This was a really well thought out and articulated video. Thanks for sharing, Dace. I think the approach of telling a story and not giving away too many wow moments is a great thing! Both Slain and Valfaris have a strange attraction for me because of the style and music. Valfaris and VMT in particular are games I'd like to try in the future.
Wow this was just so rich and wonderful! I think after I play through Black Myth Wukong, this is going to be my next ‘adventure’… perfect for cold dark nights coming, lights down with some headphones on and submit to the METAL!!! Also had no idea Slain was connected to Valfaris in lore!!! Can’t wait for that interview.
Fall or Winter would be fantastic. I'm thinking of getting back to Slain again before long because it's been quite some time and just the little bit I recorded for this video reminded me of how much fun it is. Thanks for checking this out. Yeah, the three titles are all connected via a character that exists in all of them. These games are super cool!
Lyrical dexterity noted Dace! Very interesting review, your enjoyment really shines through - to the point where I’m thinking of picking his up. Not played the earlier games in the series as I’m too much of a shmup head when it comes to action games 😂 I’ll approach it with an open mind, a crucifix and a few runes 🤘😈🤘
Thanks for watching as always, Scowsh! I had some fun putting together the strings of words for this one. Yeah, it's not that the earlier games need to be played - I still think they're awesome and will easily replay them at some point but if you're just jumping into Mecha Therion, it's not as though you need to know prior events or characters. That said, since I didn't touch on any of the mechanics really, you have checkpoints, various guns and melee weapons plus an upgrade system for each of the weapons. You can also slot in special items and abilities. This is not like a roguelike/lite though, just to be clear. I'd imagine there are some short reviews floating around that cover more of the game's workings. Thanks again and let me know if you jump in. Some of the bosses took me a while to figure out but it's such a cool experience overall.
The melee aspect of this one pushes things to an intense degree and I love it. You can get various guns, too. The shotgun is awesome for heavy, close-range damage of course - perfect for bosses. I stuck with the default weapons because I love them but there are some wild weapons in this game. Thanks for checking this out, Ronnie!
I’m also switch only, so when I saw this was released in the eshop I was hyped. The price is very fair but I’m really cheap with games, I generally set my budget to $10 or less so I may have to wait for a sale. Thanks for another great review ✌️
This looks wicked awesome! I really enjoyed the first game. I like how they completely switched up the gameplay making into a shmup of sorts. A risky and brave move but I respect the originality. And man the artstyle is phenomenal just like the first. I’m just curious though, where is the hit box on the character? Or is it the entire character?
Yeah, the art direction and everything else is top notch. The funny thing is, I never once thought about the hitbox the whole time I played through the Great Horned One and True Metal modes. Not once during both playthroughs!
That’s because you got skills my dude! From what I saw though, it looks challenging but manageable. And that’s pretty much how the first game was. Aside from the final boss, that guy gave me a real problem but I eventually got him. I hope this is getting a physical
You were really feeling yourself with this script lol I love this game's visual style I tried Slain back in the day but it didn't hold my attention. Do you have any thoughts on the gameplay? You praised the presentation and atmosphere a lot but I was waiting for a more mechanics focused segment that didn't come.
I loved the gameplay and mechanics. You need to balance a mix of gunfire (which of course depletes ammo) and melee attacks (which charge ammo). Your ammo charges automatically but at a slower pace. Some projectile types can be destroyed with melee attacks just like some can be destroyed with gunfire. How you balance this has flexibility in relation to how well you deal with enemy wave types. There are also special abilities and items you can slot which grant certain effects. The items are useful, though I preferred not using any special attacks since the default gun and melee weapon are solid!
@@n2oshotandironmanIt always creates an interesting relationship with everything else on the go when your own projectiles have some form of a limitation. In this game, it is a lot of fun balancing from section to section. For example, there's this electricity burst attack you can do, which if upgrading the item, can get pretty sizable. If there's a group of heavily armored units, it's great blasting them with that, then finishing the group off with gunfire before the next wave comes. Or, if not using special attacks, the emphasis becomes aggressive melee attacks up close or by throwing your weapon and firing while the weapon is still in the air. It's a fun risk though since you can't cancel or protect yourself from enemy projectiles while your weapon is gone.
@@n2oshotandironman Great question. There were certainly sections that took a number of attempts to navigate properly and boss fights that took a while to crack. But it didn't feel grindy to me. I always saw potential for that little bit extra I needed to do to push through.
This game is a masterpiece.
Yeah, it's such a blast!
This was a really well thought out and articulated video. Thanks for sharing, Dace. I think the approach of telling a story and not giving away too many wow moments is a great thing!
Both Slain and Valfaris have a strange attraction for me because of the style and music. Valfaris and VMT in particular are games I'd like to try in the future.
Duuuuude this game is SICK love the shmup mele mix and the weapon upgrades
Wow this was just so rich and wonderful! I think after I play through Black Myth Wukong, this is going to be my next ‘adventure’… perfect for cold dark nights coming, lights down with some headphones on and submit to the METAL!!!
