ugh.Okay, okay.When do I even get in to attack?Ow.That just killed me.

Okay.I can't even get in.Did she just make bees?What the fuck, bro?How do I get in?I'm trying, I'm trying.

What the?No, dude, nah.What?It was drifting, wow.Maybe I can parry the one where she's not red.So that one I can't.

Maybe some of the other ones.Try this.That was good damage.I staggered her with that.Fuck yeah.Goddamn.

Goddamn!She's almost dead after that.Shit.I started her again?I feel like I just broke the boss fight.What the fuck?

Hold on, I wanna try parrying her.There we go.Okay, see, I was right.You can parry the ones where it's not red.Wait that out, back up, run in.Oh, bees, okay.

Bees everywhere, Jesus.Yeah, fire it at me, fire it at me.Triple baby, do it.Let's finish it.Awesome.Dude, another like super neat gimmick fight.

where like it's silly, it's funny, it's fun.Like not super deep mechanically, but like just enough, right?Like it's, it's good.It's fresh.No, no.I knew it was coming, but I want to keep playing.

I'm going to keep playing actually.

Man, I know this is just a demo, but I really wish I got the chance to check out some of the other shells.Cause I think there's seven more or six more, six or seven, you might say.Haha.Troubadours loot.Hold on.It's a weapon.

No, it's a sidearm.Okay.I can play it.What does this do?Fuck yeah!You can change the track?

Ooh, oh my god.Also, I can shoot with it?How does that work?You can fire music!What?I'm gonna walk in with my own battle music?

Check this out.Yo, what's up, fuckers?Yes!Yeah, that was a fantastic demo.This is such a massive step up from the first Mortal Shell.And on top of giving this game a real identity with its designs and unique mechanics like the hardening and the shells and the look of the game, they've really nailed other aspects like the level design.

That's the big one.The original Mortal Shell, I feel like really suffered in that department to the point where like that was one of the main things dragging it down.But in this one, it was fun to explore.I was rewarded consistently with little secrets.Enemies were laid out in thoughtful ways.I was encountering new enemies very frequently.

I was getting to use a variety of tactics on them with all my abilities.It kind of just boils down to this game is straightforwardly quite good.You know, it's not reinventing the wheel, but it nails the fundamentals, has a lot of polish, everything feels good.And like I mentioned before, it has enough unique things going for it, like the shell system and how you will essentially, you know, acquire different classes throughout your playthrough and be encouraged to mess around with each of them.That's really fantastic.I really like that.

For me, variety goes a long way, and I saw a fair bit of that here.Yeah, solid level design, really meaty, satisfying combat, great sound design, great visuals.You know, you can be cynical and look at this game as like edgy Dark Souls, which admittedly is kind of how I viewed the first Mortal Shell at times, but I don't know, something about this really won me over in a way that the first one didn't.And then obviously, of course, fun bosses.The last two were especially fun with Halcyon.were and how fun their gimmicks were.

Cool demo, man. I would not be surprised at all if this game does really well when it launches.I think this is exactly what a lot of Souls -like fans are looking for.All right, next up, we have the demo for Brachechikex.This is a third -person melee -focused action brawler.And it's a little tough to define beyond that, because I've personally never seen a game quite like this.but it looks cool as hell, it's by a solo dev, and this is low -key the part of the video where I just want to show you something really cool.

As for how it's Souls -like beyond the third -person melee action, the description of the game says it's a skill -driven swamp adventure.And I don't know about you guys, but that feels like it perfectly describes every Soulsborne game to a certain extent.Let's check it out.I am the master of this dock, because if I wasn't, Then I couldn't be sitting on it.Get away from my things.Die.

Alright, so we can free aim with the mouse.We have to manually, like, aim at him.Then we click to attack.We have stamina at the bottom left.Or maybe it's not stamina, I can't tell.Alright, let's get in there.

Fuck you.Try a horizontal attack.Oh, do like I move the mouse left and right?Is that how it works?Oh, hold a direction as you attack to pull out different strikes.So the type of attack I do is determined by WASD.

So like, this is left, this is right, this is back.But also, I can dodge like this.And also, if I jump and then dodge, I slide.And you can use that to like, kind of close in, slide toward them, slide away.We also have a block.We have aerial attacks as well.

The looking around is tricky because you get in, and then he moves around, you have to like, whip your camera around to keep track of him.I like that.So these hits feel so good.Very chunky.Lots of hit stop.Ooh.

So WASD also affects aerial attacks.That's interesting.Man, I like that.E to grab.Let's try grabbing.Okay.

Okay.You think you're tough?Eat shit.Alright, now we're playing for real.Let's do it.I'm just gonna run in and grab.

Yeah, take that, buddy.Take that, buddy.Get juggled.Get juggled.Oh, shit.He's doing stuff.

He's doing stuff.Whoa.Whoa.Okay, I got him.I got him.Alright, we're fighting Blem now.

This is a different frog.Okay, he seems more aggressive, but basically the same.We can fuck him up.So right now, I do feel like...Yeah, I don't know.It feels a little weird to me because, um, my only input is left -clicking for attacking, right?

And, like, I can change the direction of the attack based off the direction of my movement, but, um, I'm kind of just mashing.And, again, like, I'm sure there is more depth than what I'm feeling, but, like, right now it is feeling like I'm kind of just mashing attack, and that's just the way.And, yeah, I guess I'm...I'm hoping there is a little more to it than that.Okay, well...Blem, you are down.

Alright, wha - I'm a frog now, what the fuck?What?Okay, now I'm the blue frog fighting the green frog.Okay, hold on, hold on.Yo, yo, yo!This game just got way more interesting.

Wait, fuck.Woah, woah!Woah, look at the combo!You know what, maybe the game doesn't need to be like this deep fighting simulator, okay?It can just be button mashing frogs together.It's okay.

It's fine.I'm having fun.Check this out, my back attack is just my tongue.I can just, yeah, yeah, just tongue him out.Fuck yeah.I'm just gonna body slam him.

Oh fuck.Okay, okay, we're good, we're good.There we go, there we go.Got the grab.Okay, we're back to this guy and now we're fighting the blue one.Okay.

So interesting.Okay, this guy is a step up.Oh, I did something.He's like shattered.I don't know what I'm doing.I don't know what's happening.

I'm like breaking his guard or something.Oh, good grab.I mean, I did it.Hell yeah.Thanks for playing.Okay.

That was the end.Just played three frogs.Fuck yeah.This game's kind of fucking cool.Such a distinct look, like just looking at this game for five seconds, it catches your attention immediately.You're like, whoa, this is different.

This animation's really good.The combat itself felt pretty good in terms of just like landing the hits, starting to get a feel for like, comboing and juggling, dealing with the unique control scheme.All of these things were really fun and novel to me. I did feel like I was kind of button mashing for the most part, which is fine, I think, to a certain extent, depending on what you're going for.Even through the button mashing, though, it's not mindless.I was still thinking about the spacing and the movement and how I can chain attacks together.So I really don't want to make it seem like it's mindless, because it's not.

It is fun to think about that.And like, that's the big thing is is the spacing.It's like finding ways to get in, trying to avoid attacks to the side, how to get out.I do believe there's a depth here that like a long distanceor like the full game could explore.Either way, this dev is clearly cooking.

Kind of unbelievable that this is solo dev based off like how cool it looks and feels.And I hope they stick with it.Super excited to see how this turns out.Great job, man.Alright, next up we have Blood Radiant.This is a Lovecraftian Soulslike by Solodev and I found this game on Reddit.

Out of curiosity, I went to the Soulslike subreddit and the number one top post of the month was this one.It's a short trailer for the game with the caption, I spent three years making a Lovecraftian Soulslike and it comes out tomorrow.And despite getting nearly 2 ,000 upvotes, most of the comments were kind of harsh and were like actively saying, that the game needed more time or that they weren't going to play it.The second top comment said, we can wait another three.And then you got a guy posting a gif saying fatality.Classic Reddit shit.

And yeah, overall, it made me kind of sad how dismissive people were.Like, yeah, the game looks clearly kind of janky, but at the same time, I don't know.It's still kind of interesting to me.So I'm recording this the day after launch.I believe the game only reached a peak player count of two.And yeah, I'm bringing my friend Joshua along for the ride because I think it might be funny.

Let's check it out.

As bees produce honey, humans produce loosh.This loosh can be harvested.

Just straight into it.

This kind of rules actually, man. I don't know.Already I'm compelled.Whoa, he's getting hit by so much lightning.Holy shit.All right, we're here.So first impressions, this is some cool looking water.

I have zero loosh.That's important.And I like the big brain for like the health and stamina meter.Like that's, that's weird.

Honestly, this is already kind of promising i'm glad moving the character around is immediately promising for you you watched one cut scene and then you're able to walk your character around this islike the first video game ever made and is being shown off to the public.Like, this is incredible.

I'm not saying it's incredible, but like, it just, it's a vibe.Okay.It has a vibe where like, I can see, I can see a certain level of like love even from this.Okay.So this is our dodge.We've got a little roll.

