Overview: A difficult platformer.
20241020:
Of the demos I had installed on PC, I randomly decided to try this demo next.
Setup: Started off on keyboard but then my controller vibrated and I realized I could use my controller.
Gameplay Log:
Found four notes
Reached the end of the demo
Steam Game Time: 18 minutes
First Impressions:
The demo was very short, and didn't have a boss. As such, the demo focused solely on the platforming aspects of the game. While there were some novel movements, and the controls felt great, the difficulty of the game was mostly in not knowing how to pass an area until failing to pass it a few times. Personally, I find this type of gameplay to feel unpleasant.
For example, there's one area where the player makes a jump and must follow with a bounce to get over spikes. But it would be uncanny for someone to react to the existence of spikes to execute the bounce in time. Necessarily the game expects the player to fail and correct the second attempt with a bounce. Only to find there needs to be yet another bounce. This iterative style of gameplay is not enjoyable in this setting. To me, the magnificence of artwork and music in this game needs to be paired with obstacles that are fully reactable - or perhaps closer to 90% reactable with the occasional 10% to slow the pace of the game down.
With that being said, as I mentioned in passing, the artwork was top-notch. It reminded me a little of Teslagrad, perhaps simply for a steampunk kind of vibe.
As a remark, for a game titled Symphonia, I felt the musical aspect of the game to be lacking. That is, while the soundtrack is good, I thought mechanically music would be more involved than occasionally playing the violin to open a door.
Overall, despite the amazing graphics, solid controls, and good music, there seems to be a missed opportunity in pairing gameplay with the music. As such, I'll have to give this game a lower demo score of 4.0.
Demo Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Symphonia (PC) (Demo)
Relevant Links:
Symphonia (Steam Store Page)
20241020:
Of the demos I had installed on PC, I randomly decided to try this demo next.
Setup: Started off on keyboard but then my controller vibrated and I realized I could use my controller.
Gameplay Log:
Found four notes
Reached the end of the demo
Steam Game Time: 18 minutes
First Impressions:
The demo was very short, and didn't have a boss. As such, the demo focused solely on the platforming aspects of the game. While there were some novel movements, and the controls felt great, the difficulty of the game was mostly in not knowing how to pass an area until failing to pass it a few times. Personally, I find this type of gameplay to feel unpleasant.
For example, there's one area where the player makes a jump and must follow with a bounce to get over spikes. But it would be uncanny for someone to react to the existence of spikes to execute the bounce in time. Necessarily the game expects the player to fail and correct the second attempt with a bounce. Only to find there needs to be yet another bounce. This iterative style of gameplay is not enjoyable in this setting. To me, the magnificence of artwork and music in this game needs to be paired with obstacles that are fully reactable - or perhaps closer to 90% reactable with the occasional 10% to slow the pace of the game down.
With that being said, as I mentioned in passing, the artwork was top-notch. It reminded me a little of Teslagrad, perhaps simply for a steampunk kind of vibe.
As a remark, for a game titled Symphonia, I felt the musical aspect of the game to be lacking. That is, while the soundtrack is good, I thought mechanically music would be more involved than occasionally playing the violin to open a door.
Overall, despite the amazing graphics, solid controls, and good music, there seems to be a missed opportunity in pairing gameplay with the music. As such, I'll have to give this game a lower demo score of 4.0.
Demo Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Symphonia (PC) (Demo)
Relevant Links:
Symphonia (Steam Store Page)
Date/Time
Sunday, October 20, 2024
@
21:24
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