Project Warlock - FINALE Part 20 - Even double the fun can't make this more bearable.
0Begin your project today:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/893680/Project_Warlock/
Wow, this Satan boss just.
It's honestly quite magical how this game stopped being good after the Tank boss.
I enjoy my victory lap levels, but on the other hand it got kinda silly.
Like, if I ever play PW again, I will just stop at the world 4 boss. World 5 is cute, but technically it's too messy and the fact it just starts giving you free Mana is either a bug or a really dumb design decision. It also feels way more scatterbrained.
Thematically appropriate? Sure.
Game-technically good? Oh heck no. For goodness' sake, the gameplay is the core of this gas giant, and sacking it for the sake of some cute aesthetics is like gutting a chicken and draping the skin over a dog to make it more zesty. But like, in the middle of the show for some reason.
The game also lacks in juice. The flashiness and gusto is cute, but none of the weapons have the blunt thud the Doom Shotgun had, or the rough rowdiness most of Ion Fury's weapons did. It's not just about lights, it's about sounds, shakes, pushes and pulls.
Like, this isn't about weapon design. It's, as Yatzhee says, primary loop design. Shooting the Gun is the main activity, thus the gun must be the most satisfying thing to shoot, and the bad guys the most satisfying to shoot at. If you fail at this part, the rest of the game ain't ever gonna be what it could be.
Similarly, if Mario doesn't jump fun, if clicking mines in Minelayer ain't a good time, you lose immediate appeal and long-term satisfaction. The midgame, where people learn meta-level stuff, is the only time that core gameplay loop quality isn't the central player, but that slice of the pie is remarkably still leaning on it to insure the player it's worth it.
Point is, PW hits a lot of notes, but it lacks the soul. Just like Mr. Warlock.
This game gets a B. It's good, worth 11 bux, especially if you don't mind the last two bosses and intend to go for the harder difficulties.
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