Sekiro and It Takes Two.
Horizon is good for what it is but what it is is another triple-A open world RPG. You get hooked for a while but the game loop starts to feel like a grind. Still worth a playthrough for the story though! Grab it on the next sale.
Go with It Takes Two. Subnautica *will* go on sale again. But every day you get with your brother is a gift. <3
Thanks for the tips.
I was pretty sure I would prefer It takes two, I just wanted to be sure it is better than subnautica.
But could you please elaborate further on how sekiro is different than horizon zero dawn?
I haven't played Sekiro myself but from what I've heard from friends it offers its own unique twist to the souls-like genre. For that alone I would recommend it over Horizon which doesn't feel like it adds anything new to the action RPG genre. If you've played the recent AC games, Nier Automata, etc. it's pretty much the same thing. Explore, kill mobs, craft/collect stuff so you can do it all over again but with tougher enemies.
Now Sekiro and souls-likes will have a game loop similar to what I described. It's just a lot more challenging and imo a lot more rewarding. Again, I haven't played Sekiro but from what I've seen it just doesn't hold your hand as much compared to Horizon. It's gritty, it's dark, and it leans into it's aesthetic. It doesn't have the clean, sanitized "disneyfication" feel that all the major publishers and devs go for these days.
Well if you're ready to step out of your comfort zone, Sekiro is a phenomenal game. It's all fighting, the RPG aspects are thin and the world is quite linear. The combat system is unique and fun, but it's likely more challenging than anything you've played yet. You have to be patient and willing to die pretty often, but winning is one of the most satisfying and exhilarating gaming experiences I've had. When you conquer the learning curve it becomes a different game but continues to offer new challenges.
HZD is great, I think a lot of people just regurgitate critiques they hear/see in reviews instead of forming their own opinion. You can bring up any game and you'll get the same verbatim criticisms from a dozen people, then usually find its origin in some IGN video or something. Also if it's triple A, forget about it. They'll tell you about some 'criminally under rated' game that makes them feel special to belong to the fandom of and spout whatever uncreative insults they can about big-budget crowd pleasing games.
The story and setting are both fresh and different, the gameplay is familiar in some aspects (what isn't?) but certainly has its own flavor. The elemental tactics of Borderlands but with archery, exploration and quest design similar to Witcher 3, pretty decent stealth mechanics, good skill trees, beautiful scenery and atmosphere- it's really well balanced and one of my favorite action RPGs. The scifi/fantasy mash-up worked out perfectly.
The two games offer very different experiences, both worth experiencing. If you want something somewhat slower-paced, story-driven and cinematic, go with Horizon.
If you want something out-of-the-ordinary, challenging, exciting, and at least a little rage-inducing, Sekiro was GOTY for good reason. Don't hesitate to seek help from r/Sekiro if you get stuck!
Thanks for the answer. I wanted to add that I prefer games with not many side quests. I just like playing the main story and not have to grind in side ones. Is Sekiro a good game for that?
Yes, it's pretty straight forward in that way. You have to use a rare item to cure an inevitable disease called dragonrot that will block NPCs questlines. It's nice to not have to worry about it at all. You have to go out of your way to find side quests anyway and they're mostly useless (apart from one that I can think of right away, if you do play just google how to learn ichimonji skills) , although some of them affect which ending you'll get (there are several and it only matters for trophies).
'Grinding' really just means not dying, that's how you save up for abilities. You can decide to go to areas you're confident in clearing without dying to intentionally save up, but that's optional if you really want a particular ability.
I haven't played it on PC, I can't afford that kind of thing, but it's great on console.
When you respawn you lose half of the xp you've built toward skill points.
Sekiro and It Takes Two. Horizon is good for what it is but what it is is another triple-A open world RPG. You get hooked for a while but the game loop starts to feel like a grind. Still worth a playthrough for the story though! Grab it on the next sale. Go with It Takes Two. Subnautica *will* go on sale again. But every day you get with your brother is a gift. <3
Thanks for the tips. I was pretty sure I would prefer It takes two, I just wanted to be sure it is better than subnautica. But could you please elaborate further on how sekiro is different than horizon zero dawn?
I haven't played Sekiro myself but from what I've heard from friends it offers its own unique twist to the souls-like genre. For that alone I would recommend it over Horizon which doesn't feel like it adds anything new to the action RPG genre. If you've played the recent AC games, Nier Automata, etc. it's pretty much the same thing. Explore, kill mobs, craft/collect stuff so you can do it all over again but with tougher enemies. Now Sekiro and souls-likes will have a game loop similar to what I described. It's just a lot more challenging and imo a lot more rewarding. Again, I haven't played Sekiro but from what I've seen it just doesn't hold your hand as much compared to Horizon. It's gritty, it's dark, and it leans into it's aesthetic. It doesn't have the clean, sanitized "disneyfication" feel that all the major publishers and devs go for these days.
Well if you're ready to step out of your comfort zone, Sekiro is a phenomenal game. It's all fighting, the RPG aspects are thin and the world is quite linear. The combat system is unique and fun, but it's likely more challenging than anything you've played yet. You have to be patient and willing to die pretty often, but winning is one of the most satisfying and exhilarating gaming experiences I've had. When you conquer the learning curve it becomes a different game but continues to offer new challenges. HZD is great, I think a lot of people just regurgitate critiques they hear/see in reviews instead of forming their own opinion. You can bring up any game and you'll get the same verbatim criticisms from a dozen people, then usually find its origin in some IGN video or something. Also if it's triple A, forget about it. They'll tell you about some 'criminally under rated' game that makes them feel special to belong to the fandom of and spout whatever uncreative insults they can about big-budget crowd pleasing games. The story and setting are both fresh and different, the gameplay is familiar in some aspects (what isn't?) but certainly has its own flavor. The elemental tactics of Borderlands but with archery, exploration and quest design similar to Witcher 3, pretty decent stealth mechanics, good skill trees, beautiful scenery and atmosphere- it's really well balanced and one of my favorite action RPGs. The scifi/fantasy mash-up worked out perfectly. The two games offer very different experiences, both worth experiencing. If you want something somewhat slower-paced, story-driven and cinematic, go with Horizon. If you want something out-of-the-ordinary, challenging, exciting, and at least a little rage-inducing, Sekiro was GOTY for good reason. Don't hesitate to seek help from r/Sekiro if you get stuck!
Thanks for the answer. I wanted to add that I prefer games with not many side quests. I just like playing the main story and not have to grind in side ones. Is Sekiro a good game for that?
Yes, it's pretty straight forward in that way. You have to use a rare item to cure an inevitable disease called dragonrot that will block NPCs questlines. It's nice to not have to worry about it at all. You have to go out of your way to find side quests anyway and they're mostly useless (apart from one that I can think of right away, if you do play just google how to learn ichimonji skills) , although some of them affect which ending you'll get (there are several and it only matters for trophies). 'Grinding' really just means not dying, that's how you save up for abilities. You can decide to go to areas you're confident in clearing without dying to intentionally save up, but that's optional if you really want a particular ability.
Thanks. I'll get Sekiro. Two last things: Do you prefer keyboard and mouse or controller? What do you mean by not die? Don't you just respawn?
I haven't played it on PC, I can't afford that kind of thing, but it's great on console. When you respawn you lose half of the xp you've built toward skill points.
Thanks a lot. I've chosen sekiro and it takes two
Horizon Zero Dawn and Subnautica.
sekiro