Proxy Blade Zero

Proxy Blade Zero is a hackity hack, slashity slash, made by a hackity hack- no I'm fooling, it's alright. You hack, you slash, you propel yourself through the air with your magical robot farts, you even get a block that might work if you've been a very good boy that morning. It is what it says on the tin. When the mechanic's mechanics work, they're alright. You've got two buttons to alternate attacks with, that can be charged with your energy, a solid parry that will still get you killed on Critical because enemies can just blissfully hit you while you're pulling it off, and crowd control that kinda sucks. A lot of jogging in circles while enemies beeline for you. Much like how your robot soft locks on the nearest target while throwing out piddly attacks, Proxy Blade Zero soft locks on the core concept. If nothing else, ugly indie 3D games make me nostalgic for a time where asset stores weren't really a thing. It works and the Blender-looking models are placed in actual levels, that you can sort of explore and do stuff in. 5 levels, and I think like 2 of those had multiple paths. 2 might also have just been the bosses. Truth is I don't really remember a lot about Proxy Blade Zero. And I played it like two days ago. Not much happens in it. But it doesn't overstay its welcome, and while $10 is a bit on the generous side if you get on sale for like 80% off and set it to Critical Mode straight away, then you've got something worth playing. It's not that memorable, but it's not that annoying either and the final boss is pretty good. A lot of people have asked for a middle review option on Steam, like a side-thumb for middle-of the road reviews. I would prefer a poorly drawn version of the positive option. "You're functional, you're paced alright, there's nothing outright broken about you but truth is I'm going to play through you once then never think about you again." Obligatory Plug: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7DNBsKkKfA]I did a voiced review of this and Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae[/url]

[h1]68 / 100[/h1]

Good ideas and intentions marred by some odd choices. But worth trying once. Pros: + Best optimization of any indie title I've played (FPS as high as 400-600) + Suitable music + Responsive controls + Well done animations + Pays an obvious homage to Ninja Gaiden whilst still having fun with it + Price tag is very appropriate for what it offers Cons: - Do not KB+M. Just don't - Gamepad rebinding is nonexistent - Intentional stiff movement and meter management feels more restrictive at times, rather than a good skill floor to handle - Lock-on can be cumbersome in large groups - Very Drab Environments - Boring Aesthetics Worth getting if you like hack n slash. Not great, but it's an admirable attempt.

11/10 banger It's like Metal Gear Rising with the aesthetics of Phantasy Star Online

(Fini à 100%, + intégralement en mode critical en 1.5h) Le jeu est TOP. Je vois beaucoup de pleureuses dans les évals x'D La difficulté/OST/Atmosphère/gameplay (à la PSO boosté) sont parfaits. Graphisme indémodable Le jeu => couloir, arène, interrupteur/carte d'accès - porte suivante. Avec Boss. On s'ennuie pas; action du début à la fin. C'est simple/efficace/maîrisé! Un modèle à suivre <3

This is a low effort 3D brawler with a Japanese/mecha theme. The quality is extremely low. It seems like a console port. There's an achievement for logging onto the game twice. Less than 50% of players have it. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this low poly console ported shovelware, I don't know what will.

Proxy Blade Zero is a great title for cheap that is both challenging and entertaining. I bought this awhile ago and completely forgot about it, or I failed to install it for some odd reason. I've come back to it recently and had a great time. The combat is simple, yet skill based. The Enemies are few in numbers, but can you as easily as a boss. Pros: -Very Simple Gameplay and Story -Fun and Exciting Combat, with a mixture of a timed parry, some feints and flips, and EXPLOSIONS! -Soundtrack of the gods -Nostalgic feel Cons: -Missing a little bit of extra satisfaction. Would love enemies to separate into several pieces or at least in half. The knockdown and explosion is a little bit lame. -Settings can only be changed before the game is launched. Not a big deal, but still inconvenient. Overall, Proxy Blade Zero is a great title if you want some quick action!

