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Brandish: The Dark Revenant |OT| - Pit Shenanigans

I gotta say: the way the map doesn't mark doors until you go through them really pisses me off. It makes backtracking to find places you haven't been to unnecessarily frustrating. I don't understand this design decision, and it almost makes me want to stop playing.

yea, that was strange. i just made sure to open every door right away if possible and go in a step. i didn't bother me in the end. i was going for 100% anyway.
 

wyrdwad

XSEED Localization Specialist
I still dont understand how that screen works on the PSP,so non user friendly lol.

What don't you understand? It works the same way on the PSP as it does on the Vita -- I think a lot of people just forget that the PSP has an analog stick, as that is necessary when updating the map since it's used to select a color from the palette.

-Tom
 

Zhao_Yun

Member
This has probably been asked a lot already but are there any updates on the EU release? It's been 2 months since the NA release already and there are still no signs of it :(
 

Tizoc

Member
Every week I pour one out for my EU homies that have yet to play this game, when it doesn't get released on EU PSN.
 

antibolo

Banned
If you own an actual PSP you could always buy it from the US store and then switch your PSP's account to play it (which is a lot less of a hassle than switching accounts on a Vita).

I have a few Japanese region digital PSP games and I do this to play them. If you do it from a PS3 it takes less than a minute to switch.
 

bobohoro

Member
Or they could release the game over here in poor forgotten Europe so we don't have to deal with impractical account switching or older handhelds.
The initially small delay between regions evolved to 3 months already. And we'll probably still pay more for it when it finally releases here, if ever.
 

FDC1

Member
Yes, it's up in Europe (€15,99). But it says "available for PSP only" on my store (France). I hope it's just a description error.

Edit: damn, burned
 

Lain

Member
About time. Wish it came out earlier this month, because I would have had the unaccounted leftover budget to throw 16€ on this. As it is, it'll have to wait until next month.
 

Gu4n

Member
SCEE just doesn't seem to care. They even couldn't be bothered to post-edit the poorly machine translated description for the game (in Dutch, at least).

kEJs4a0.png
 

Kaybe

Unconfirmed Member
SCEE just doesn't seem to care. They even couldn't be bothered to post-edit the poorly machine translated description for the game (in Dutch, at least).

kEJs4a0.png
That's up to XSEED, not SCEE. If they don't have a dutch store translation then they won't get the game on dutch stores. So machine translation is better than nothing.
 

Kaybe

Unconfirmed Member
As far as I can tell the German translation was done manually and is fine.
Yeah, FIGS translations are actually translated properly most of the time. But Scandinavian languagaes, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish along some others are sometimes not. So some publishers machine translate it and some don't release them in those stores at all.
 

Voliko

Member
Got around to this one the past week. I think it's OK. I appreciate the uniqueness of the movement. My stats were 14 hours and 93% completion. I stopped going for 100%'s near the last quarter of the game. The rewards are hardly ever worth it, and certainly not when you are decked out by the end of the game.

Like a lot of these action/dungeony type of games the bosses are totally underwhelming because you can spam your 99 potions, healing over time magic, etc. I thought they were going to get a little more crazy with the dungeons but the last 6 or so floors were kind of boring. The multi-floor part was nearly linear. The game is too easy all around. I think savepoints instead of retry bread and being able to save anywhere would have worked well to create some tension.

Is Dela Mode worth it? I think I will try it, it sounds better than the main game.

Gotta admit, the shenanigans with Dela throughout the game were actually pretty funny.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
It's amazing how the music in the Tower is. It feels like an adventure. I expected lots of shred, but somehow this is even better.
 
Is Dela Mode worth it?


Yes. My favorite parts of the game were in Dela Mode, both of which are timing based puzzles which are impossible to cheat with saving.

The room you have to navigate through tons of fireballs, it is possible to traverse the entire room (including getting the chest) without ever getting hit. And it's not as hard as it may seem, though it is quite hard. Favorite part of the game.

The big room with a time limit for lighting torches. It's all about coming up with the quickest path and memorizing it. Reminds me of a similar, but shorter, puzzle in Legend of Grimrock, which I also loved.


I agree with you on the rest though. Just too easy and too many ways to avoid what challenge there is, especially when bosses simply let you leave the room, heal, and come back. One boss literally pushes you out of the room where you could safely heal, so it's like... do I run back in without healing to make it harder? Or just heal?

Still a great game though. Other favorite parts:

Dark zone, ninja boss (where I didn't notice a way to leave and heal, but there might be one), boss that traps you at the beginning so you have to continually dodge for a while
 

Voliko

Member
Yes. My favorite parts of the game were in Dela Mode, both of which are timing based puzzles which are impossible to cheat with saving
Nice.

Skimming through the thread, I'm a bit surprised by some responses to the
35
puzzle.
That wounded dude close by tells you that he tried every single combination. That, along with the layout, were pretty dead giveaways imo.

Also, props to XSEED for releasing this in 2015. Playing a new release on my PSP in 2015 feels special :)
 

wyrdwad

XSEED Localization Specialist
Got around to this one the past week. I think it's OK. I appreciate the uniqueness of the movement. My stats were 14 hours and 93% completion. I stopped going for 100%'s near the last quarter of the game. The rewards are hardly ever worth it, and certainly not when you are decked out by the end of the game.

Like a lot of these action/dungeony type of games the bosses are totally underwhelming because you can spam your 99 potions, healing over time magic, etc. I thought they were going to get a little more crazy with the dungeons but the last 6 or so floors were kind of boring. The multi-floor part was nearly linear. The game is too easy all around. I think savepoints instead of retry bread and being able to save anywhere would have worked well to create some tension.

