Day 166, Game 166 - Soul Sacrifice

So yesterday I played a game for a genre that I absolutely hated, for the mere reason of doing a buddy a solid and giving it a fair shake. After that experience, I am still on this side of the line of not like JRPGs. 

Tonight, however, I tried out a different style of RPGs, this one falling into the category of "Action RPGs." This time, however, I didn't do it because I was asked to or felt pressure to, but because I've heard it talked about so much,I felt like I had to be apart of the conversation. I've contemplated buying it since it came out, but talked myself out of it on more than one occasion. I was told to play the demo before I even think about buying it, but for one, I'm not a demo kind of guy. Secondly, I heard the demo was horrible and didn't explain how to play the game at all. So that idea seemed like a lost cause, right off the bat. 

So I did the next best thing, and rented it from Gamefly. I figured that if I really liked it, I could keep it as long as I liked and finish it. But if I didn't like it, I could send it back, no harm, no foul. I just want to see what the big deal is, especially because it seems to be a good game, but one that splits the room on whether or not its enjoyable to play. Games like that intrigue me. 

When a game is universally labeled as "good," but people have valid arguments for if it is a fun game to play or an absolute nightmare, it's a fun case study on what makes games fun, and why a good game can still be not fun. I guess I just find certain things intriguing for odd and unusual reasons. 

So I played Soul Sacrifice. I got through several levels, got the combat system down for the most part and figured out the convoluted sacrifice/saving system that builds up your character. Everything is relatively straight forward for the most part, despite the learning curve that naturally comes with any type of game that tries something new in game play mechanics. What didn't grab me, however, was the story. It bored me to tears. I understand you are essentially replaying past battles while imprisoned in your cage awaiting to be sacrificed, but there was a lot of mumbo jumbo going on within the pages of the book you read. I ended up skipping right through them after a while. 

Did I like the game? I liked the idea of the game more than the game itself. It is fun, I can't argue that at all. The grinding, leveling up, loot collecting aspects are all fun. But the constant breaks between levels and the story just make it seem more like a chore than anything. I'll probably keep on playing though, just to give it more of a chance to grow on me. But right now, I am squarely on the fence between "liking it" and "hating it." 

I'm the worse kind of test subject for case studies. 

---