Unreal Engine Let's Play - Bloodlust Nemesis - Game Critique

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Published on December 2, 2019 6:30:17 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIaxnmX9DMo

Game:

BloodLust 2: Nemesis (2020)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 2:11:52

372 views

12

#unreal #unrealengine #ue4

(There are a few announcements about Game Jam Let's Plays, non-RPG Maker games, and Rosenhearts at the start of the video.)

Hey everyone! In this Unreal Engine 4 Let's Play, we take a look at Bloodlust 2: Nemesis, a work in progress by WRF Studios.

First off, a disclaimer: This game is in Early Access, as it has a number of bugs and problems related to visuals and gameplay.

The premise behind the game is fun, and although it does "borrow" elements from White Wolf's "Vampire: The Masquerade", it has more of a Legacy of Kain feeling to it. Our advise is to just remove any phrases that White Wolf capitalized on and make this take on the genre your own.

The atmosphere is amazing, especially Chinatown. The use of ambient sound and particle effects was well done, and we felt drawn into the world. While Chinatown needed to feel more alive, with animals, trash, background clatter, and NPCs, our overall impression was a world that was well planned out.

Learn normal maps and bump maps. They are your friend. ;-)

The fact that the game's dungeons are procedural generated every time you enter needs to be stated from the get-go, but otherwise was enacted very well. We loved the "random events" that add to the tension (the Sarcophagus Zombie attacks were so awesome, we didn't question why there were sarcophagi until well after recording this video). We also loved that you never felt completely "safe" in a dungeon... something could always come out and attack you. And the minion system is just plain amazing.

That fog of war needs to pull back about 30% or so, though...

The random loot is OK for a Beta, but when the game is finished, we highly recommend using an algorithm to take into account (1) the character's level, (2) the player's progression, (3) the character's class, and (4) the player's play-style (skills chosen, skills used). It was infuriating to see the Epic-level Ring of Witchery while playing a Warrior, or getting the Fury Blade of Furiousness that required a 30 in Strength. By using some Loot AI, the developer can have the game randomly give stuff that is more likely to make the player face a hard choice of "this item" or "that item."

The voice acting is really good. Miko's voice is our favorite, followed by Varock.

Now, let's talk about the Initimidate Skill. Forcing the player to fight until they level up, then remembering to buy Intimidate to advance the story is complete BS. Either give the Skill Point when you talk to Varock, then open the menu and make the player buy it, or just give the skill outright. Our idea of what would make this an amazing feature of the game is if it was something like "Mesmerize" or "Hold Person", and functioned on a variety of enemy types (not just Guards). Have guards give access cards, have other enemies give items, have random NPCs give equipment, and have Traders give money... and then vanish so you can no longer buy from them. In our opinion, only Quest NPCs should be immune.

And on this tangent is the illusion of choice. It's very apparent that there is only one way to complete things in this game, and our opinion is that with how this game is built, every obstacle should have about three solutions. Follow a guard to unlock an access gate, possess a Zombie to set off a trap, convince Giggler to give his eye freely, etc. This game screams for some level of player freedom.

The animation cycles need work. We talk about it near the end of the video.

And lastly, the writing. (Sorry, we're about to get harsh.) In short, it needs a complete overhaul. The game can't decide if it's self-aware or not, and the initial "how I came to be" story between our character, Miko, and Varock makes absolutely no sense. Not only is it poorly written, it's poorly executed. There are wasted words that don't even paint a lovely gothic picture, they just made the story confusing and uninteresting. Our advice for the writing is to start over with a fresh pair of eyes who is used to writing horror and can correctly convey the intent and tone of the story without drowning the player in confusing prose.

Having said that, though, this game has some amazing potential, and Teal especially wants to play this game's finished product. This team has a great start, they just need to fix the issues, apply some more polish, and they'll have a great game that will leave a strong mark on the genre.

Link to Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/758080/BloodLust_2_Nemesis/

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