Pretty cool.I can punch.Fuck yeah.That's good.I like that.

Definitely Soulsborne inspired.Oh my god.What is that?

Holy shit, dude.He's so wet sounding.Dude, he moves so much like I can't punish him after the attack because he dashes like 20 feet behind me.Hell yeah.

Oh, Loosh is your Souls.Of course it is.

Yeah, I got 65 Loosh.Alright, is this a checkpoint?A strange totem.Rest here to save your game or level up.Mm -hmm.Replace your current weapon with a club.

Yes.

Can you go back to your fists if you wanted to?

Yeah, that was phrased in a way where it feels like I can't, maybe.But yeah, no, dude, there's no inventory screen, at least as far as I can tell.So yeah, I think when you just find a weapon, it just replaces your weapon permanently.That's really weird.All right, let's check out this club.Oh, yeah, dude.

It's so much better.

I feel the power.I have a heavy attack too, where I just kind of stab.It sucks.

That's doing less damage than your normal attack.

You know, to be fair, that makes sense.It is a club.They're not really known for stabbing.Is that a person?I think it is. I don't think I can get up to them.Oh, wait.

Yes, I can.Okay, of course.Really?Really?We're doing that.Okay, we're doing the Wilhelm scream.

Cool.

This just went down like a full letter grade.

Hello, woman.Lady Margaret.Wow.She's beautiful.We gotta say m 'lady.M 'lady?

M 'lady.

M 'lord.I am from the town on the other side of these cliffs.I am looking for my husband.He disappeared some days ago and I fear the worst.In the lower left corner, the heart shows your current character level.In the lower left corner, the fist is your current weapons level.

By the way, I did not read that as a fist.That...

I thought that was like a really smoothed out brain.

Oh my.pigman hello good sir what brings you to the island i found someone's wife on the beach really did he just disappear oh my god i guess i should go back and check on her oh sword this is still such a strange approach to weapons in a game like this that you just lose the previous weapon do we think that woman's okay do you think pigman's no this mr pig was very untrustworthy i would not yeah leave that guy alone in a room by himself By himself?

That's how much I don't trust this guy.

Uh -oh.She's just gone.Well, she's fucking dead.Alright.Oh.Oh, wait.

Okay, hold on.What the?I have to hold the strong attack to do special moves.There we go.Okay, that was...That was kind of cool, actually.

That's a lot of hits.

Oh.I think I just parried.Wait, there's a parry mechanic?Parrying?Wait, this is a game changer.It's really hard to land, though.

Hold on.Is that like a werewolf?Oh, fuck.Yeah, it is.Yeah, this is a little...Okay, wow.

he just picked you up and threw you weapon upgrade so do you think that's like only my current weapon or like all weapons forever uh that's a good great question because if it's my current weapon that's what if you find like a new weapon and then you pick it up and then it's weaker yeah that would be fucking ass wait is that a weapon shrine does this let you change your weapons oh this is a dead person oh wait no they're alive oh hello kind traveler have you seen my wife oh no you can't

answer with that one because she's not there anymore.Mr. Pig is..

.I mean, I did see her in the past.That's my wife.Please tell her I'm here before Pigman takes her.I got bad news, man.Who just fired a fucking cannon at me?

But there's so much treasure there.Do you see all that?There's like four treasure chests.

Just like grab one at a time.

Go, go, go.Dynamite.

Sure.I wonder if you restore those on, uh...Rest, throw the dynamite.A target?

Oh my god!Holy shit!Alright, hold on, this game just went up by a letter grid.

It just, it just, it just restored its letter grid, it lost.

You know what, I don't think those come back, that seems too powerful to come back.

That's an insta -kill.

Wow.Whoa.Foul Creature.

Foul Creature, that's a great name for this.

It really is.Damn.What the fuck was that?It's like TV static beam.Bait it out.Dodge.

Dodge.Okay.Let's buff.

Nice.Now you look like a fucking badass.

Fuck yeah.Oh, dude, double damage.Holy shit.Nice.Take that.Take that, foul beast.

I feel like the death animation kind of just bugged out.

Oh yeah, it totally did.

It's like, raised 50 feet into the air.

Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of how, uh, attacking in this game works.They just, like, lunge at you, like, so far.

It's got a bit of a learning curve to it.You gotta learn.

Yeah, you're right.It's a skill issue.This game has, like, a really, like, crunchy vibe to it.

I kind of like it.

Yeah.

like i love this guy's fuckingthrust punch.That's like in a fighting game where you spam like one move.

It kind of is.

Gives you the win.

What the hell?Can I talk to this guy?Tortured artist.I'm but a simple maker of games.Maybe you've played some of them.Probably not.

Do you think this is a self -insert for the dev?

You know what?Tortured artist?I'm willing to bet it is.

Oh man.What happened?I just released my latest game.It's a clone of another better game.Oh god.

Critics and downspoke were harsh with me.

He's talking about the reddit thread.Fuck man.

This NPC was patched in after the reddit post.

New weapon, great sword.

Ooh, a great sword though.

I gotta take it.it's got like oh wow what a fucking dumb system i don't get it why why be like that why because look it's even like a unique move set what an interesting decision what what the fuck is this like this is cool all right see what the see what the damage is maybe maybe it's still stronger anyways than the katana no i bet it is It's no it's not strong like the basic attack is not stronger, but you know it's still cool And I want to try new stuff so like I'm always gonna say yes, and present with the op Maybe it has more like hits done like it does more poise damage probably yeah the professor.Oh you're back Did you find the transit station?Oh?Secret illusory wall like the illusory, but kinda illusory barrels, dude What the fuck?This is like a time machine.

Interact with object.This machine needs fuel.This is really intriguing.Oh no, this is the transit station.

This is the transit station, okay.

this is a fucking badass train design holy shit talk to pain train you can talk hello i am pain train i used to be a man but now i'm a train a train in pain this is awesome this is like peak npc design i feel like this is something you'd see in the fucking chocolate factory of willy wonka it is kinda i can take you anywhere in the islands well so he's the fast travel Castle pigman fucking go there and just kill him all right to castle pigman I Just walked through the door really interesting.We have all these options the places to go this early I kind of figured it'd be linear this game has a scale like no other shit Shut the fuck up.Oh, it's fucking Pigman.

Oh, fucking kill him, kill him.Swing, swing.Don't even talk to him.

No, he's my friend.I do a bit of work for the old ones, and as reward, they've given me this castle to use as I see fit.But I must caution you, do not go into the basement.It is dangerous, and you won't like what you find.Die, Pigman.Okay, we cannot kill Pikmin.

Dude, I really love all these characters.Like, truly.They're so fucked up looking.Deal?Sure.What a strange game.

We were talking to a priest on the toilet and he's giving us keys to a basement if we leave him alone.Wow, I didn't one -shot him.Holy shit.I can't - you can't back up!Like, once they close in on you, they just keep lunging forever.And you're fucked.

You wasted a dynamite now.

I - I did waste a dynamite, that feels terrible.

Now you need to use two to kill him, or kill him without using any more dynamite.You're right.

What in the fu - Alright, into the basement we go.

Fucking Sen's fortress ass area.

Yeah, I hear shit swinging.You can - Yup, there we go.

Of course.

Oh my - I was not even close to that.What the fuck is that hitbox?okay look at how this thing there's no way you're getting past this right now yeah no you're right even even at like the most sideways it can be it's still going to be blocking you're right you're right what is that what even is that thing of course dude see the dashing this game is dude stupid it's warping to you it's so ass it's so ass can you can you fall off please I fucking called it.This dev is such a troll!

A dagger?Do you want to replace a great sword with a dagger that you just upgraded?

But it might be cool.

Like, like, but it's a it's a dagger.It's up to you.It's up to you.

I'm taking it.OK, look, it's fast.It might be really good.No, this stuff really is such a fucking troll, though, to put a weapon upgrade right before a new weapon.

I don't think I like how the weapons in this game work.

No, I don't either.Also, there's nowhere else to go other than like here.So like maybe I just have to do it.Holy shit, I did it.

What?Okay.

God, three in a row?What the shit?Okay, whatever, whatever.Oh, it's her!

Oh, it's the - the wife!

I can't open it.Well, maybe we can save her then if we find like a key or something.

At least - at least she's okay.

Yeah.

I spot with my little eye a little chest.

Yeah, I spot a freaky little guy.Cool.I'm riding him.

unbeatable strategy this is like a centaur if the top half was not human and some other type of monster and the bottom half also wasn't a horse yeah what the

fuck are you saying?What?

It's the fucking greatsword again?

Is that how we're doing this?You can find repeat weapons?

Okay but is it going to be upgraded?Do you want to switch back to the greatsword to see if it's upgraded the same level as your old greatsword or if this is a new one?

