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PH4's First Demo in Over a Year

...and a lot can change in that amount of time! Or, a lot can if you actually spend all that time changing things. I may not have been super-dedicated to this project during the last year and a half, but the time I spent off it was just as important. For theory purposes, y'know?

Since the last release, a lot of significant changes have taken place! First and most obvious are the inclusion of two more dungeons and their accompanying sidetrips. The monster groups of the first dungeon were also noticeably reworked. But several changes were made that are more intrinsic to the game itself.

In the older games, many people complained that the enemies had too much HP. And they were right; they have craptons of it. This is no longer the case. The foes now have less HP. Not a LOT less; just less. The improved handling of the elements system easily makes up the remaining difference in the enemy health bars. Another noteworthy change can be attributed to none other than Craze. The topic he started about status problems a while back inspired me to revise the way I use them. They are now much more useful. Bosses are no longer immune to them (though some, like Confuse, were still too deadly to let through). To help balance out this new player advantage, bosses were made a little more powerful. They were already vicious before, though, so you better watch out!

Anyway, I believe the system has improved a great deal from all this. The game is reaching the point where it's NOT just another Enter-mash-fest. And that's never a bad thing (unless you, for some reason, like having an auto-win key). This demo is now an accurate reflection of what I want this game to ultimately become.

But that means feedback is now absolutely critical!

If there's something wrong with the way things are currently being handled, now's the time to change it! One third of the game is complete, and the further you go, the harder it is to rebalance everything! So, give it a try. Tell me what you think, even if you never played the rest of the series before. Trust me, it's never been better than this!

Posts

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I can write a review, but you'll have to wait until the weekend :-/
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
I can wait! :D
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