The Vambrace of Destiny - appeal for complaints

[AmandaB]

@gfaregan

My only complaint, which feels kind of selfish, is that the past few games felt like they pushed forward with new ideas - maps, items and abilities - while this one didn’t really do that.

I felt this, too, because one of the delights of DiBianca games is seeing what he does next. But then I realized that this is the problem with getting a reputation for innovation-- everyone expects it all the time. Tough to keep that up forever.

[gfaregan]

That’s a good way to put it. I probably didn’t explain myself well in my previous comment, but I think adding more character/atmosphere/story to the game would be a relatively inexpensive way to make it feel more unique. For example I have some pretty vivid images in my mind from “inside the facility” - the lecture hall, the invisibility lab, …

[RockmanX (Noah Si)]

@JoshGrams

I feel like Metroidvanias or Zelda-ish games tend to work the best when it’s obvious that there’s an obstacle you can’t get past (and that you will probably be able to get past in the future): “I can uproot bushes but not this rock that is obviously blocking my way, and definitely not that huge rock; bet I’ll get a new ability later.” Here the regular puzzles were illegible enough that it was often very difficult to tell the difference between “you just need to figure out the right order and timing of the spells you already have” and “you need to go away and come back when you have a new ability.”

One major issue with Vambrace that showed up is: you’ve got a list of weapons, but you don’t know which one is most appropriate for the situation at hand. Most of the time I simply tried guessing which ones worked. This, coupled with a lack of a strong story, pushed it down my rankings.

Some games make it clear when you have to backtrack to the stage/level/room once you acquired a new weapon and figuring out the right order in which you use your weapons (think Mega Man X for example). Perhaps a Navigator mode will help?