I'll take it just to test that theory.It's level one.oh my god what the fuck what was this dev thinking with this what is this system i truly don't like okay i think i would kind of get it if the weapon upgrade system wasn't a thing i guess but like it is a thing and it it's just completely antithetical to like swapping weapons frequently i just i'm just gonna try to think about it oh look at this freak like the pressure yeah i do like the enemy designs of this game like they're consistently strange so like that is one of the highlights for me is like wandering into a new area and being like what freak are we gonna see like npcs as well like the npcs are the biggest freaks in this game oh it's pigman again why is he here Oh, my friend!We meet again.Oh, now I can ask him about the woman.Uh, what did you do with the woman on the beach?

She's my castle locked in my dungeon.He's honest, we did see her there.I mean, I don't know about the fine part.

He is...he is telling the truth.

Let us continue our... our journey into the cave.This fleshy, weird cave.This door must lead somewhere, but I do not have the key.

Let's check the forest.

Alright.I don't know, there's part of me...That's like, really vibin' with this.

Despite it all.The only real problem with the game so far is the inventory system.

Well, I think the enemy design's a little...

Okay.He just did that to himself.

He sure did.No, I think the ways that, like, attacking works in this game, like the non -stop lunging, for example,is like pretty irritating Yeah, that's that's fair.

I'm only watching you play.

I'm not playing this I actually can't escape I That looks like maybe the boss.He's got like a Roman look.Praetorian guard.Okay.Where is he?Oh, there he is.

He's looking away from me.Is he even like aggro'd?Dude, he's broken.Aww.Wait, can I fix him if I go close?

Maybe step in front of him.Maybe he can't see you.

He's actually just broken.That's such a bummer.I was even thinking myself, this could be a cool boss where like his head rotates and like his behavior changes as the different faces change.Yeah, like I think conceptually, that's really cool.I feel like, I mean, maybe that's even, it is.

Maybe the AI for this head isn't working.

right that must be it no it's just tough because like this is one of those things where like i'm sure it's probably like a really easy fix but you know this game wasn't qa'd i am probably literally the first person to even get to this point in the game so like it's it's natural that you know you're gonna run into bugs like this pick up old one heart that's fucking awesome i mean if there's a heart to be used anywhere it's here oh here we go yeah he's just going into the floor was that on purpose whoa wow no transition okay yeah that's just Cthulhu cool what the what the fuck was that what i forgot about that this game can't be hitting me with that shit and then hit me with the fucking willhelm scream after teleporting me like off a ledge basically wow this is really freakyLord Cthulhu, the man himself.A human?Here?You don't even recognize yourself.Pigmen, the professor.

They are you from different versions of reality.All drawn here as you were, yet you can't even work together.Okay.I came here to challenge you.Ha ha ha ha.Such ambition.

An insect comes to challenge his god.Very well.Let us battle, and I will swat you.

This is where you use 15 dynamite, bro.Cool.Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.Is he moving?

No.Dude, is he bro - No, is he broken?No.Okay, no, he's not, he's not.

He's like a range.

He's a fucking earthbender, apparently, though.Jesus.He has one attack?

This is all he knows.

He doesn't have an answer to this.You know what, fuck it.This feels like the final boss.

Maybe, okay, just play the game like a turn -based RPG.Get him to, okay, now move forward and let him attack a couple of times.

Okay.Oh shit, he's moving now.Oh shit, I shouldn't have given it an opening.God.God.No, dude, no!

I wasted so much dynamite.

It's okay, it's okay, you have a lot more TNT anyways.

Actually, what if I just sit here and use all my throwing knives?Yep.I don't feel any shame though, I'm doing this.

This is what you were storing up all those throwing knives for.

Yep, this one moment.Lord Cthulhu slain.

Hey, you know what?Survival of the fittest.

2500 Loosh.Fucking take that.

What the fuck?

He didn't waste - We never met before, but I remembered coming to the island in a storm many years ago.I can rest in peace.Someday you might do the same.Perhaps you will find another way to escape the cycle.

the fuck okay so clearly i missed a huge chunk of the game plug in a new game plus for more endings okay so this feels more like a checkpoint than a you beat the game this is like a all right continue playing for like the rest of the game yeah but here's the shitty part is it saying begin new game plus so it's gonna put me back on the fucking beach i bet i don't know if i have it in me to to uncover all the secrets of this game like maybe I don't, I don't blame you.Maybe that's a good stopping point.Do you think the enemies are any harder?They are.Wow.They're way harder.

See this.See, look at this shit.This sucks.I don't want to, I don't want to play on new game plus.I don't want to deal with this shit, but I also didn't want to like start a new save file.I want to just keep playing.

There's a new weapon.What?

Are the, are the chests random?

Dude, they fucking might be.They deal 200 damage bro.I have 253 max health and they deal 200 damage with a single swing.If I truly want to continue playing this game,I unironically have to start over with a new save file.New Game Plus is unplayable.

It's unplayable.There's something about this game, from the way it looks, to the weird cutscenes, to the amateur nature of it all, that is compelling in a way like it's like a fun romp through the first time yeah it's enjoyable enough i i like especially with the way we played it like playing it with the friends like it's it's a fun romp where you're just kind of laughing and being like what the fuck is this beyond that i feel like it starts to lose the charm right and like because because the enemy encounters i think are not super well thought out the ai is terrible where like they will just lunge at you repeatedly and i don't know like it just isn't fun enough on like a basic level for me to want to keep playing and keep digging into it unfortunately um and like i understand why it has no players and to a certain extent why reddit was harsh but like i don't think reddit actually knew they couldn't tell the issues i have with this game just from looking at the little trailer they were just being mean because of the look i think the look of this game is actually its best part like i really do like the look and the weird fucked up npcs you know uh i like i just feel kind of sad because like I do feel like there is definitely a level of care put into this.Like, and the dev had some weird ideas, but they also made a bunch of really questionable choices, like design wise, like not least of which is the weapon thing we kept complaining about.Like, I still can't get over what a strange choice that was.I don't know.All that being said, this was still funny and interesting, like, which is genuinely more than I can say for a lot of games I play.

Like, you know, you got NPCs like Pain Train.Pain Train, conceptually, is awesome.

an NPC and not just a tool.

yeah and like i don't know there's something funny about like pigman just being like yeah i'm pigman yeah i took this woman yeah i kidnap women i'm evil and then the cut scene he just shows up and gets shot and there i shoots himself like it's it's nonsense but it's like it's entertaining in a in a b movie weird train wreck kind of way i don't know that being said clearly there's a bunch more game here so like If someone out there is like really curious about this game and wants to dig into it, I'm sure you will be rewarded on some level.You will find weird cutscenes, weird NPCs, weird weapons maybe, I don't know.Part of me is curious, but also I don't think I have it in me at the moment, so I'm gonna have to pass.And quick update from Editor Pine, the dev did change the weapon system.You can now carry more than one weapon and you don't lose your upgrades when you pick up a new weapon.Thank you.

I wish that was in the game when I played it.But yeah, strange game, kind of funny game.I'm glad I played it.All right, next up, we have the demo for VanRan.This is a very bloody looking souls -like being developed by a small indie team based in Korea.Just from glancing at the trailer, I can tell this game has some juice.

And other than that, I'm trying to go in blind.So yeah, let's check it out.

I can get you out.To the surface?Yes.Then prove it.Pick me up and I'll show you.Pick me up?

Oh god.

Hell yeah.This opening is eerily similar to the first Berserker Khazan so far, for those who've played it.Chain Pool.Wait, that seems kind of cool.So left trigger and right bomber.Hell yeah.

Does that work on enemies?No, I don't think it does.Damn.Okay, but combat feels...Attacking feels okay so far.Good feedback.

Kind of chunky, I like it.All right, packed.Oh, I see.Okay, so I think this is something that's going on in the background, and like at...It's just buffing me, but then like deeper down the line it comes with debuffs as well, okay?So that's just always happening when I kill guys.

I guess we'll see what are you doing, man?Okay, sure you got him all right lock on the strike blocking.Oh, okay?You can parry if you time it right got it there we go, and then oh then the crit Okay.Okay, wait, you can chain attack enemies.Sick.

Let's do it.So it lock on, then do it.Okay.There we go.And just like that, the game has reeled me back in.Let's fucking go.

Cool mechanic.Ooh, check this out.Look, we can get items in the environment too with the chain.Like that.Copper loop ring.Nice.

Oh, fuck.Okay.Okay.Okay, hold on.Uh, why is time slowed?Accept or deny?

What am I accepting or denying?I'll accept power.Okay.I think something's bugging out with my chain because I did that but yeah That looks like that raised my corruption meter by a lot So I guess that's the thing is I had the choice of like the easy way out or the hard way I chose the easy way.I'm more redeeming now kind of neat bonfire.Well, I just teleported.

Is this the level up zone or is this something else?Whoa Good God.So she can help me resist the blade.Oh, and she gives hugs.Contract purification.You can now cleanse your contract through Elise.

Okay, but what does that mean?Like I can cleanse my corruption level?Yeah, like let me go back to the rift in time, I guess.Oh, so she already cleansed me when I just hugged her.Okay.So that's, I'm trying to, I'm trying to think what I, I don't know what to make of this demon mechanic.

