Absolver TEST: Dark Souls and Fight 3D, a successful marriage?

juliusfatai (58)in #gaming • 9 years ago (edited)

Absolver has just landed in all the good digital creameries on PS4 and PC. I had tested the game almost final version a few months ago, and although taken by the time, I was quite intrigued by the gameplay of this title oh so unusual, borrowing as much from Dark Souls that a real fighting game. After being able to ask me much longer on a final version, the verdict fell. So what is the first Sloclap game worth? The answer in this test fists.

The publisher Devolver Digital is especially known for its work alongside many studios on many deliciously subversive and offbeat licenses such as Hotline Miami, Hatoful Boyfriend, Shadow Warrior and Mother Russia Bleeds. Here, the Texan publisher is moving away from its usual lap to trust the Parisian studio SloClap, composed of former big boxes in the industry such as Ubisoft. And as for their first game, the Parisians offer us a mix of genres, borrowing from a Dark Souls for its mechanics, only a beat them all (or even a fighting game) for its playability. The bet is ambitious and risky, but Slow Clap could well make a name and a reputation for this project, and create a realistic expectation around its future productions. Let's see if that will be the case...

Follow the white rabbit

Absolver puts you in the shoes of a prospect, a fighter with many martial arts. In the short introductory cinematic, you are chosen by your master and catapulted into a strange world, filled with danger, when you are put a curious mask on your head. Like a Dark Souls - no, you have not finished seeing it mentioned in this test - you are delivered to yourself, without any instruction, except that of go fart the heads of the bosses who keep this world. An entire program.

Like his illustrious elder quoted above, Absolver do not bother with a very thorough narration, since the latter is almost non-existent. Apart from a few small windows of dialogue with some NPCs that can be counted on the fingers of a hand, it will be up to the player to decide if he wants to go and find more or not. But do not expect foolishness either: if the universe that was created here is very attractive, you will not have that much to put in your mouth. Nevertheless, the whole is visually very charming, with decorations worthy of appearing among the Seven Wonders of the world, like the tower of Adal to mention only it. The set of decorations is visually very attractive, and most of them consist of ruins with Greco-Roman aesthetics invaded by greenery, the few other vestiges that we will cross on his way will be the best effect. Add to that a bewitching graphic style, at the crossroads between pastel, cel-shading and a certain dose of austerity, but also music as discreet as stakeholders, and you have a game that proudly displays a solid identity.

There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path

And what's good about all this is that Absolver will not only rely on his artistic direction to seduce the players. Past the creation - very succinct - of our avatar, we are launched for the best as for the worst. A first level quite short and punctuated with a battle Boss will teach you the basics of the playability of the title, before opening on the large open area consists of two major areas to explore, and a third that will act as "Nexus". This central HUB is not the only thing that Absolverwill borrow from the saga of Hidetaka Miyazaki: the fact of being released in a hostile open environment, without any indication, to activate backup pillars as it progresses while unlocking shortcuts that were actually three meters from your starting point, will bring back good memories to the veterans of Lordran's exploration. Nevertheless, on this point, in comparison, the level design is not at the level: the succession of zones is done in a rather linear way, and if certain passages are quite insane, as this descent into the city via the roofs of dilapidated buildings, one finally gets the impression that everything stays in the same theme, without any notorious distinction, Souls, I always know exactly where I've already been, and the paths I have to explore: do not wait for Adal to be a worthy successor to Yharnam!

But that's not all. If "You are dead" has remained etched in letters of blood on your TV, the fault of a display too regular, the mechanical RPG of the title will not be totally foreign to you either. Indeed, the level-up system is very inspired by the one who acted in the saga of From Software, with the ability to reinforce attacks based on strength or dexterity, depending on your choice of combos - we'll talk about it later - but also increase his life points, his bar of endurance or his will, which will be largely related to defensive powers. And it is mainly according to your choice of starting class that you will evolve these characteristics. But again, we'll talk about it later. Other small details such as the types of damage - blunt or sharp - or the weight management of your equipment, will complete the table for what will prove to be a good experience "rôliste".

We are not the best when we believe it, but when we know it

Another basic component of Dark Souls is also found in Absolver. Namely, two normal and powerful fights with a guard, all using an endurance meter. And if another timing system between each shot will mean Nioh, the comparison on this point will stop here, as Absolver ' s combat system is different. Your character has four postures (or stances): face to the right, face to the left, back to the right and back to the left. Each has its own sequence of normal moves as well as its own special attack, and some of these moves will cause your character to find himself in a different position at the end of the animation, so you'll have to know his panoply on the game. fingertips to control it. And the strongest part of all this is that you choose the shots of your combos, and edit them! This system is strongly inspired by Dontnod's Remember Me(another French studio) but goes much further in the management of damage and types of torgnoles. At your disposal, breakage attacks or that can stun the enemy or other shots that can dodge while striking. The system is really interesting and allows to really design very elaborate combat techniques.

