Feudal Alloy (2019)

Why is there no way to look at the stats on my equipment while it's equipped? Why does the tooltip for the block module say "You can now block incoming melee attacks" right before you go through a gauntlet of cannons? Why do I have to use the piece of the map from my inventory instead of it just activating automatically? Why are there 2 "abilities" that do nothing other than break some colored pieces of wood I, for some inexplicable reason, couldn't break before? Why do stunned enemies still attack? Why can't I sell items I don't want? What is the point of equipment sets? Why is the 2nd boss easier than the 1st, and only has one phase? Why do I drop xp and money when I die if dying doesn't cause me to lose xp or money? Why is the platforming so bad? Why is there one area where I leave the screen on the left side and then enter the next screen also on the left side? Why did the "Finished the Game" trophy pop up before I actually finished the game?

Why did I finish this crappy game?

I REALLY wanted to defend this title but in the end it's just so...not good. It's got a killer art style, a unique premise and the controls are decent enough to play with but it's so incomprehensibly confusing as to how to progress and there's no way to really figure anything out besides wandering in circles for hours upon hours in areas that look goddamned identical. It's so frustrating.

What's worse isn't that this is a bad game, but that it's one of those bad games you can see the glimmer of goodness just under the surface in, which makes it all the more depressing that you can't access that goodness because the poor quality overbears everything. Such a goddamned letdown. Map is useless, nothing makes sense and there's no sense of direction whatsoever.

I get that it's labeled a "metroidvania", but it really isn't that. It's a platformer with minimal metroidvaina elements to it, and the two are so poorly done that when put together it makes something that doesn't work whatsoever, because the sum of its parts don't work on their own well enough let alone work together. At least Hollow Knight's map makes sense, people really speak to you and there's a very obvious route of progression. Feudal Alloy, in all its sheen of coolness, ultimately falls flat on its face from the fact that it's 100% impossible to progress or even know how to start.

A shame. I was REALLY let down. I wanted to like it SO bad.