So as you get kills or like as the demon tempts you for power, your corruption level rises.But also at each checkpoint you can talk to the big boob lady and she hugs you and then everything's chill Is that right?Like okay kind of feels like I can just kill without consequence.I don't know.Maybe maybe we'll see All right, this guy wants to get out.Let's let him out.

You're free to go.Oh, he's actually just running away Oh, sorry, man.Oh, I just fell down a pit.What the fuck what the fuck demon sword give me power something happened Oh, I just backstabbed him?Okay, backstabbing is a thing, good to know, good to know.Alright, we're good, we're good.

Let's heal.Cool animation.Yep, get behind him.Perfect.Chain.Swing.

Parry.Parry.Parry.Perfect!Okay, okay.Yeah, so I think it's like if you kill an enemy with a critical hit like that, you just get a full heal.

But then also you have your Estus Flask.I will free you.Are you a blacksmith?What are you?And why are you carrying that sword?I found an underground prison.

Prison, you say?What are they scheming?Strange.What do you mean a prison?Dude, we're all in a prison.Alright, so what's my corruption level right now?

Can I see?Okay, we're at 80%.So right now, purely a buff.Sword attack, 10%.Skill.Collect sin shards throughout the map and use them to strengthen your skills.

Okay, so we got like a skill tree.Okay, the kick seems funny.Let's get the kick.Alright, let's kick this guy.Hell yeah.Animal is on the ground.

Yeah, see, that's the real value of the kick, is it knocks them over.You can combo them.Let's get Storm Stomp, I guess?Okay, so I can only have one skill equipped at a time, I think.For some reason.So that replaced my kick.

But that seemed pretty cool, so that's probably better than the kick, I guess.Yup, there's the giant axe.Okay, it definitely seems stronger than the kick, but the cooldown is kinda long.Backstabbing seems weirdly easy.That's my main thing I'm noticing right now.Like, it's really rewarding, very easy, which, you know, is true to form if you're taking inspiration from Dark Souls, but, yeah, I don't know, I don't know if it fits the vibe of the game exactly.

I knew it, I knew it, I saw that.I saw the pressure plate.Alright, dude, there's just traps everywhere.Okay, wait, so what's my corruption level at now?Critical.So, sword attack plus 30%, max HP minus 20%.

Okay, that sounds good to me.Ooh, wait, now we're at berserk.Sword attack plus 50%, max HP minus 30, vitality minus 20.Okay, whatever.I think being max demon's the way to go.That's a huge damage increase.

Yeah, see, I could go hug the lady, but I don't want to.Here we go.This guy's about to get ripped in half.Yeah.Yeah, hell yeah, toss him.All right, my turn.

My turn.Oh, since Impery's in, so far so good.Let's...Oh, okay, the chain doesn't work.That makes sense.I was hoping he would pull me in, maybe, since he's so big.

Oh, I staggered him?Hell yeah.Oh, then we get a follow -up?Okay, sure.Oh, now it works.Wait, that was weird.

Oh, what the fuck just happened to me?Sure.And there we go.See ya, Madon Slayer!noticeable and uh like not just something in the background right like as you get more demonic your character becomes more demonic and maybe you get like a new attack uh or like you lose access to stuff you know like let's say at max demon rage or whatever i'm super strong but like maybe i can't dodge all these ideas might not work at all for the game i'm just throwing stuff out there for like the type of thing that i think would be cool to see anyway let's leave the prism oh whoa look at this i have an equipment slot where i can Summon guys.I got this from killing the last boss.

Let's equip that.So is it like left bumper plus right trigger?Oh, there it is.Yep sick.Whoa Hey, this game's kind of awesome.Maybe Defeating Titan what what by using the power of the demon sword you can parry Titans powerful attacks without taking damage and leave Titan groggy I gotta say though.

I wish I This wasn't a tutorial pop -up.I haven't even seen this thing yet And it's already like spoiling the fight for me kind of like let me encounter the thing first before you like Show up.Oh, okay.Well, there it is.It's fine.It's fine.

Anyway, let's let's parry and then climb them timing's a little tricky Oh, you can claw midi.That's awesome.Okay, that's what I was hoping the last boss would do you can fly onto them like that He's almost staggered almost staggered like one more parry.There we go.So do I claw?How do I get on him?

Oh, okay.I'm climbing.Fuck.Yeah Climb to his back, climb to his back.Yes.Stab.

Yes!

Fuck yeah.

Okay, that's kind of cool.Just like, um, you know, we got like some discount Dragon's Dogma here.I'm into it.

Did he just grab me?

Hell yeah, that's awesome.All right.All right.Let's, let's try summoning the boss for an attack.Yep.Right like that.

Cool.That did like no damage.I think you basically have to climb this guy.Like anything short of that does almost no damage.Oh, wait a second.Hold on.

Wait, I just figured something out.I think the floating stones.Oh, wait, wait, wait.Oh, cool.Okay.Look, you can grab the floating stones around the arena just to maneuver around.

I like that a lot.I don't know if it really matters for this fight specifically just due to how it's designed.Like it's kind of just you parry him until he falls over.Because I don't think I can actually grab onto him until he's staggered.Oh wait, you can!You can, hold on.

Wait, that's way more interesting than I thought it'd be.Okay, so let's grab, press A. Oh, that's so cool.All right.It's really hard to get on his back unless he's like completely fallen over.But it's possible.It's possible.

Okay, I like that a lot.I like that a lot.That's the end of the demo.Dammit.Thank you for playing.Alright, this game's got something.

For the most part, it is kinda your standard Souls -like.It has pretty much all the fundamentals that you'd expect, but the animations are really slick.There's a level of polish here on some of the stuff that feels good.The chain mechanic is neat.They're playing around with some interesting ideas with the demon power.Definitely hope they do something more with it, but like, the idea's there, so I'm curious what they do with it.

And at the end, they're teasing the big monster climbing.Mechanics that is interesting and I think that has the potential to like really spice up the gamebigger boss fights or bigger enemy encounters, especially with the chain, right?Like getting to fly around the arena by grabbing the rocks or grabbing onto the enemy.Again, a lot of potential there.So yeah, overall, this impressed me. I was expecting something kind of janky, and it is a little bit, but these guys are clearly operating at a higher level.

And yeah, I'm definitely gonna keep an eye on this one.Wishing the devs nothing but the best.All right, next up we have the demo for Code Rapid.This is a high -speed, third -person action mecha game by a small team of, I believe, three or four people.I actually got a few comments from people telling me to check this out, so I'm sure in some roundabout way, maybe it's kind of Souls -like.As far as mecha games go, I'm not the most experienced, but I played and loved Armored Core 6, and I also played Doll's Nest last year, which was an interesting blend of Dark Souls and Armored Core.

Anyway, I'm excited, so let's check it out.All right, here we go.So here's my guy.We can boost with X. Oh, that feels so good already.Oh my God, that already feels so good.Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

It already has the juice.It already has the juice.So anyway, look, we have an energy bar at the bottom, which you can kind of think of as a stamina bar.And that does drain from using my boost as well as other actions, I imagine.OK, so I shoot my right hand, but I can also use left trigger to use my left hand and go with the sword.Oh, I missed this.

Dude, I need to play more games like this.We can dodge with the B button.Yep, there we go.And that drains energy at the bottom.Oh my god.So, stun.

Yep.And then shoot.Uh, I can heal.Yeah, this reminds me of Armored Core 6 in many ways already, like the energy system, the healing system, having limited healing.And yes, obviously, Soulslake is a huge stretch, but, you know, it's third -person action combat, I'm dodging around, I'm managing an energy bar, I have a fucking sword.You know, for those with ISAC, anything is Soulslake.

I love the spinning.Oh, and you can't use the melee while we're spinning, duh.Okay.Wall in combat.Air combat?Wait, what?

Oh!I see, so we have, like, a ground pound.Jump.X. Oh, yes, dude, I love that!Oh yeah, also, look at this.That's a car.

So, we're actually really fucking huge in this mech.Let's ground pound this guy.The range on that is surprisingly large.I fucking love being in a giant robot, man. I just do.Uh -oh.What's this?

Destroy unstable core?Oh, boss fight, okay, okay.So we have the eyeballs.Oh, I see, we have to like, jump those?Is it gonna rotate?Oh, yep, now it's rotating.

Okay, okay, hold on, hold on.It's rotating really slowly, so I can kind of just move with it, I guess.I'm just gonna whack on it.Oh, okay, that's bad, that's bad, that's bad.That's also really bad.That's also really bad.

Okay, now I gotta move.Now I gotta move.Okay, jump.Oh my god.Um, keep moving, keep moving.

Yep, yep.Jump.

