Nightfall Empress

(Review in progress) About: Nightfall Empress is about a scorned soul who dwells eternally in the afterlife, but transverses realms (even ones forbidden) to fulfill a request hand-given by an angel for a shot at redemption. Likes: Bold, unapologetic, uncompromising artistic vision/fanservice rarely seen nowadays and harkens back to days of yore, from the promo material to the gameplay; of course optional if you want to turn it off ■ Pastel-like pixel character designs, backgrounds, and animations; chef's kiss to Isabel's (main character) flying animation ■ Beautiful menu UI, especially the upgrade menu featuring gorgeous art of Isabel ■ Despite backtracking, ample amount of contents for the price, seeing it as their longest game yet ■ Unlockable content in the form of a new area and final boss for true epilogue, something I don't see much in gaming nowadays, indie or mainstream ■ Simple but responsive controls (PS4 DualShock) ■ Simple but effective gameplay that made me lose hours wanting to see what's next in the upcoming areas and who I will meet ■ Some parts are really long to a save point, to which if activated can reset enemies; this gives you weight on whether you want to resave at certain points, which makes levels more engaging ■ Nice spell upgrade variety Dislikes: Lack of midair offensive moves. You only get a vertical kick, and classic to metroidvanias or platformers it only works in unique situations and can leave you open ■ Soundtrack doesn't serve the game as well as it should despite the impression the main menu one gives off ■ Most enemies only have one trick. Would like to see enemy variety in attacks ■ Not enough story or meaningful npc dialogue outside one or two sentences per npc ■ Story sets itself as dark fantasy but its aesthetic and tone doesn't quite match up quite to its lofty goals ■ Lack of any warping system, which may have cut my backtracking down by an hour or two ■ Annoying to set preferences each time you start the game Neutral: The constant squatting to restore stamina didn't really bother me and made transversal engaging while dodging traps while simultaneously managing resources as if I was Spider-Man swinging, but I can see how it could disrupt flow for other people ■ The header UI some say is too distracting but I did not mind it; however an option exists to toggle its transparency and see more of the screen ■ You cannot tilt control down to view hazards below you; it didn't trouble me and made risks more fulfilling though it may bother others ■ Most bosses can be cheesed and are easy except for a few; getting to some of them can be really difficult which offsets that a bit Wish to haves: More arial movements for attacks besides a vertical kick ■ More ways to attack besides tapping attack+attack+attack over and over. Maybe long hold for charge and longer reaching attack with the whip, or a longer hold to reach and stun ■ More weapon types, like maybe claws if swords don't fit ■ More collectible items - there are random items you get in the game at the end of each boss but randomized; it would be nice if these were scattered in chests for more things to collect besides the crowns ■ More enemy variety in attacks, and movement for them as well. Most of them have just one attack or pattern for each enemy which I feel is a waste ■ Possibly more monsters to encounter (classics like harpies) ■ More meaningful conversations with npcs to flesh out more of the world through clever and provoking writing; what's there is already good but would like more and see more of Isabel's personality and thoughts (also to see how few other npcs reacting to her appearance would also be funny) ■ Perhaps some moral choices to make at few points in the game to really bring the gravity to the story and setting ■ Better, gothic-fitting soundtrack like the main menu ■ Maybe for stamina instead of a full bar, have like a subtle flashing animation after long jumps/movements instead Recommend: Absolutely yes. Despite its simplicity it made me dump hours trying to reach "one more area". Quite nice to play in short bursts as well. Hope more games like these from the future!