Developer: Tipworks
Publisher: Giant Global
Genre: Action, Adventure, Souls-like
Price: $3.99 -$19.99(Definitive Edition)
Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, TapTap, AppGallery
Where to buy: Official Site (directs nicely where to grab it)
Pascal’s Wager New DLC titled Dance of the Throne Just dropped on Android. Reworking itself within the already very impressive hood of what I would personally consider a hidden gem for the Souls-like community. Configuring itself for balance and some pretty good quality of life elements for all walks of gamer to be able to dive right in with. Before I even laid my fingers on the DLC of course I needed to leap into the deep waters in this game to see what I have actually missed. As this dropped last year and I never actually had a chance to ever play it. I received a copy of the game courtesy of the developers and Publishers alike. My thanks to them. I have never personally played a souls outside of consoles, or the PC. As many. Playing one on a Android phone felt actually no different then on PC or console alike. As Mobile gaming is now really holding its own for pretty good ports, in Pascel’s Wager’s case, it is a strong one at that. At least from perspective.
Now you ask “how does it play?” As it natively supports a controller (thank god), it was like playing your usual souls game. Right bumper allowed your attack, d-pad plays as a quick bar for slurping healing pots down, as well as left bumper allows you to access a circle grid to be able to activate a series of items you might fancy to use. As I am playing the game I did not feel any difference of controller lag, or delay whats so ever on phone. I was able to dodge, roll, and poke to death every nasty shell looking creature across the realm of, Solas. Solas is also afflicted by the Dark Mist of which introduces the whole Eldritch terrors element into the game. You play the role mainly of Terrence in the core game. Over time you begin to play with other characters In principle the game itself blends two formats together, with theme, and game play execution. The game basically bleeds fandom into its roots. If you never played a Dark Souls game, then you would never be able to guess it was bloomed from. Controls borrowing from Souls whole heartedly, but with some clever aspects tossed in. Lacking in some of the depth we might know of when it came to world construction. Most routing in levels narrows to thinner routes usually blocked by a badly. A element I noticed in the game is sadly is my right trigger on my PS4 gamepad while playing the game on my phone did not register, at all. Which was meant for heavy attacks. I double checked the controller on my PC, and it ran with flying colors. I went back to the game, still did not detect or register. So I was stuck on light attacks and knife throws. This perhaps is not a issue with the PC, or Switch side. So do not take my issue as a complete disaster with anyone’s else experience in this. Exploration feels pretty fun, tucking behind counters and discovering pickups is always a plus. The core elements I remember from Souls is also here with refreshing enemies. You touch Shrines, resetting a area. With those shrines you can upgrade your character. As I progressed I managed to play with Viola, which was super satisfying. Being able to run in, slice up a enemy a little bit, then roll back and toss a hail of bullets into a creature *chefs kiss*.
The game was completed for me in under 8 hours. this might not seem like a lot, but also compare that to the core game, and the dance of the throne dlc combined. I lacked access to the other dlc, however given that I could roughly guess from feedback maybe 16 or so hours give or take? If you really sit there and dig through every nook and cranny. This is impressive to behold overall. I enjoyed the game play with somewhat less interested into the story, as it bounced around. I would safely say for the low price of the core game, plus the optional dlc, it is a bargain on mobile. It ran credibility smooth, played great, had some lack of translation bits here and there, but I gotten over it figuring out what did what in the menus. Even priced at twenty dollars is pretty cheap!
Going into the DLC, Dance of the Throne, you basically play more of the original levels, but told on shoulders of Elena. Elena follows some mysterious voice back to Solas. More of the same, with my controller still doing soft slaps. With the option of tapping the screen for my heavy attacks if possible. With this DLC you are timed with Elena’s perspective to the story. With damage output, or something of that nature on the top left. Basically feeling like a challenge/speed runners style game mode. I really enjoyed Elena’s mode quite a bit with her perspective, given the story still felt a bit off, or not as strong. The developers strong suit showcased so far to me, has been their elements that they use, they managed to master what it means to be a tender-loving-care inspired game. While the story is lost in the void, it still gives you a really outstanding experience. with progressing through locations with several characters, which you can discover for yourself(and grab the other dlcs!)