Is Dela Mode worth it? I think I will try it, it sounds better than the main game.

Gotta admit, the shenanigans with Dela throughout the game were actually pretty funny.

As noted by Not Psycho, I think you'll like Dela Mode a lot. It's considerably harder, with a lot of really clever puzzles that push the game engine to the limits of what it can do in extremely creative ways.

That said, I liked the last few floors! And the final boss, which I thought was crazy intense. I also thought the game was fairly difficult, if only because you can't just "walk through it" like you can with so many other games. Yes, if you take the time to strategize, it's easy as pie -- but if you run into every situation guns blazing, you're going to die immediately. You need to actually pay attention to your surroundings and become engaged with them, and if you do, you'll be able to breeze through the game... but it won't feel like an "empty" victory. You will have actually worked for it, learning how the game works and learning how to work within it.

Even if you did find it super-easy, though, I'm glad you still liked it overall!

It's amazing how the music in the Tower is. It feels like an adventure. I expected lots of shred, but somehow this is even better.

The tower theme is my favorite in the game, hands down. I freaking LOVE that track so much!

-Tom
 

Tizoc

Member
Yeah this game deserves OST of the year. I know Jindo worked on the music, and he did an excellent job.
 

flowsnake

Member
I've actually had to mute the music because I got sick of it not changing, which made me sad. I just beat the first boss.

Does it ever get more varied?
 

wyrdwad

XSEED Localization Specialist
I've actually had to mute the music because I got sick of it not changing, which made me sad. I just beat the first boss.

Does it ever get more varied?

Each area has its own unique theme, and each boss has its own unique theme. So if you muted the game, be sure to un-mute it at each boss, and each time you reach a new area!

-Tom
 

Tizoc

Member
Well, I for one think both the retro/enhanced soundtracks are incredible.

Yup, I admit you do get sick of the same track after playing in an area for over an hour, but it gives that classic gaming feel when back in the day music was PART of the gaming experience, like listening to the same boss theme dozens of times while trying to beat the boss but dieing like a scrub every time~
 

Voliko

Member
I got to EX6. Dela mode is pretty great. This is what I thought the main game would be like. All the puzzles and the parts where you have to quickly time your movements have been fun and well thought out. Definitely recommended. Frankly, this is where the game really shines.

Can't wait to see what else is in store.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Yup, I admit you do get sick of the same track after playing in an area for over an hour, but it gives that classic gaming feel when back in the day music was PART of the gaming experience, like listening to the same boss theme dozens of times while trying to beat the boss but dieing like a scrub every time~

I haven't gotten sick of it yet. It's great music. I could listen to Muladhara for hours on end, for instance.
 
SCEE just doesn't seem to care. They even couldn't be bothered to post-edit the poorly machine translated description for the game (in Dutch, at least).

kEJs4a0.png

I've given the translation a fair shake, it's at least better than what there is right now!

Vittoria: Een middeleeuws koninkrijk dat duizend jaar geleden diep onder de grond verbannen werd vanwege de overmoed van de heerser der doden, door god verloren en vergeten. Op de heuvels die haar graf markeerde werd uiteindelijk een nieuw koninkrijk gebouwd. Maar de ruïnes van Vittoria zijn bevolkt door de wraakzuchtige geesten van de vroegere bevolking, en wie zich in deze dieptes bevind is zeker gedoemd tot een pijnlijke ondergang.

Ares, een premie jager, die zich gevangen vind in deze ruines, is echter niet bereid om dit lot te accepteren. In deze remake van een gouden tijdperk, moet Ares zijn weg omhoog zien te werken door middel van meer dan 40 verdiepingen, bezaait met onvoorstelbaar gevaar. Dit terwijl zijn aartsrivaal, Dela, - een krachtige tovenares, hem probeert tegen te houden alvorens zelf te ontsnappen.
 

wyrdwad

XSEED Localization Specialist
Yup, I admit you do get sick of the same track after playing in an area for over an hour, but it gives that classic gaming feel when back in the day music was PART of the gaming experience, like listening to the same boss theme dozens of times while trying to beat the boss but dieing like a scrub every time~

I'm playing the original Xanadu right now -- the MSX version, which means there are two songs for the entire game (the non-battle theme and the battle theme), as opposed to the original PC-88 version which had one single song for the entire game that just played a little faster when you got into battle.

Ain't botherin' me one bit. Eventually, it just starts to put you in a trance-like state. That song... becomes your world. ;)

(Actually, a lot of my favorite games have only one or two songs for the whole game -- Solstice on NES, for example, plays the same song on loop forever. Granted, it's Tim Follin, but still! Heheheh)

-Tom
 

Voliko

Member
Just wanted to say that Dela Mode has turned a decent game into a great game. This game deserves more love. Quite addicting.

Vita owners get on this!
 

cj_iwakura

Member
I'm very perplexed by the Tower 9F floor panel puzzle. Three on the left, five on the right?

Is there some obvious hint I'm overlooking?
 

Crispy

Member
Just came across the tower 9f puzzle and I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. The clue is IMO completely fine and then
the lay-out of the room gives you enough information to put 3 and 5 together.

Loving the game by the way!
 

Mr.Jeff

Member
I found myself doing the same with Dark World 2F until I noticed the game gave me about 200 steel balls to navigate the pits. Wasteful but you'd only sell them otherwise.

Just finished Ares Mode today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing overly taxing on puzzles (aside from Tower 9F where I spent 20 minutes
typing "E5" because I was too tired to realise I wasn't typing "3". Oh how stupid I felt.
) but it was really satisfying to navigate through all the floors. Especially the Fortress.

Looking forward to going back for Dela mode though.
 
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