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Symbolistic Nightmare

  • Vaccaria
  • 06/10/2017 02:02 PM
  • 702 views
Symbolistic Nightmare
Drim Review




                                                                                                                                                               




Gameplay: "That's unsettling... or so I thought."

Drim's gameplay is simple. Terribly simple. In fact, for a horror game, it doesn't have a single speck of a puzzle in it. Instead, it's filled with constant fight-or-flight scenarios (where most of the time that it would happen, you would have to fight to back). It also includes a combat system similar to some entries that it is based upon. And let me tell you what, the usage of the 'auto' function is way easier than to do it manually in battles.

And don't get me started with the exploration. Everything is spacious with no special meaning. True that it could invoke emptiness in a horror game, but that doesn't mean that you have to overextend it to the point that it feels so out of place. And when I thought that the locked doors had a purpose for backtracking, it turns out to be one straightforward story. One straightforward story. Period.

The combat, as I said before, is dull. It doesn't give a sense of dread at all. There's no innovation whatsoever to keep the player on the edge of a seat. Instead, status effects' changes are only... the names. True that were ones that could make the gameplay interesting, but it didn't held any value to the end. It's only a one-use skill. It's a waste of space. And with the 'Auto' function, battles become so easy that the only thing you need to do is wait and it's done.

And yes, the auto-comp won against the final boss. So much for challenges. Overall, no significant changes that makes it engaging.

Pros:
- New status effects
- No puzzles (no mindfucks)
- Oh, costumes

Cons:
- Not engaging
- New status effects that the player won't get inflicted with in a battle
- No sense of dread at all
- Weapon and armor scales so badly
- Auto-function being the difficulty settings
- Heal before the battle and win
- Drops are at times meaningless
- That one-time use skill



                                                                                                                                                               




Graphics And Music: "It's like I'm listening to an orgy the entire time, I swear!"

The graphics are good and custom-made. Same with the music. So far, it's made wonderfully on the graphics part. Though, the choice of music gave way to to an understanding that it's literal nonsense. It makes no sense. At all. Constant rambling sounds. Yes, the author thought of this BGM as a sort of going through a hidden aspect of the story, despite said BGM and story integration destroying the atmosphere.

Pros:
- Custom-made
- Pixel-like
- Detailed

Cons:
- Is this Skrillex or something? Definitely Pink Guy.



                                                                                                                                                               




Story: "I don't understand. I'm not e. e. cummings, that's for sure."

The story is simple. You follow Scoria, a protagonist girl who has some sort of problem. She goes along areas filled with symbolism that is up to the player to understand that would only be ruined due to the Word of God. By an understanding, she has possibly killed to save her beloved sister that became Scoria's only reason to live. With no powers of backtracking, she pursues one story that is definitely so vague it just makes sense that it had to be nonsense.

With nonsensical monsters trying to kill you, you fight (or Sachiko) your way to find your sole reason of living.

Pros:
- New concept
- Straightforward

Cons:
- I don't understand at all
- Straightforward
- No backtracks



                                                                                                                                                               




Overall: "I will never understand you guys at all."

This game is good only to be brought down with its awful gameplay and a storyline that doesn't make sense. True that there are some games that has a storyline that doesn't make sense, but they executed it perfectly that it made sense and gave an understanding to the player. True that there are symbolical meanings and definitely graphic pictures of events, but how it is presented makes that game feel so fast-paced and mind-boggling that there's no point in scouring back an area in the first place.

Custom-made graphics and music doesn't mean that it's instantly a good game. Many games chose this path and failure was already expected. Don't make the same mistake even so that it's a trend. Use this experience to make a new one. This advice or review that would pretty much be a saving grace (or not).