Impressions - Wuchang, Kameo, and Gears
Games I've Started and Dropped
Dropping some impressions on a game I started and two games I was forced to drop.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a game I was excited to play at the start of the year, being a fan of Soulslikes, and it helped that it was going to be available on Game Pass. It took me a bit to get it started as I was busy with Death Stranding 2 and Donkey Kong Bananza, but I finally got around to it. I spent a week and multiple hours grinding, leveling up, defeating bosses, and the combat was starting to click. Unfortunately, after an encounter with a difficult boss, I pretty much decided to drop it. Now, I am used to challenging encounters in this genre, and I am proud of myself for sticking with Sekiro, which, in my opinion, is the hardest game I’ve ever played all the way through. That game is great, but I’m also critical of its difficulty. But, as I was playing Wuchang, it hit me that Silksong was on the way, which is also going to have its difficult challenges, and it hit me then that I didn’t have the energy to do more than one Soulslike this year.
I love this genre, it’s not a case of feeling “forced” to play it. I like the level design, the lore finding, the looting, the skill build up, and the crazy bosses - but it’s also a genre that I’ve had to sit back and question if I need a break from it. These games are challenging, and while I’m happy (and practically proud) that I can persevere and beat them, it doesn’t mean I don’t have a criticism or fatigue from it. I love Bloodborne and Elden Ring to death, but when From Software says they are against easy modes, it makes me cringe. There’s a toxic element to Soulslikes and the community that I believe blocks these games from reaching broader audiences and fans. That’s why I was happy to see Lies of P add an easy mode, and that’s as someone who played it when it didn’t have one. I just had to take a moment and realize that if I was going to deal with one of these, I preferred to do it with Silksong, especially since that’s a Metroidvania as well. Maybe I am in need of a break from these, or maybe Wuchang wasn’t clicking for me as it did for others, but I just had to make the decision after so many hours to put it down.
Now, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have feelings about it in my mind. I may very well end up picking this back up and playing it in the future, just not this year. I liked a lot of what was in this game. The shortcuts are done almost perfectly, and it felt like the world was connecting in a seamless way that made sense. The plot, while basic, kept my interest. The graphics can really look gorgeous in certain areas, and the devs deserve credit for recreating the time period style so well. While it took time, the combat started to click, and I liked how the doge mechanic could be used to follow up with some major attacks. Additionally, the bosses I fought were creative and well-suited to the genre.
That being said, I did think the checkpoints were horrendously bad, and it got really annoying when I would lose to a boss and have to make the trip back. The level up system left a lot to be desired. It tried to combine upgrading your stats with a skill tree and upgrading your weapons, and I grew to hate it the more I played. There’s also a gameplay feature that has you get attacked by your “inner demon” when you lose too much, and that grew frustrating because I could never seem to defeat it, and then you lose all of your red mercury (the souls of the game). Still, despite those issues, I wanted to complete it. But there are so many games coming up and my realization I needed a break from the genre took over. I plan to watch one of my favorite Let’s Players on YouTube play it, and maybe I could pick it up in the future and give it a second chance.
Kameo: Elements of Power
I started this game earlier in the year as I was looking for that classic Nintendo-like feel and didn’t have much to play at the time. Eventually, however, I got a Switch 2 with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza filled that itch. Still, as someone who remembers Kameo as a big part of the Xbox 360 launch but never got around to playing it, I liked a lot of what I played here. There’s a certain feeling you get when playing a specific era of Rare games, and this game had that. I see why I bumped into some “Zellenials,” as some call them, who have fond memories of this game.
The mechanic that relies on changing into specific creatures to traverse and attack is unique, and I want to see more games try something similar. It doesn’t even have to be creatures, but even different beams like what Metroid does. It does have that particular plasticky shiny look that many launch window Xbox 360 games had, since developers were still trying to understand HD graphics. Still, it only added to a nostalgic look that I appreciated. The world, characters, and lore were all fine, and I was liking it. The only real criticism I do have is that the way you change to your elemental guardians and combat controls were definitely a product of their time, and I found it at times a bit frustrating. If they fixed that, it would be a much easier to fall in love with game, but I also understand this a twenty year old title.
I had to drop it after a lot of hours as well, not just because of the Switch 2 games, but also because of everything coming up. Like Wuchang, there’s a chance I'll decide to pick it back up and finish it in the future if time presents itself.
Gears of War: Reloaded
I haven’t played a game in the Gears of War series since the fifth entry back in 2019. I played Gears 5, slowly, through hourly breaks I would take when helping my wife care for my newborn daughter. Six years later (and thanks to a free copy from Xbox), I’m back with Gears of War: Reloaded. I jumped on this because it’s been so long since I played a game in the franchise, and I haven’t played through the original campaign since 2015’s Ultimate Edition version. The first thing that jumped out at me was the 60 frames. It was so jarring to me that I thought something was wrong with my vision, with how fast everything was moving. Outside of that, it’s Ultimate Edition, but the lighting, reflections, and colors look better. This one is more of a big deal due to the PS5 release. I was also taken aback by the AI, which is bad when not playing in CO-OP, so your squad does a lot of stupid stuff, but that’s probably more of a case of the game’s original release.
I like being back in this world, and it’s nice to take a break from giant open worlds or hard enemies. I kind of like just turning my brain off and kicking Locust ass. It’s a fun trip down memory lane, and I missed this. When I finish, I’ll do a quick review of the game, as it’s been re-released for a second time.
Kameo is a great hidden gem!