[h1]Excellent Game with a Few Issues[/h1]
Malebolgia is overall an excellent action adventure. It has a spooky atmosphere with gameplay and style that reminded me of both Dark Souls and the original Alone in the Dark. My review will cover the similarities to Dark Souls, as well as pros and cons.
Similarities to Dark Souls:
Unfortunately, too many games are compared to Dark Souls these days. While Dark Souls has left a lasting legacy on game design, the tag "Souls-Like" does get thrown around a little too often. Malebolgia does its own thing, and is different enough from Dark Souls too not be a copycat, but the inspiration is easy too see.
Similarities in Narrative Structure, Story Progression, and Lore:
Like Dark Souls, Malebolgia's story is not fully explained. You are thrust into the world, and you have to figure out what you need to do. The NPC's dialogue within the game further the mysteriousness and intrigue. They offer more insight into the lore of the story, but they never truly explain what is going on. Some NPCs drop hints about how you need to progress, but you are never told what you need to do to get from Point A to Point B. Unlike Dark Souls, there are not items and item descriptions to further the lore.
Combat:
On the surface, Malebolgia seems more similar in combat style to Dark Souls than it really is. You have a normal attack, a strong attack, a dodging mechanic, and a parry. This is where the similarities end. Dark Souls combat is much more in-depth, with multiple ways too build characters and conduct combat. You have multiple weapons with different move sets, you have magic, and you can also use shields and armor.
In Malebolgia, you are armed with only a torch and a halberd. Nothing else. You cannot block, but you can parry. The parry is much more forgiving than in DS. The dodge mechanic is different as well. You dash to the side, instead of roll, and due to a lot of fighting taking place in cramped areas, most of the time it has limited use. You also cannot level up in Malebolgia, and you do not have stats, other than an off screen calculation of your vigor and strength. These two stats can be upgraded several times through periodically fighting an enemy known as The Beast.
Bosses and Enemies:
Like Dark Souls, Malebolgia has a strong emphasis on boss battles. While some of the enemies are tough, once you figure out the combat system, it is pretty easy to defeat almost anything the game can throw at you. Unfortunately, there is a boss battle that is meant to be a strong nod to Dark Souls, but almost feels like plagiarism instead. One of the early boss fights from the first Dark Souls game is almost copied in its entirety in Malebolgia: the location has the same name, the boss battle cutscene is similar, the movesets are somewhat similar, and the "surprise" about midway through the boss fight is the exact same. For someone who has beat the first Dark Souls four times, this boss fight was disappointing in its lack of originality.
Review of Malebolgia:
Pros:
1) Atmosphere - The games just oozes atmosphere. There is great use of jump scares, Renaissance-style art, decor, and snow and lightning in some areas. For a minimalist horror game, it does atmosphere better than many AAA games.
2) Combat - The combat is a little clunky at first, and it will take several battles to really get a feel for it. Once you do though, it is a lot of fun. It is minimal, but it is entertaining.
3) Huge Castle - The game is not a massive open world game by any means, but the castle that Malebolgia takes place in is huge, with many levels. It has a similar feel to the Derceto Manor in the 1992 Alone in the Dark, but it is bigger and better.
4) Bosses - The bosses aren't overally difficult. You should beat them all in 1 to 3 tries if you are experienced with these types of games, but they are fun. Some of the boss designs will stick with you.
5) Sound and Design - The sound is minimal, but is great. The sound of your footfalls, doors opening and closing, the little bits of music, and the sound of fire is great. It's crisp, and it's not too much, or too little. Overall, the game is very well-designed. I enjoyed some of the extra little touches that the developer added. For example, the more injured you are, the smaller the flame on your torch becomes. This is not only an additional visual aid for your health, but it ups the tension because it means your surroundings are even more dark.
6) Story - The story is excellent, and like Dark Souls, there is a lot left up to interpretation. The ending of this game is a perfect example of that. I also loved the constant nods to Dante's Inferno. After I defeated the last boss and viewed the final cutscene, I reloaded my save so I could experience it again. The ending of the game sticks with you. I haven't pondered an ending like this since Planescape Torment.
7) Potential Speedrunner - This game has a lot of speed-running potential, but unfortunately, it is not popular enough for it to gain any traction in speed-running communities.
Cons:
1) Messy Navigation and Map - It is easy too get lost in this game. Even though the castle is huge, it is not so huge that you will be hopelessly lost. Yet, it can be painful to navigate, and when you get lost, it does take away from the game's excellent atmosphere. The map, while not entirely useless, can add more confusion, and it does take a while to get used too.
2) Game-length - The game is very short for the price. It took me longer to beat than normal, due to how much time I spent getting lost in the castle. I could probably beat the game in under two hours on a fresh play-through. The game is a lot of fun while it lasts.
3) Achievements - I got 100%, yet I still have no idea how these work, or how I unlocked each one.
Overall:
I score this game an 8 out of 10. It is impressive that this game was made by one person. I would love to see what this developer could do with a huge budget and team working with him. I hope he continues to make video games. The game is short, it can be clunky and hard to navigate at times, but it is a lot of fun with an excellent atmosphere. It doesn't have replayability in the sense of hard to find bonus achievements and hidden paths, but this is a game that I can see my self revisiting annually to play around Halloween.
