Valfaris: Mecha Therion

short but epic

Probably the most metal 4 hours of my life.... In all seriousness, this shmup is one for the books, once you beat the main game (which takes as I said around 4-5 hours, maybe less if you're really good) you can get into challenge mode which is more traditional style with score/lives. Great music, great gameplay and a 40k gothic style really tie this all together! In the mean time, its back into the void for me.....

This game needs a "meh" rating, but it's not bad, so it gets a thumbs up. [list] [*]It's a good shmup but has some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sections and got-yous that set you back a lot and is pretty annoying. [*]The game looks nice, but, a lot of the time, the artsy-fartsy perspective during maneuvering sections and boss fights are unnecessary and frustrating - you can't tell worth a ♥♥♥♥ what is where. [*]The combat and load outs are alright but nothing special. [*]Equipment being locked behind secret areas and not being able to replay levels is a pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ choice on the game design. [*]The story is tired - eternally seeking revenge on an evil family member. I don't even like nor care about stories, buuuuttt.. BOOOORRRRIIINNNGGGG [*]The music is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ awful, especially for a game that's main advertisement is how super-totally-metal it is. I muted most of the game, and I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ love heavy metal. This ♥♥♥♥ was crap. Overall, the above points are really just annoyances. 3/10 - Solid, though annoying, but worth a play if you like shmups.

MECHA-HELL AMAZING PURE LOVE!!

This game was such a blast. I held off on getting it for a long time even though I really really enjoyed Valfaris. In fact I've purchased Valfaris on multiple systems, which is something I almost never do. But the sequel was a horizontal shooter and that is just a genre that I have never been hyped about. I can play a horizontal shooter for a few minutes, maybe an hour, but I never feel the need to go much farther than that. I'm very happy to report that Mecha Therion is absolutely an exception for me. I devoured this game, and the whole time I was playing I was genuinely excited to start over as soon as it finished. The aesthetic is impeccable, the switch to polygons did not cause the heavy metal vibes to suffer like I had worried. It's all the head banging goodness I was hoping for, with exactly the right amount of story to keep me interested (this is something I think steel mantis does exceptionally well), and I just giggled like a little kid again many times throughout. I'm very excited for Slain 2! This Dev is laser focused on my exact kind of aesthetic, gameplay, story ... It is a worthy sequel in every sense.

Great Games but Final Boss is %@$@#%$#^