Oh, I meant to mention the map, I know a lot of people take issue with it. It's certainly unusual and makes hundred-percenting item collection challenging. There are some maze-like areas with different levers you have to pull in certain orders that I'm undecided if they were improved by having less information.
Definitely a point of contention though, to say the least.
With dynamic pricing, ad partnerships, add-on fees, etc., terms like "cheapest" mean nothing to me. Which, I assume, is why the word is in quotes in the headline to begin with.
I loved it. I've since also played 100+ hours of Elden Ring and some other challenge-heavy games like Hollow Knight - I've thought about going back to Bloodborne with some experience under my belt because it really is a great game. But for me it feels like a lot to start over (and as much as I hate to be an fps snob, they never released a next-gen update and playing a game like this in 30 fps is a turn-off).
I'm not sure if it's makes any difference to you, but Gris is very abstract in its "storytelling," such as it is. There's no backstory to expose, no reality vs. virtual simulation or dream world. It's about a player figure in a colorless world who begins the game in an implied state of incompleteness and melancholy. You guide her through a journey punctuated by moments of adversity, wonder, and triumph, communicated by an affecting marriage of gameplay, score, and cinema. But that's it, there's no dialogue, exposition, or narration, no backstory or plot twists.
The gameplay itself is fine-tuned and accessible. You learn a few new abilities during the course of the game that serve as tools for navigation and puzzle solving. And there are no fail states. It is meticulously lightweight in presentation and play, but equally powerful in emotional immersion and effect. At least, that was my experience.
If I may, I'd recommend starting with the Demon's Souls remake if you're interested. Bloodborne was the first Souls game I ever played, and it was quite punishing. I got quite far and greatly enjoyed parts of it, but it was my experience that it was extraordinarily challenging for a newcomer. Among all the Souls and Soulslike games, BloodBorne is intended to be played aggressively, which is not a good starting point in my opinion.
It was actually Returnal that taught me how to approach challenging games, i.e., almost like a puzzle game in how you try new things to break through impasses. That being said, I also found the Demon's Souls remake to be a much more forgiving entry point, especially if you play as a magic caster. MP is limited so you still need to engage in melee, but magic is a powerful tool to play things safe if you play smartly.
It's also just a fantastic game with great level design. I actually kind of like the segmented levels with a central hub.
Gris is a no-brainer if you haven't played it. Fundamentally simple puzzle-platformer, but one of the most beautiful and emotionally evocative games I've ever played. Nearly every frame of this game is a work of art, and the wonderful score by Berlinist complements the gameplay perfectly, directly and indirectly.
Aside from Return to Monkey Island - never played any of them - the rest is pretty meh for me.
There are exactly two games that my kids have played consistently for two straight years: Lego Marvel Super Heroes and "Robot Game" (Astro's Playroom).
Personally overjoyed that it's scoring so well. Incredible success for PlayStation and Team Asobi - I hope they're celebrating well today/tomorrow.
Thanks, I still can't wrap my head around how it makes sense to pull the game and issue auto refunds. Unless PlayStation thinks it's so toxically bad that its mere existence is damaging to the brand.
I'm OOL, what happened that was this bad? I'd heard it wasn't popular, like it just didn't latch onto the market (reasonably, due to oversaturation), but was there something functionally wrong with the game?
Thought this looked pretty interesting, but the gameplay trailer looks pretty rough. Reminds me of a 2010-era mid-budget action adventure. I'll keep an eye on it though, I'm not terribly picky about entertaining single-player games.
Yeah, what happened. They take it down?