Valdis Story: Abyssal City

1. Ezkimo42o

   Nov 5, 2013

   10

   First thing is first, the other reviews I have read on this giving this game a 1 is utter and total ****
   
   Let me start by saying I am aFirst thing is first, the other reviews I have read on this giving this game a 1 is utter and total ****
   
   Let me start by saying I am a metroidvania enthusiast, I live for these games and they are my favorite genre in the fastness of video games. I grew up with super metroid and to this day is my favorite game of all time, the "what the do I do next thing" sold the whole franchise to me. SoTN just nailed it in every way possible. In other words: I've been waiting for Valdis Story: Abyssal City for years.
   
   On the surface the game is tight, as in the controls and the overall JRPG is there, but its a action RPG. It feels sometimes like a action fighting game, kind of like devil may cry, where the combos are so different depending on what you hit (jump included). The combat focuses on melee, and uses magic as a means of navigation, kind of like metroids' ability's.
   
   I will admit the crafting interface could be a little easier to do, like maybe check a item you want to farm for, so you can see your progress. The only way i could do that is wright down the mats needed for it, then go off fighting the mobs who drop it.
   
   The artwork is outstanding, it brings me back to when I was first learning how truly powerful games could really be. All this 1080 HD next gen couldn't make me thing this game looks anything but beautiful. This is hand drawn, and it looks great.
   
   Overall, I can not recommend this game enough, If you liked SoTN, buy this game.
   
   I am using a xbox 360 controller and the controls are very good and tight,… Expand

   • 12 of 18 users found this helpful
2. Lezard82

   Dec 22, 2013

   10

   It's a metroidvania in pure state. If you like this kind of games, this little piece of art is magic. It's like I've become a child again. AndIt's a metroidvania in pure state. If you like this kind of games, this little piece of art is magic. It's like I've become a child again. And the game is hard and very fun. 100% recommended and enjoyable.… Expand

   • 3 of 7 users found this helpful
4. Zero_Tactics

   Sep 14, 2013

   9

   If you've cut your gaming teeth on Mega Man, Castlevania or Metroid, you will feel right at home playing this game. It won't cuddle you likeIf you've cut your gaming teeth on Mega Man, Castlevania or Metroid, you will feel right at home playing this game. It won't cuddle you like modern games that are built to make you feel good by holding your hand while giving you the illusion of challenge and danger. It's a great experience with beautiful art, awesome music, lovely animations and great gameplay. There are 4 playable characters (2 unlocked from the start) that have different powers and combat style giving good replayability to this title. The game punishes foolishness or sloppy gaming, but is very rewarding for being smart in analyzing challenges and using your skills correctly. In a way, it reminds me of Dark Souls for giving a difficult but exciting experience. I'd easily recommend this to anyone that loved the old Mega Man or the Castlevania titles on Nintendo DS… Expand

   • 10 of 15 users found this helpful
5. kasparius

   Jul 17, 2017

   8

   As a big fan of Metroidvanias, I had heard good things about Valdis Story, so I got it during a steam sale.
   I wasn't sold at first, it seemedAs a big fan of Metroidvanias, I had heard good things about Valdis Story, so I got it during a steam sale.
   I wasn't sold at first, it seemed a little silly and unrefined, but as I kept playing I discovered that the combat was far better and customizable than I thought. Kind of like a platinum game combat, with combos, super powers, etc... Far deeper than you would expect from a indie platform game like this. I played on normal mode and it was still a fair challenge. The bosses are really good in this game. As for the rest, it offers a nice selection of areas with various timed puzzles that are quite fun to do.
   
   The only main issue is that it is hard to remember where you've been and where you need to go, or where a place is. There is a map when you are in an area, but you can't access a bigger map with the names of the place, etc... There is also a tram that brings you to 3 different towns, but sometimes a fast travel would be nice when you've been wandering about for a while.
   
