Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands

Really charming game with some original game mechanics and fun dialogue. You can really feel the love and care that went into it.

Got it from a Humble Bundle, it look fun and silly and my god it was probably my favorite game that came out of the bundle. Anyway just giving it a positive review to get it to 500.

Deathbulge is SUPER funny and interesting. It's one of those games I think everyone should try at least once, just to see if it clicks. The writing is amazingly funny, all the characters are unique and fleshed out and the combat system is pretty unique. However, I have to be honest that I'm writing it while taking a break from playing it - there are some rough edges that will likely alienate more players than endear. I recommend it, but reco trying the demo or getting it on sale if you're on the fence. THE GOOD: -Runs like a dream on the Steam Deck! -The writing is beyond good. It's so funny and alive. Each character, including NPCs, all feel unique and different. The actual narrative is so silly that you can't help but be pulled in. -The artwork is super fun. There's a muscular skeleton in your party. The forest is filled with flexing trees. The bus driver is a luchador. It goes on and on, really. -I'm a sucker for Earthbound and this honestly reminded me of it a lot. THE BAD: -Levelling up can feel pretty meh overall. I never felt like I was actually getting stronger, I felt like I was doing 1 more damage per level while the new enemies were doing 10+. -There's a class system in the game... I never found a good reason to change. HP and Speed are your two biggest stats to worry about, and changing almost always seemed to obliterate one or the other. -Similarly, you can get new attacks throughout the game but they commit the sin I hate the most: For one gain, you take two negatives. Why would I want an attack that does *slightly* more damage but will hurt me 2 out of 3 times? THE UGLY: -The combat system isn't hard, it's tiring. The game tells you off the top you can request 'easier' combat, but that's just recognizing that the system doesn't really work. There are two main flaws: 1) Your party has a single ATB pip but enemies all act independently - meaning as you get later in the game, you're taking 4+ hits for every 1 action you get; 2) The combat system revolves around attacking / defending the ATB track and attacking / defending the 4 measures on them... You can see where this is going. You quickly find yourself bogged down in re-doing the attacks you spent ages setting up because 1 or more of the enemies nuked all your progress in a single turn. Or, worse, you're on your heel the entire time playing a fully defensive game and that sucks. -It doesn't have the Earthbound system where as you grow in power enemies eventually run away from you, so no matter how strong you are you'll just get mobbed by enemies that drag battles out endlessly with status effects. -They give you a bevy of options to mix and match your combat style for each character, but none of them feel especially impressive or can only be put in one spot and not another. I wish I had access to ALL of them like spells instead of equips, because I can't build a well-rounded party or character - they end up with pre-defined roles so I don't get steamrolled in combat. I can't stress enough how much fun I've been having with this game. My girlfriend would constantly be looking over at me like I was crazy because I'm laughing about some silly little thing like the setup of the bus. I just wish that later combat didn't feel like a chore, because I *want* to see what happens next. Hopefully a sequel is in the works with a revamped combat system, 'cause there's an insane amount of love and talent here. They will CRUSH a new game with learnings from this one. If you like weird and unique stuff, please give this game a shot. More people need to experience it.