And especially as the adopted class, you will have access to additional capacity to help you get rid of the most devious enemies. The Forsaken style will allow you, if you choose the right direction, to parry the opponent while ringing it to launch a devastating counterattack. The Windfall will work a little on the same principle but will slow down time while avoiding. And the one that will be perhaps the easiest to play is the Kahit: with a power of absorption similar to the focus of Street, Fighter IVyou can cash without hindsight, to place a devastating cleat that can even recover the lives lost in the maneuver. A fourth style, says the drunk guy, will be unlocked by meeting the good NPC, which is possible early in the adventure. This will add to your palette four unpredictable and dangerous attacks. Add to that a guard cancel, which allows you to cancel the animation of a stroke to feign your opponent, and you have a full arsenal of a fighting game. But unfortunately, all the good intentions placed in this system by Sloclapdo not really work at 100%. The fighters are rather rigid, and the bars of life often do not finish, which gives rise to very long confrontations, especially in PvP, which will push the most impatient players to stuff the buttons way Track ' n' field until exhaustion of the endurance gauge, and not necessarily for a positive result. In the end, rather than a real fighting game, we rather face a hybrid between fight and beat'em all who is doing pretty well in what he does, even if only the most experienced players will manage to shoot all the quintessence of this system, whether in PvP, but also in PvE, the beginning of the adventure is not among the most difficult that I have been given to see. The replayability will nevertheless be there, with the possibility to face the bumps several times, a new gap of difficulty making its appearance in each clash.

I know Kung Fu

This replayability is even stronger than the range of moves available to customize your combos is far from complete at the beginning of the adventure. To learn the rest, it's pretty simple, it will have to fight against an opponent mastering the desired technique. It will be necessary for him to leave this attack, then to manage to defend itself, to raise a bar of experience dedicated to the learning of this blow. Only once your opponent is defeated will this experience really be gained, because if you die, you lose the latter! The game turns out to be quite punitive since this reasonable loss will then be the only sanction during the 10 hours that takes the main adventure looped in a straight line. At replayability then comes also add a very small PvP mode, with only the possibility to compete in one against one, fighting for the team to arrive with a future update. But anyway, as I told you earlier, the gameplay is more fun solo and coop than against other players...

PvE has indeed more appealing to me, especially with great ease of use to cooperate with a single click with the many players present now since the launch of the game It will be much easier to overcome the six mid-bumps and three bumpsWhat does the adventure include: the latter often having a good idea to attack you accompanied by their acolytes, why not give them the same and simplify their lives! Unfortunately, the idea has its limits since it is very easy to find companions, it is also very common to come across belligerent players with the sole purpose of yodelling while you are in the middle of another fight. .. We can prevent this phenomenon by going offline, but unless you can invite his friends, then we pass next to all the coop. All I have to do is talk about the technical part of Absolver, tested on a PS4 first generation. And the record is not the most foolish with a lot of slowdowns observed, but also a few teleports of the most unpleasant in multi, and some invisible enemies here and there ... It's not perfect, but far from making the unplayable game so far.

Driven by an original and seductive artistic direction, the first game of the Parisian studio SloClap offers a mix of explosive genres, borrowing a lot from Dark Souls in its mechanism of action, exploration, and RPG, in a convincing way, and this although the overall level design is not at the same level. Where Absolverstands out from the Heroic Fantasy saga of From Software, it is with its gameplay in combat: the player will be able to customize several decks of combos, choosing his own shots according to their effects, his class and how to play. If this system allows a significant depth of play, allowing the one wishing to invest in a good progression curve and a long life, clashes in PvP, unfortunately, prove quite long and clumsy. PvE is very attractive to him, with tools very easy to use, and well-filled servers during this launch, which also involves crossing a few warlike players ... Despite a somewhat hesitant technique on PS4, AbsolverSo it's a nice first try for Slow clap, who manages to provide us with an imperfect but attractive production. We can not wait to see their next project!

WE LIKE	WE DO NOT LIKE
* An attractive art direction.	* A level design sometimes labyrinthine.
* The coop very easy to use.	* Slowdowns on PS4.
* The system of customization of combo very complete.	* Long PvP fights.
* Dark Souls-like mechanics mastered.	* Some stiffness in the clashes.
* A lot of people online at the launch.	* Many aggressive players in multi.