Not Exactly Impressed

[MrTacoNinja]

I don't understand the hype that surrounded this game. It's very linear, going from room to room, killing enemies, solving a puzzle, rinse and repeat. Does that sound like much fun to you? As of this post I've been playing this game for well over 3 hours now and that's simply all the gameplay has been about. Quite frankly it's just BORING. Maybe it gets better later on (???) but from the looks of gameplay videos on YouTube this seems to be the common mechanic throughout.  

 

The god-awful controls are a problem. At the moment it's not the biggest deal in the world because you're only going to face a few stationary to semi-stationary enemies at a time but I see this becoming a HUUUUGE problem later on when you're bombarded with enemies all at once. The biggest thing to thank here for this problem (as always) are those atrocious Move controllers and the lack of analog sticks. Sure, they make every VR game more immersive but if you have a problem with getting used to them (like I always do) than it just makes every VR game with mandatory Move controllers a complete suckfest. 

 

In the Options menu it does allow for a few tweeks to the movement but even with the settings set to how I always play (completely free movement) the directions on which you move your character just seems off at times, almost as if I'm moving diagonally when all I really want to do is move straight ahead. It's just awkward. It would be easier to deal with, I suppose, if I knew what was causing it but I have no freaking clue at all so it's annoying! Personally I wish that every developer would give the player the OPTION to choose the control scheme they want to use (Move or DS4) and I just don't understand why they don't? Feel free to explain that one to me, if you want. 

 

The tracking is okay, I guess, but seems to be a bit more responsive if you stand. Maybe it's just my VR system to blame for this? I don't know, to be honest. I've noticed that some games track well while others range from half-assed to outright terrible. I wouldn't say that it's half-assed or terrible in The Mage's Tale but it certainly isn't the greatest either. After searching around the wonderful World Wide Web I haven't really come across other players complaining of this issue, granted though that most of what I found pertained to PC players. 

 

The game looks like absolute shit in VR. Mind you, though, that I'm playing on an OG PS4 so this may differ if you play it on the Pro. I'd imagine there would be improvements on the Pro but as to how much I obviously wouldn't have a clue. I'm finding that everything just looks dark and muddy. Granted I'm in a dungeon so I can at least understand the dark undertone but a little bit more brightness to the world would've went a long way.

 

As for the muddiness it could almost be negated had there been a bit more brightness/lighting to the dungeon (as previously mentioned) in which by doing so I think would've added more detail and clarity to each area you visit. As it stands though I'm just finding things hard to see, especially with things/enemies off in the distance as it almost blends in to the environment at times. If anyone knows how to brighten up a game while in VR (besides the VR brightness setting - mine is all the way up) by all means do tell. I've never been overly impressed graphically while in VR but some games are just worse than others and The Mage's Tale is definitely on the lower spectrum here. 

 

To the reader of my post: I'm not saying that this is the worst game ever and should be avoided at all cost and pushed off the edge of a ravine to its death. But just know going in that you'll likely encounter issues that may hinder the overall experience. The biggest gripe I have is with the Move controllers. I hate those things with a passion no matter the game so this may not even matter to you if you're indifferent to them or even prefer them. As I stated in my opening paragraph I don't understand where the hype for this game derived from because for me it's just been a mediocre experience thus far that plays out similar to many other games I've played throughout the years.

[ValkerianCreator]

Thank you for this post MrTacoNinja. I will skip this one. I mean, if one of the guys that got the platinum for this and completed the whole thing in one of the top 5 fastest times for 100% also hates it, then yes, I should skip this at all costs, LOL ; p (I'm deciding what "fun games" to buy from the current vr discounts sale). By the way, the feeling you describe here greatly reminded me of my own feeling in Dream Match Tennis VR. Although I completed the whole thing and did like some parts, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I'm trying to make sure I avoid those "just ok" games and get stuff I'll love from now on (such as Synth Riders and Dance Collider; those were really fun).

[MrTacoNinja]

On 8/26/2021 at 2:21 AM, ValkerianCreator said:

Thank you for this post MrTacoNinja. I will skip this one. I mean, if one of the guys that got the platinum for this and completed the whole thing in one of the top 5 fastest times for 100% also hates it, then yes, I should skip this at all costs, LOL ; p (I'm deciding what "fun games" to buy from the current vr discounts sale). By the way, the feeling you describe here greatly reminded me of my own feeling in Dream Match Tennis VR. Although I completed the whole thing and did like some parts, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I'm trying to make sure I avoid those "just ok" games and get stuff I'll love from now on (such as Synth Riders and Dance Collider; those were really fun).

 

I have no idea how I didn't see your post? But anyway, yeah, this game wasn't the greatest and having to CONSTANTLY take off and put on the headset to follow a guide for the collectibles (because you're guaranteed to miss a lot otherwise) was absolutely tedious and annoying. To add to this frustration is the utter dog shit guides I linked in my other thread. They're fucking terrible. I only linked them because I couldn't find anything else.

 

-EDIT-

 

Never mind what I said about the threads I linked to guides. It appears that ONCE AGAIN a mod deleted them. Where does it even say in the rules that I CAN'T? I'm getting real sick of this shit on here. In this case, however, I'll take the deletion as a favor because the guides are shit anyway.

Edited March 31, 2022 by MrTacoNinja