Oh, I fucked up that jump.Good, good.Keep it steady, keep it steady.Jump, jump.good he's almost dead yes that was neat i like that laser mechanic i got rank butterfly pilot oh look there's like a leaderboard with speed runs someone beat the level in 22 seconds how the fuck do you do that so yeah classic armor core stuff where we can customize all of our parts i don't own any separate parts right now though i have to go to the shop i think i'm buying a new paint scheme i'm also swapping out my sword for a shotgun next mission we haveQueen's Gambit.

Activate four defense cannons.

Let's go.

It is difficult to describe how good the jumping feels in this game.Oh, this shield is like actually physically blocking me.That was interesting.I like that.It's maneuver around it.The loading screen did mention zero out of four secrets.

So I kind of want to explore around and see if I can find any.Oh my God, you can run through walls sometimes.Oh, fuck.Oh, did I find a secret?What's this?Oh, no, that's not a secret.

That was my main objective.Okay.This mission structure, by the way, like, compared to the last one, very open, like, big environments.Like, you can kind of choose if you want to even take on certain enemies, or just, like, fly past them and run past them.Like, dude, look at this.Look at how high up you can go, and how vertical it is.

Ooh!Did you see that dodge?You can do, like, perfect dodges, I think.I didn't realize that.But there's, like, an afterimage and shit.Okay, okay.

Wait, that means this game is more dodge -oriented than I thought.Woo -hoo!Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!Oh, she's actually a bot.Okay.Oh, fuck me bro.

Fuck me, bro.Just gotta get in with my shotgun.Get in.Yep.I'm out of healing.Oh, this is bad.

I missed my sword.I missed my sword.I should've not unequipped it.

No!

Is there a checkpoint?Okay, there's - there's a checkpoint.Oh, secret.The Hauser.Right -hand weapon.Okay.

Oh, that was like in a really random spot.That was just in a random fucking building.I just crashed through the ceiling.The mother drone's targeting me.What do you mean?I'm in the middle of a fight.

I'm in the middle of a fight, bro.Oh my God.What do you mean?I can't, I can't stop.Okay.You know what?

This guy's insane.Actually.My guns suck ass.I need to leave.Oh my God.Leave me alone.

Please, please, please, please.No, no, bro.There's no room.There's no room.

No.

Just go.Just go.Just go.I'm leaving.I'm leaving.I have six health.

Yep.Activate, activate.We're good.We're good.It's activated.Okay.

I did it.What was that weapon I found mid mission?Oh, it's a fucking bow.Wait, that's so cool.You can find weapons like that.And it's two handed.

I can't use a second weapon.That makes sense.I guess we can get course.I don't have any of those yet.They go my back.So let's get laser seekers and RDS drone.

All right.Fuck yeah.Next mission.OK.OK, let's let's back up.Let's try my course.

So that's my laser core, my back.And then that's my drone.So I have like shoulder weapons now, basically.And then also I have this bow.I'm trying to get the controls of while I'm getting my ass kicked.So I charge it.

Oh, it's pulling me in.It's pulling me in.Please.Please stop.Please stop.Please stop.

How do I stop getting pulled in?Dodge that.Nice.Dodge that.Holy fucking moly, bro.This is so cool, man.

Look at this.Look at all the shit he's doing.And again, I know I'm bemoaning the point, but if you really think about it, if you really think about it, it's kind of Souls -like.Look at what I'm doing.Look at the gameplay.It just is, okay?

It just is.good good good good we got it we got it okay um i think that might be it though i think it's just those three missions but i don't want to be done yet i want to experiment a lot more so let's let's keep going all right so i just discovered some tech and this actually like completely changes the game for me so first of all there's apparently a wall jump that the game just doesn't tell you about if you just like dash into a wall you bounce off of it look at that you can even do it repeatedly that is so cool and you can like do it in a way where your momentum is conserved and you're using it to like get somewhere faster like check this out so i'm going this way bounce off this wall keep going you see what i mean dude melee weapons in this game feel so fucking good look at this oh my god you just go flying sometimes from explosions i love it also check this out check this out look So when you attack, you like go forward, right?Just a little spin.But if you like, if you cancel the attack by landing on the ground, you can conserve your momentum and actually reach ridiculous speeds.Okay, so check it.So I go jump, attack, jump, attack.

So you see this?You see what I'm talking about?This changes the whole game for me.This is actually secretly A fucking speedrunning game, and look at that!Even the guy that just shot me in the back, that's another speedrun tech.I can use the momentum of an enemy shooting me in the back to launch myself.

That's how people would beat the level in, like, 20 seconds.They were doing bullshit like that.Brother!Brother, this is so fucking cool!This is what it's all about.Double miniguns with two giant rockets on my back, and you just win the game.

Oh, it's so beautiful.Yep, let me cast my shield.Despite the demo only consisting of 3 short levels, I still found myself playing this.For a couple hours.just because I was having fun and wanted to keep experimenting with weapons and pushing the limits of the movement system.If nothing else, I hope that serves as proof that this dev is on the right track.

Code Rapid is a game that just feels good to play.It's a game that's obviously in the mecha genre, and of course is taking inspiration from games like Armored Core 6, but it's also taking design cues from other action games and even movement shooters.And I think this collection of ideas creates, for me at least, a strong identity.in this game just have the juice and it is so fun testing out the different weapons, seeing the ways that you can carry your momentum.That's a big thing, by the way, just the momentum of every action and the way that they've handled the physics system of this game and programmed it.Like in addition to having wall bouncing, you can also use the recoil of your dual wielded revolvers and launch yourself through the air backward at really high speeds.

I understand that what I'm describing is secondary to like the core gameplay and is not exactly what like the casual players playthrough is gonna look like, but I still think it's important and I still think it really shows what is possible in this game.Speaking of actions that have juice, the dodge system.Landing a perfect dodge in this game feels really good and I think people who have never touched this genre should still maybe give this demo a shot just to kind of like see how that feels.Like I know I'm always a little tongue -in -cheek with calling things souls -like, but like seriously, There is a fundamental appeal here to fighting a big boss and landing a perfect dodge that does carry over between all these games.As I was replaying the second level, I realized I missed a couple things.There was this side objective to defend a hospital with like a friendly NPC, and that one really tough encounter where that one

was kicking my ass.I think he's supposed to be really, really tough and you're supposed to run the first time.But if you come back on a replay and you do defeat him, you get this, like, interesting cutscene and you can get a piece of gear after.And I'm just really excited at the prospect of, like, hiding those types of side objectives throughout the larger levels in the hypothetical full game.But yeah, what else?I liked experimenting with all the mech parts.

I think there's, like, some really solid variety even in the demo.The demo showcases a variety of enemies that sometimes require slightly different approaches.this game is very high and it makes me sad that the kickstarter that's ongoing right now is probably going to fail given where it's at and how many days are left i hope even in that scenario the devs are able to continue and people support them because i want to play this game man i had a lot of fun great job Alright, next up we have the demo for Twilight Requiem.This is a Kingdom Hearts -like, but, in the dev's own words, they're describing this game as Elden Ring meets Kingdom Hearts.Now truthfully, I have never actually played Kingdom Hearts.I'm somewhat familiar with it, I've watched it before, but I've never actually played it.

So since I'm a fake fan, I've invited my friend Joshua to join me, because he's actually a very big Kingdom Hearts fan.Let's check it out.I think he's already nailing the Kingdom Hearts storytelling.All right, so this is my guy.I have a little cat thing that follows me apparently.Okay, so here's our attack.

All right, we can jump and double jump.We have a parry and then we have a little dodge roll.Awesome.We can do like air dodges, air attacks.We have Cleo magic, whatever that means.I guess we'll find out in combat.

Use your D -pad, you can go into blessing form.

Whoa, whoa.

It's using your meter at the bottom.Turn it off.Turn it off.

I don't know how to.I can't.I can't select it again.I think it's just...You can't?Oh, I just drank a potion.

Fuck.

You're ruining it.

I love this giant...

I know this was scaled up It's incredibly hot standing next to that.

I like basic sword basic sword is a piece of s Piece of shit.That's a piece of s dude.All right, let's let's fight this thing attack out.

All right I didn't give it a chance.

See look it fires fireballs.Hell.Yeah.Okay, my immediate thought is like this attack feels really bad as like a basic attack like i don't move at all and the range is low and i just feel for a game like this it should be a little more i don't know look she gets sad when you're losing health all right we've made it to the next area wait a second is it just me or is this like really similar to church of america with like the way he designed this what's a church of america like the first ruined church in elden ring remember how that looks Doesn't it kind of, like, even the pillar placement, you know what I mean?Like, I think this was definitely inspired by that.

Okay.

No, it's because the dev mentioned, like, being inspired by Elden Ring and, like, using that for his environment.It's like, I don't think I'm reaching that hard.Okay, Cleo's magic.My little cat thing attacks with, like, electric attacks, and I, like, I target things.Oh, the thing is Cleo.Yeah, I think the thing is Cleo.

That's Cleo's magic.Oh, I have to manually type.Oh, it's every time I press left bumper it fires and then also like lowers the meter like Cleo has her own meter level two new unlocks available in Cleo shop.She runs the shop to the fuck.