Also had no idea Slain was connected to Valfaris in lore!!! Can’t wait for that interview.
Fall or Winter would be fantastic. I'm thinking of getting back to Slain again before long because it's been quite some time and just the little bit I recorded for this video reminded me of how much fun it is. Thanks for checking this out. Yeah, the three titles are all connected via a character that exists in all of them. These games are super cool!
Loving the morbidly poetic prose in this review, Dace!
Happy to hear you got a kick out of it. I always enjoy doing stuff like this. It doesn't happen often enough, though. Thanks for watching this one!
Lyrical dexterity noted Dace! Very interesting review, your enjoyment really shines through - to the point where I’m thinking of picking his up. Not played the earlier games in the series as I’m too much of a shmup head when it comes to action games 😂 I’ll approach it with an open mind, a crucifix and a few runes 🤘😈🤘
Thanks for watching as always, Scowsh! I had some fun putting together the strings of words for this one. Yeah, it's not that the earlier games need to be played - I still think they're awesome and will easily replay them at some point but if you're just jumping into Mecha Therion, it's not as though you need to know prior events or characters. That said, since I didn't touch on any of the mechanics really, you have checkpoints, various guns and melee weapons plus an upgrade system for each of the weapons. You can also slot in special items and abilities. This is not like a roguelike/lite though, just to be clear. I'd imagine there are some short reviews floating around that cover more of the game's workings. Thanks again and let me know if you jump in. Some of the bosses took me a while to figure out but it's such a cool experience overall.
WHAAAAT? An actual shmup thats about shooting? Bullethell / dodgemup is secondary - as it should be? YES PLEASE : )
The melee aspect of this one pushes things to an intense degree and I love it. You can get various guns, too. The shotgun is awesome for heavy, close-range damage of course - perfect for bosses. I stuck with the default weapons because I love them but there are some wild weapons in this game. Thanks for checking this out, Ronnie!
Thanks! Skillful review
I appreciate you checking this out man!
Great scripting on this one! Glad to see this metalhead’s delight get some spotlight !
Always stellar to see your name pop up, man! Thanks for swinging by!
@@Shmuptopia This game needs some Death Metal OST other than that this game is so so good!
I’m also switch only, so when I saw this was released in the eshop I was hyped. The price is very fair but I’m really cheap with games, I generally set my budget to $10 or less so I may have to wait for a sale. Thanks for another great review ✌️
Always appreciate you checking these out. Let me know what you think when you jump in and thanks for watching!
This looks wicked awesome! I really enjoyed the first game. I like how they completely switched up the gameplay making into a shmup of sorts. A risky and brave move but I respect the originality. And man the artstyle is phenomenal just like the first. I’m just curious though, where is the hit box on the character? Or is it the entire character?
Yeah, the art direction and everything else is top notch. The funny thing is, I never once thought about the hitbox the whole time I played through the Great Horned One and True Metal modes. Not once during both playthroughs!
That’s because you got skills my dude! From what I saw though, it looks challenging but manageable. And that’s pretty much how the first game was. Aside from the final boss, that guy gave me a real problem but I eventually got him. I hope this is getting a physical
I feel this will definitely get a physical! I want to eventually replay Slain because it's such a cool game!@@mikeward5192
You were really feeling yourself with this script lol I love this game's visual style I tried Slain back in the day but it didn't hold my attention. Do you have any thoughts on the gameplay? You praised the presentation and atmosphere a lot but I was waiting for a more mechanics focused segment that didn't come.
I loved the gameplay and mechanics. You need to balance a mix of gunfire (which of course depletes ammo) and melee attacks (which charge ammo). Your ammo charges automatically but at a slower pace. Some projectile types can be destroyed with melee attacks just like some can be destroyed with gunfire. How you balance this has flexibility in relation to how well you deal with enemy wave types. There are also special abilities and items you can slot which grant certain effects. The items are useful, though I preferred not using any special attacks since the default gun and melee weapon are solid!
@@Shmuptopia ammo in shmups is something I always find interesting. That's the most intriguing thing I've heard about this release, tbh.
@@n2oshotandironmanIt always creates an interesting relationship with everything else on the go when your own projectiles have some form of a limitation. In this game, it is a lot of fun balancing from section to section. For example, there's this electricity burst attack you can do, which if upgrading the item, can get pretty sizable. If there's a group of heavily armored units, it's great blasting them with that, then finishing the group off with gunfire before the next wave comes. Or, if not using special attacks, the emphasis becomes aggressive melee attacks up close or by throwing your weapon and firing while the weapon is still in the air. It's a fun risk though since you can't cancel or protect yourself from enemy projectiles while your weapon is gone.
@@Shmuptopia This sounds pretty interesting. Is the game grindy?
@@n2oshotandironman Great question. There were certainly sections that took a number of attempts to navigate properly and boss fights that took a while to crack. But it didn't feel grindy to me. I always saw potential for that little bit extra I needed to do to push through.