Stonemachia

Pro: + Incredible visual presentation, the game has a breathtaking art direction that mixes Italian architecture and sculptures with chess pieces, surreal art and Christian Mythology it is a marvel to look at + Amazing soundtrack, the bosses themes are especially great + Tight and responsive controls that allows for the chosen combat system, a mixture of sekiro and a spectacle fighter, to flourish + Boss fights are for the most part really impressive Con: - The incredible art design brings a big problem with it, most of the creatures in the game are an amalgamation of chess, tentacles, appendixes, weird geometries, the unnatural way they tend to move really clashes with tight, super precise parrying times the game requires, most of your first boss attempts will be used to understand exactly which part of the boss is the weapon and when and how it strikes, quite unintuitive - The camera becomes a problem late game, as the game progresses the bosses gets bigger and bigger and the camera angel is very close to Zefiro meaning that most of the time its really hard to see the boss striking you and prepare your defenses, it is a source of constant frustration - Late game bosses overuse delayed attacks, floating or flying movements, teleports, constant non stop attacks, it can become frustrating and unfun - The 'class' system never clicked for me, i finished the entire game using only the pawn form Stonemachia is a great surprise, a product of clear love and passion that can keep you entertained for 10 to 15 hours, the mixture of Sekiro style parrying with Devil May Cry\Bayonetta perfect dodges and the lack of stamina allows for fast and brutal moment to moment combat that gets hindered later on by the overdesign of the enemies and the too close camera. Even so if you like action games it is well worth your money and time. Recommended 7/10