Well, maybe it's a shop for Cleo's.

What is this thing?Okay, I'm going to activate on I'm missing a lot of health.Let's heal and blessing form blessing form.Yep.

It's like a drive form.yeah you're holding two swords now just like valor form souls like come on bro look at this come on

come on now the sword is in the damn thing too see i told you is that a waterfall or like a fog gate i can't tell i think it is like a fog gate though for a boss yeah look oh yeah look at this guy oh it's a bigger version of the enemy you killed two minutes ago it sure is all right this is gonna be tough okay see this this is This is what I'm talking about, like the attack and the dodge, those do kind of feel Souls -like in the sense that they like, they kind of suck.But like, I don't know.I feel like it should just be a little more fluid and like, I should move more if we're going for Kingdom Hearts.Because like Kingdom Hearts, you're flying around, you know, right?

The Kingdom Hearts inspired part of this game seems to be more like the UI and the kind of like cutesy enemies.

Maybe.

Although this thing that you're fighting right now kind of looks like it just walked out of World of Warcraft.And not Kingdom Hearts.

Damn.This is unironically harder than Kingdom Hearts, I think.At least, the majority of Kingdom Hearts.

How much experience do you have with Kingdom Hearts?

I have none.

I see you're speaking from wisdom, then.

Yeah, exactly.Maybe I need to be parrying more, maybe that's the trick.

You should try to visit the Cleo's shop.

That's a good idea, I forgot about that.Where the fuck is it?Is it in my menu?I have no idea where Cleo's shop is. I would love to access it.I stand by this being Church of America, by the way.Like, it just is, okay?

I can, I mean, I can see it.

I'm just right.Like, see, look, this is what I'm talking about.Like, this dash.Like, it's weird that this exists in the same game as this.You feel me?It's incongruent.

Trip pairing.

Right, right.Yeah, there's like missing sound effects like I know this is pretty early I think but yeah, I do wish there was like some more sound effects and it does seem like it's a little lacking in the Some of the polish.Yeah, like which again I I get but yeah the juice department like just feedingon hits and parries I like the coins that follow me. I Do think that was the coin?

I was like those like when you run past a bunch of rings in Sonic Adventure 2 exactly.Okay, and then this is Cleo's magic Hit the clear magic to there.

Okay.Well that just deleted him.

All right, maybe that wasn't a boss despite the fog wall Yeah, I guess I guess there's just a little side area?

I didn't even get anything though.

You had a good experience.

True.Please take me to Cleo's shop.

Haven't seen you around here before.

Ooh, Lunar Sword.Hold up, bro.Bro, this is the fucking Moonlight Greatsword.You gotta be kidding me.Dude, come on now.

Come on now.This fireplace is nice, but it's nothing like the 20 -foot porch lamp I had in my throne room.

Oh, this guy has a little stall.What do we think he sells?

Is this Cleo's shop?

Dude, it might be.it fucking might be this is cleo shop this is cleo shop oh this is a this is a moogle shop here we go combo plus dash aoe you want to get combo plus we have a longer combo now Yes.Yes.Cool.

Yes.

Wow.A much longer combo.What the fuck?

That's way, way longer.

OK, well, that that feels better.Is this an Overwatch character?Which Kirito skin is this?It's like this is pretty.I like this.We got a little castle.

We got trees.We got the moon.

Like, I think the trees are looking a little rough, if I'm going to be honest.

OK, they're looking a little rough, but like this is the most visually compelling area I've seen so far.

Yeah, this is like a good this is like good framing like you walk out of the town and you see right like a half moon through the trees you see the castle in front of you.

Yeah, see like I see the vision here.I really do.

What was the plot by the way?Demon.

Oh, yeah, the lich the evil lich King said he was going to do something Yeah, I think being a little confused is part of the Kingdom Hearts experience So we're already on the right track see I think what would really seal this game for me is if I could Command a Daffy Duck around the room because I don't speak duck isn't in Kingdom Hearts.You're thinking of dogs I met Donald Duck fuck.

They're gonna kill you for that one.

I know I really gotta play these games See the problem is like I hear that Kingdom Hearts 2 is peak And Kingdom Hearts 1 is not as good.

No, no, they're lying.Kingdom Hearts 1 is peak for different reasons.Kingdom Hearts 2 is gameplay peak.

Got it, got it.

People like this shit on Kingdom Hearts 1 because maybe, like, the platforming hasn't aged super well.But it is still really, really, really fun.And Kingdom Hearts 2 has aged really, really well.

And what about Kingdom Hearts 1 .36 or whatever the fuck they call it?

You're gonna have to be more specific because there are genuinely real multiple games that you could be talking about.

I guess my question is, other than the mainline numbered ones, are there other ones that are worth playing?

That's...You recording this?I guess, I don't know.I can cut it out.I don't want people coming after me for what I say.

Okay, I'll cut it out.It's boss time.Here we go.Ooh, hell yeah.We're fighting in...What's -her -face's arena, Malden Ring.

Yeah, yeah.She's throwing books at you.

Yep.Whoa, dude, look at this.Look at these combos.

Blessing form.

True, true, true, true.I'm gonna use Cleo magic.Cleo magic.Mache.Cleo magic.I'm just gonna win.

I'm just gonna win, aren't I?

This guy doesn't have a very big health bar.

I think I just win without even dodging or parrying anything.Whoa Okay, that was that was unfortunately Maybe not the most playtested boss because I just kind of literally matched a what are we thinking?What's the vibe?

You know, I'm liking the I'm liking the art style a lot.I appreciate the attempt to emulate the kind of art style that Kingdom Hearts has.I'm not sure...It's going for more Kingdom Hearts combat style than it is Elden Ring.

But not enough is the thing.I think I do want to see like... more like aerial combat and like more dashing around and there's like a stiffness and like a lack of movement that feels really awkward at times especially in these giant rooms where like the enemies are really spread out it just it feels like it's begging for more movement and like yeah the combos yeah well anyway like it's obviously it's more kingdom hearts than elder ring and That's kind of my point is that like, I want it to go further, even as someone who hasn't played Kingdom Hearts, like I'm familiar enough with it to know that like some of this stuff feels off.

And it doesn't have quite the pizzazz that the Kingdom Hearts combat does.

Right.And like, you know, obviously, like an indie solo dev is never going to reach that level.But at the same time, I do wish I had like a little more juice, just a little bit.And then also, like, We saw a little bit of the story in the beginning.Like, I think that's where the real magic could lie.If there's just more story bits, more like goofy cutscenes, even if it's really janky, especially if it's janky.

Like, I truly believe that would add a lot of charm to this game.Just like, you know, letting me see more of the story.And like maybe the full game, maybe they're holding that back, right?Like maybe it's just a demo.So yeah, I don't know.Like, it's clearly rough in a lot of ways, but I feel like even so, for certain Kingdom Hearts fans and certain people that are like okay with a lack of polish like there's something here to appreciate

and have fun with maybe they should put daffy duck in this game true all right next up we have the demo for the relic first guardian this is a quote korean inspired action rpg but they are also using the term souls like in some of their marketing and even the email they sent me giving me access to this demo They call it The Souls Lake.So I've not heard of this game, but apparently it's gotten some coverage, like IGN, PlayStation.These channels have uploaded multiple trailers for this game, multiple gameplay previews.It has over 250 ,000 wishlists.So keep that in mind when we're looking at this.It looks somewhat interesting, but it's hard to tell.

Either way, let's check it out.Well, what happened here?Dying woman.

Who's talking?

Am I talking?I guess we just have a narrator sometimes.That's really funny.Does the fire hurt me?It's filling up.Awesome.

Got some enemies.All right, here we go.Take that.Oh my God, there are so many particles.What the fuck is happening on my screen?They love these notes.

This is like the seventh note I've read in two minutes.Oh, we have big guy.Here we go.All right.Gotta dodge the red attacks.Understood.

Nice try.Block that one.That's the red attack.Dodged it.Okay, okay.Ooh, taste my fireball.

Nice.Maybe I shouldn't have wasted all my healing by standing in the fire earlier.Okay, I did something.I guess he's like sad.Okay.I mean this feels all right, I guess I just don't understand why we're like stopping the gameplay every time for these notes like it just feels like they could easily be an audio log if they want to do it like that because it's not like important enough to To really stop and listen, especially at this stage of the game.

I don't know.Whoa.Oh, I got fucking owned Does this game use AI?Like I keep getting like an AI vibe from a lot of the art in this game and like I don't I don't know I don't think the Steam page discloses anything.Look what happens if I try to walk to sneak up on this guy.There's no walking animation.

I just...I just do this.I can't sneak up anyway apparently because you can spot me.Follow the trace is the one who opened the door.I guess they meant follow the notes.Is the only enemy in this game just like man bandit and woman bandit?

Is it another note?

Oh my god.

This is insane this like I'm sorry the way they've done these quests with these notes like combined with the combat and the look of this game This is just I can't do this man.Holy moly.Yeah, give me another note.