[h1] General Comments [/h1] A game where you control a main character wielding a sword and modern robotic armor, cutting down robots equipped with various other weapons, and which is seriously challenging, forcing you to think tactically? Hmm, looks interesting :D [h1] Story [/h1] Our game has no story :D There is a plot, of course, but it's just there for the sake of it, with a structure that directs you towards a simple goal, and there are no cutscenes or anything like that. So, it wouldn't be too far off to call this game a storyless game. To put it simply, we are in a universe where robots with artificial intelligence exist and humans live in colonies in space. The main ship where our colony is located is taken over by a malevolent robot named Anima and its army. We set out to rescue our colony and regain control of the main ship, cutting down every enemy we encounter along the way. Finally, we face off against Anima and rescue the humans in our colony. That's basically it :D [h1] Is the Game Too Hard? [/h1] Let's be honest, the game is seriously hard :D As I mentioned, the story isn't the main focus, so naturally, we need a core element here, and that's the “sense of challenge” our game offers. Each enemy type has its own characteristics and combos. The game throws many different enemies at you at once during battle, requiring you to develop different tactics appropriate for the moment and play accordingly. Let's say two enemies with huge machine guns, three simple sword-wielding enemies, and two energy-armored enemies are attacking you. What will you do in this situation? Will you dodge the machine guns' attacks, wait for them to run out of power and shut down, and then attack the energy-armored or simple sword-wielding enemies? Let's say you attack. Will you use the same tactic again when the machine gun enemies wake up shortly after? Or will you take down the machine gun enemies first and then fight the larger group? You need to consider all this and fight accordingly. So what happens if you fail? You use up the 3 lives the game gives you, and if you die, you see the “Game Over” message and are thrown back to the very beginning of that Chapter. It's not entirely a “Roguelike” structure, but having checkpoints only at the beginning of each Chapter also makes things difficult. Long story short, this game is tough, guys—really tough and absolutely brutal. I have to admit that I've had some really rough moments at certain points... [h1] Gameplay and the Variety It Offers [/h1] Although our game is simple in terms of gameplay, it's not too bad in terms of variety considering its short playtime. Using the XBOX Gamepad as an example, the “Y” button performs straight attacks, pressing the ‘Y’ and ‘B’ buttons in sequence performs 2-3 different combo maneuvers. Additionally, holding down the ‘RT (Right Trigger)’ button and pressing the ‘Y’ button allows you to perform energy attacks that work against shielded enemies. Besides the attacks you can perform, there are also ways to dodge attacks made against you. You can block attacks with the “X” button and immediately counterattack with the ‘Y’ button to stun your opponents. You can also fire the rockets on your back with the “RT” button to escape enemies attacking you. Additionally, while gliding with this button, pressing the ‘Y’ button allows you to perform a quick attack by diving onto your opponent. Although it depends on your skill level, considering a 3-5 hour play session, the gameplay dynamics and variety available are far from lacking :) [h1]How is Enemy Variety and Boss Battles? [/h1] Enemy variety isn't bad, actually; each Chapter has its own unique enemies. However, since the game throws a lot of enemies at you, you end up seeing old enemies constantly. Both new and old enemy types fight you together, so I can't say the game's enemy variety is great, but at least you don't see the same things over and over, and new enemy types are added as you progress through the chapters, which is somewhat nice. Each enemy has its own combos and characteristics. For example, regular attacks don't stun enemies with energy shields, and they can easily dodge your attacks, so you need to stun them with energy attacks. All other enemies also have various unique characteristics like this. The boss battles aren't bad either; despite the game's simple and straightforward structure, they manage to be enjoyable. Since the game is short, there aren't that many boss battles. However, the final boss battle is seriously good. The boss has many different abilities and phases. It's clear that a lot of effort went into the final boss, and it really provides a great battle experience. [h1] How are the graphics? [/h1] Our graphics are quite cute and have a very simple structure. They don't strain your eyes, but they don't make you think, “What kind of graphics are these?” either. I would say the graphics are simple but beautiful. [h1] Final Thoughts [/h1] We have a game with fairly simple graphics, a gameplay structure that, despite its limited variety, doesn't feel out of place in short play sessions, and one that can deliver that satisfying feeling of victory after a tough battle to those seeking challenging combat and tactical warfare. I recommend it to those who enjoy challenging games and love engaging in tactical, patient battles. But if challenging games aren't your thing, stay away—it'll drive you crazy, trust me :D [h1] Ratings [/h1] [*]Gameplay = 7 [*]Graphics = 8 [*]Combo Variety = 7 [*]Enemy Variety = 7 [*]Boss Battle Quality = 8 [*]Overall Rating = 7.4