   The game offers new characters to play with, once you finished the game and even items that can port over to a new game, and I can definitely see myself playing this game again in the future with a different character build.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Growly

   Nov 24, 2013

   8

   This is one of the best metroidvania games I've ever played. The combat system is almost perfect and the story is interesting enough. The onlyThis is one of the best metroidvania games I've ever played. The combat system is almost perfect and the story is interesting enough. The only thing I don't like is the jump puzzles which may be too difficult. Well, there are some technical issues, but not critical.… Expand

   • 3 of 7 users found this helpful
7. Unmoored

   Sep 13, 2013

   6

   At first i loved this game. A metroidvania dream. Until i got further. Symphony of the night had a couple of tough acrobatic puzzles. ThisAt first i loved this game. A metroidvania dream. Until i got further. Symphony of the night had a couple of tough acrobatic puzzles. This game consists from it. It's not just hard. It requires you to be absolutely perfect. One mistake and you either dead or running out of time. I like some challenge. But when the challenge is to overcome counterintuitive controls and make 10 perfect moves in 10 seconds it's not fun at all. You just have to repeat over and over, until you master it. It may take 30-100 tries to solve 1 trick or to learn a boss. This is what this game is all about. So don't even think about getting it, unless you prepared sustain some extreme fffffrustration.… Expand

   • 13 of 17 users found this helpful
8. cornfingers

   Dec 3, 2014

   0

   Valdis Story: Abyssal City: A game that only got a high rating because nobody actually finished it and definitely a true gem in examples ofValdis Story: Abyssal City: A game that only got a high rating because nobody actually finished it and definitely a true gem in examples of why people actually have to use Game Maker Studio... because through all the poor design choices and clunky menus... it's obvious that this game only made it because of the artwork.
   
   The kickstarter promised great fighting mechanics and combos, but all everybody really got was the same three moves repeated over and over along with poorly placed, unrebindable controls and the worlds most annoying cancel... which is really JUST a glorified dash, that other games let you bind to the proper keys. But hey! The enemies can infi-combo you, so maybe the kickstarter was talking about how good the combos would be for them! Oh and the spikes... apparently those can infi-combo better than the player character as well. In the end though I guess you can't really talk about how responsive controls are when a game even has slow down issues on an i-7 processor... I guess it should just be expected at that point.
   
   The controls are definitely not stellar, no matter how many die-hard fans accost you with "git gud" memes and an obvious attempt at feeling superior for once in theirs lives. No, the controls are bad and unresponsive... yes, you can make them work, but that doesn't mean it's an excuse to have them and the difficulty shouldn't be in fighting them to do what you want. The real truth is it's a platforming game, with bad platforming and a wall jump mechanic that seriously needs a revision.
   
   The bosses start off fun and challenging, but soon spiral down into mass projectile and minion spamming nonsense, and by the end of the game you're fighting a screen of bright colors and no discernible hitbox while you're being infi-comboed because you missed one dash because the game felt like being unresponsive that one time. I guess it's hard to invent a new boss pattern after you've used up all the ones you know on the first two...
   
   The story is terrible and the writing makes you wonder if they've even written anything before, as it's littered with bad habits and constant references to things that have never been previously explained... similar to a fan-fiction, but imagine the subject the fan-fiction was about simply didn't even exist... The ending was anti-climatic and left the feeling of "So? Big whoop? Was that supposed to be surprising?" It's not a twist if it isn't even relevant to the story and came off as nothing more than a corny way to end the game. Overall, unenjoyable story and definitely worth mashing your buttons through.
   
   The artwork is great, and definitely the best, if not only (read as only) aspect worth playing the game to experience.... although, just like the combo system... the artwork is repetitive and doesn't have a lot of variety. The townsfolk all consist of the same 3 character designs and the portraits next to the speech dialogs always show the same emotion; lending absolutely nothing more than getting in the way of reading the situation properly. In fact, the whole game comes off as a concept or prototype that you'd pitch to a publisher... and not a final game.
   
   To summarize, if you want to play a good game, just go play SOTN or co. and if you want to play something obviously made in game maker... don't... or better yet, just hire their artist and make something yourself, because it'd be hard pressed not to be a hundred fold better.… Expand

   • 2 of 11 users found this helpful

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