Fuck it Yeah, cool.

Yeah, what happened man?

Tell me Why was that even a quest what was that that was nothing that was actually nothing you're welcome man I saved you Yep, this village sure is on fire.

Better run, man.Oh, he just disappeared, okay.This guy was like kind of fun to fight the first time, but like, I just can't.this guy.Alright, I gotta start keeping track of these notes.Like, I literally want to count every single one, I think.

Just so you understand.Alright, here we go.Okay, this guy looks cool.He's just cut off.Alright, alright, lock in, lock in.Bronco's no joke.

He's doing some win shit.Oh my god, oh my god.Bronco's kicking my ass, dude.He just did a forward roll?into a kill what a gamer okay so i think this game does have a perfect blocking system even though it never really told me so i think it's got a lock in on that and just try to stagger him okay there we go finally broke him it's a little weird because like it seems like that's strangely one of the central mechanics of the game is like repeatedly perfect blocking to stagger right but there's no like indicator or meter below the health bar or like anywhere on screen so i couldn't even tell i was working for the longest time Like, see, I am perfect blocking, it's just the animation does not look like I'm doing it.I only know because it's turning blue.

Oh my god, dude, just - just end it.Just end it, please.Desire falters at the blade.We're just saying words, man.They did a solid job on, like, telegraphing most of his attacks.This fucking guy, dude, he's using his magic powers just to pull a lever.

I'm a little nervous because I've been playing for a good bit and, um, that was 1 out of 15 bosses.For the demo, by the way.I think the full game has 80?Or 80 plus?And I'm gonna be real, I don't know...I don't know if I have it in me to do this whole demo.

This might be fucking massive.I'm gonna keep going a little bit longer though.Is every single icon in this game?game?Just AI bro.I see like i'm so distracted like it takes me out of it It actually just takes me out of it.

Like it just looks bad man Did the game just soft lock the game just soft locked?I don't think I saved after that boss either.There was no save point God damn it, bro Alright, lesson learned.Let's not talk to the shopkeeper.Okay, we got a blacksmith here.

Cool, man.

Genuinely, AI writing.Like, this is crazy.Alright, let's keep going.I think I'm starting to dissociate.Oh, God.Yeah.

yeah corrupted power crystal fuck yeah bro okay i just found an axe i think can i actually equip that okay let's freaking go hell yeah dude oh my god look at the map this goes so far down bro all right i now have a skill on my axe nice dude actually kind of cool let's give this game a chance let's give this game a chance we'll get another boss i like his little bucket helmet oh we have red barrels in the arena okay He can crash into them and set us both on fire.Awesome.That's something.That's something.Oh, and he fucking has a body slam.Okay.

You know what?That's kind of cool.It's kind of cool.Man, the axe does kind of feel like ass though for fights like this.It's just, it's just that you need to parry because they don't get staggered by most things.And the openings are slim.

All right, so here we go.bummer.I'm retrying the fight, but the, uh, explosive barrels don't respawn.Come on now, you gotta respawn those.That's like, the coolest part of the fight.Nice backflip, bro.

There we go.Wow.Alright.Nope.What the fuck is this thing?Is he a treasure guy?

Little treasure goblins, give me your loot, bro.Oh my god, oh my god, he just kicked my ass.Fucking get back here.Oh my god.Oh, the enemies are trying to kill him too.Yeah, everyone hates this guy.

Fuck him.All right, let's just run around and see what I find.Okay, there's some explosions.That's exciting.Enemies fighting each other.Kind of cool, actually.

Like, I like that.Oh my god.Fuck you.Fuck you.What in the fuck is this game?Genuine, what?

Why would you do that?I'm fucking pissed off.The wingless woman?Yeah, sure, bro.Sure.Yeah, just scream and curse me instantly, whatever that means.

Cool.Fucking cool.Bro, I can't even see what's hap - What in the fuck?Dude, I blame Elden Ring for this.

My goodness gracious.

Oh cool, another boss.Here we go.Yeah.Dude, the camera shake is fucking crazy.Whoa, can we climb ladders?What in the f - Nice ladder climb, dude.

Oh, shit.Oh, shit.Oh, shit!Arrgh!Okay, wait, this is kind of cool.

Arrgh, matey.I'd be a giant.

Oh, we can knock down trees?Okay.

I couldn't even see him!

Okay.Watch out for my super jump, though.Yeah.How do you like that?Is he actually a pirate, by the way?He has a peg leg.

I think he might be.I was joking.Dude, I can't even see what's happening because all the rubble everywhere.Christ.Let's try the super jump again.Man, that move, you kinda just die if you use it half the time.

Look at this rubble, bro!Look at it!

This boss sucks ass!

I'm gonna keep playing some more on my own.Just cuz.I feel like I ought to.And I'll get back to you with my thoughts after I'm done.You know, sometimes a game just isn't for me.This one did not spark joy, and that's okay.

If the appeal of Soulslikes lies in fighting difficult bosses in a dreary world, and that's it, maybe there's something here for you.For me though, that's not enough, and even though the animations I think look pretty good, and there's like a spectacle to some of the fights, like the big guy ARG, this game just was not doing it for me, and I was not having fun.It kind of just felt like I was aimlessly running around an empty grey world picking up notes that were either AI generated or AI translated in a game that wants you to take its story somewhat seriously for some reason.And I think this game was trying to do something interesting becausethe boss fights, I'd be more receptive to it.Like if the exploration or level design was somewhat interesting, or there was some semblance of RPG mechanics, or some level of care in the storytelling, any of those things would go a long way here.

Even though I anticipate a frankly poorly received launch, which is very soon by the way, the end of the month, I think there is still something for some people here.It's a big game, 80 fucking bosses, some people will enjoy that.Alright, next up we have Demon Dust.This is a survival horror dungeon crawler with a unique mouse -driven interface.So as a reminder, I do in fact sometimes find games purely from your guys' recommendations, and Demon Dust is one of those games.I got an email from Ben, who said they're a longtime viewer, and that Demon Dust is a surreal, Kingsfield -esque situation.

And according to him, it's weird, atmospheric, and only has 50 reviews.I think that sounds like a perfect game for this series.So thank you, Ben.I've also invited my friend Shara to check it out with me, because I thought it'd be fun.So let's check it out.Whoa.

OK.

Oh, this is cool.

And wherever my mouse is, like a little flashlight.Pills.Picked up pills.Gun.Gun.Picked up gun.

Bullets.Okay, you have to put the bullets in the gun.Whoa, what the fuck?I'm loading.Whoa What an awesome way to reload.I love that.

Yeah, I take out the gun.

Whoa, okay What about pills?What do I click the pills?

Oh I hear something.

I hear something.I hear something.

I'm scared.I'm scaredShoot it!Shoot it!Shoot it!

Shoot it!I'm shooting the weird parts.It's not working.It's not working.I did it.

Oh my goodness.

Whoa, he almost killed me.

You have no more bullets.

Yeah, and I'm almost dead.Maybe I should try to avoid most fights.

Maybe.Maybe just run.

Also, what is this ticking clock we have?Like dust 71 and this thing is like an hourglass.

Maybe you have to finish, like get enough dust.

Maybe.Oh, exit key.Oh, it's like ASCII art.It looks like a map of some sort.Oh cool.I'm controlling it.

Wait, wait.Oh, wait, this is tricky.I have to like walk toward it.Well, oh shit.Did I do it?I think I did it.

Okay.

Oh, you did it.Okay.

Oh, it's this thing again.

Oh, cool.

Oh, wait, no, no, no.I get it.I get it.I just changed the camera angle.

Oh, that's cool.I like that.

3, 8, 2, 1.Write that down, write that down.Yeah, I think this is a game where you have to write down stuff in a notebook, but you're my notebook.

I'm your notebook?

Yeah, that's why you're here.What's this?What the fuck?Alright, let's go for it.Oh.Well, I'm level 3 now.

Cool.I fell into level 3 by going out of bounds.Interesting.Oh, a phone.Okay.Oh, the number.

What's the number?382157.

In Fallon?

Fuck.Ooh.671595.Okay.6 7 1 5 9 5.Connected.

I would open the door.Okay.Huzzah.

So maybe you have to use the phone in the other room.

Yeah.Yeah.If I ever go back there.

I'm scared.I'm scared.I'm scared.

Is it below me?

I don't know.Is it behind you?

I think it's like underneath.There it is!There it is!There it is!Open!Open!

Open!There's like blood red slime everywhere Oh puzzle, I gotta be fast fuck That was it right?Yes.Yes.What is this?What is this?

Oh, I need money.Oh you dust I don't have enough dust for any of this stuff dice pills receive pills eat those pills jump the reeling I got dice.I don't know What do I do with this?What do I do with this?I can't move!Dicers love me down.

Fuck.I just saw something move.What is that?It's like teeth.It's like the bottom jaw of teeth.Run, run, run.

They're eating my ankles.I love that sound.That's so good.Oh shit.I'm one shot.I'm one shot.

Check this out.I'm going to run and jump.and hit this bun bitter okay i hit it wow okay oh back up backward what the hell okay i know what to do i know what to do i just don't know if it can hurt me nice got it oh okay very nice oh he's getting flushed yeah spin away you it's the gross room that's every room pills oh my goodness oh the rainbow pill Back up to 62.Let's freaking go.

It's gotcha pills.

Yeah, honestly, maybe it is.That's that would be kind of neat if like the healing mechanic is like purely RNG.

Ooh.

What is that?What is this stretched out skull?Yeah.What the fuck?

Skull on TNG.

What?I honestly I can't tell if this is like intentional or like this is a bug.I assume this is intentional.I think so.What if you look at it from the right angle so that it looks correct?Oh, yeah.

Look the way home.It's a map.Maybe I have to back up more.Oh wait, maybe like this?

Oh yeah, look!

You back up to the skulls right there!I see!Whoa!That's so cool!That's so cool!Look at it!

Look at it!

Yay!

Yes, the D!Demon Duster Stage 03 Unlocked.Okay, whatever that means.

Whatever that means.

Got it.

Oh, thank you.

Thank me?

That scared me!

8...2...There we go, okay.So every number is just like, you gotta be in the room.

What the fuck is that?

What is that?

Level 4, woah.A portal!

Woah.

Oh, good.This again.

Woah.

Well, we're out of bounds again.

Okay!

And I guess I could just, like, run off the ledge and fall into level 5, presumably?

I guess so.

I'm gonna stay up top for now.Level 7?What the fuck?We're in Dice World!

A dice room!

How'd we skip to 7?

Oh!

1.

1.

Don't worry, I got this.Alright, I'm out of ideas.Oh, I can just open it.

Oh, yeah, I guess you could just press the - Oh, it just takes you back to level one.

Is this like a hub?

Oh, Dice World might be a hub, you're right.All right, I'm thinking I just run off.Fuck it.

Okay.

Level five.

Level five.Oh.

Mmm.Exit, exit, exit.

You need 100 dust.

I do have 100 dust.

Mm -hmm.

I guess let's just do it.

I think this might be the exit.

Fuck.

Oh my god.You don't have - You don't have enough dust.I don't like that sound.I don't like that sound.

Um, oh god, what the fuck?

Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run.

I'm so dead.

Oh my god.

It feels like it's gaining on me.It's gaining on me.Wait, no, it stopped making noise.It stopped.Oh, wait.

What?

I just realized, can you pick up stuff with the mouse?I missed that this entire time.Is that how you're supposed to reach the stuff on the ceiling?Okay, that's a game changer.

Oh, that's a lot of stuff.Do you have to call all of them?

Uh, maybe.It looks like some of them repeat though.Let's see.Let's just call the top one first.5, 9, 2, 4, 1, 6.Hmm.

I guess I'll just try them all.I don't know.Welp, I tried them all.Fuck.

It's just to fuck with you.

Uh, 15 minutes.Oh, it is a timer then.Oh, shit.Okay, yeah.15 minutes remain.

Uh -oh, uh -oh, uh -oh, uh -oh, uh -oh, turn around, turn around!

I got enough for the other door.How much you gonna bet there's another door beyond the third one?

I think there's another door.

Yeah, I'm kind of boned if there's another door, because I don't even know where to go.I think I'm on the dead end.

You're kind of boned?

Yeah, I'm kind of boned.I've never heard that.You've never heard that?

I've never heard that.

It means you're fucked.

Okay.

Fuck.

I fucking called it.This is the fuck you room.This is a fuck you level.

This is a fuck you game.

Call all the fucking numbers on the wall.Oh, who is all your fucking dust on the doors?Deal with this weird fucking static monster.

You know, this is some old school Kingsfield shit where like all the walls and the rooms look the same and you're like, where the fuck am I?

Okay, you almost have enough for the fourth door.

Yeah, before the fifth door is revealed.It's probably fucking like ten doors back to back.

god fucking damn it i don't like how the walls over there the blue walls look like frogs with lips what blue frogs with lips show me what like the two yellow dots are the eyes and the green is the lips that's that's all i've been seeingwhole time.

The green is the lips?

Yeah, and the blue is the frog.

Oh, wait, I see it now.I see it.

You see it?

Whoa.

That's all I've been seeing this whole time.

Okay.You're like, I see it.There you go.

It's like a frog making a pucker face.

This is my last chance.This is really it.Fuck ass game.What if it's something like you pick every digit that appears most frequently in every place?Okay, so I think five for the first one.

Nine for the second.

Then nine.

One six.

Oh my god, that was it.What the fuck?What happened?

What did it open?

Oh, there's a portal.Whoa, that was cool.

Okay.

Back to level three.

Oh my goodness.

Damn, if only I had more time.One minute remains.Yeah.I'm just dying from the time now.Okay.

There you go.Okay.

Well, that seems like a good place to stop.Let's play the rest and then talk about it after.Damn, what an absolutely hidden gem.I can't believe I've seen no one talk about this game.What at first glance seems to be a horror dungeon crawler type thing, it actually wound up being this progressive puzzle game, sort of in the vein of Void Stranger, for those who are familiar, but just like in a much smaller bite -sized form, where the idea is you have multiple timed permadeath runs, but the levels are static, the items are static,and more than anything, you're gaining knowledge between runs.

You're getting knowledge of how the levels interconnect, you're learning how stuff works, and you're learning secrets that can potentially speed up runs until eventually you reach the bottom floor and get to the final secret.I don't want to spoil too much.But I'll just say that this was a captivating few hours.I think the shooting mechanics are fucking awesome.Like having to click on the bullets and like click on the weak points of like these weird, horrible creatures approaching you.Like those moments right there, like justify this whole game's existence.

And it was really satisfying being consistently rewarded with little secrets and discoveries and figuring stuff out.There's definitely some friction with having to restart runs and having the start of each run be kind of the same, where you have to like grab the gun, go through the first floor, money, and like the first 10 minutes are kind of repetitive.But beyond that, solid game, easy recommend for people that are into unique, weird puzzle games that are exploration focused.And yeah, this deserves way more attention.Fantastic job.Now I do want to talk spoilers just a little bit for people who are planning on never playing this game, I guess.

So if you are curious about it still, please skip ahead.But one of the biggest and coolest discoveries of this game that kind of blew it open was the discovery that Every floor and wall in the game is destructible.If you shoot any wall six times, it breaks.And this lets you access so many places.It speeds up the progression of the early game a bunch.And it's just one of those really cool, like, Void Stranger, Outer Wilds -esque knowledge things where it's there the whole time, but you just don't know about its existence.

And then once you know it, it changes the whole game.Anyway, cool game again.Even if I spoiled that for you, it's still worth playing.Check it out.First of all, shoutout to Googly Gareth for animating the sponsored section, which by the way, if you happen to have skipped it, Go back and watch it, actually.It's one of the funniest and highest effort sponsor bits I've done, and Gareth put a lot of effort into animating it.

As far as updates for me since the last video, I went to Summer Games Fest.That was really cool.I got to meet a bunch of devs face to face and like chat with them.I really, really liked that experience.I also met Jeff Keighley, believe it or not, and like unironically talked with him about High Guard for a few minutes.So that was fun.

What else?Oh yeah, I was in an Overwatch tournament recently that Boger hosted.That's not the interesting part though.The interesting part is that he needed a sub for the tournament last minute and I was like, I got you.So I invited my friend Shar as well as Zully, as in Zully the witch.And Zully, despite having never played Overwatch, despite not even playing a first person shooter since like Halo 3, I think.

She locked in on Mercy and her team almost won the entire tournament, like it came down to the very last game.So that was kind of awesome and I'm really happy for her.I've also of course been playing a bunch of games.I've been getting into Marathon recently and I'm surprised by how much I'm vibing with it.And it's gonna be a shame when it shuts down probably because not many other people are playing it, it feels like.Which I get, but yeah.

I've also been playing a bunch of Mecha Chameleon.which I'm sure most of you have heard about.That game's awesome, man.That is like the perfect game to play if you have like a group of friends and like just want to play a party game for a while.It's like the ultimate prop hunt game.Oh yeah, I also just signed up for the Duskbloods network test.

I hope I get in.For all the Switch 2 owners out there, I encourage you to sign up.If we both get in, maybe we can fight each other.

That could be cool.

And yeah, I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this video out.I really did not mean for there to be this long of a gap between uploads again.And I have actually started a couple other videos like there's one project i'm working on where i've cut down a 30 hour long playthrough of a game to four hours and i'm trying to figure out what to do with that but anyway just be on the lookout for more videos soonIt's not gonna be two months again.Also, as always, please recommend me stuff.I have found quite a few games purely through your guys' recommendations, and sometimes I end up playing them, even if they don't end up in a video, like just for fun.

And yeah, if you're still listening, I really appreciate it.I enjoy making these videos so much.I hope people keep enjoying watching them, and yeah.Anyway, that's it.I'm hopping off.Take it easy.