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The Shadow Sun

CerevantCerevant Member Posts: 2,314
in Off-Topic
I'm surprised I didn't see a thread for this already...

Our friends at Ossian Studios (including @horredtheplague) recently released The Shadow Sun: an action RPG for iOS. I'm just starting to dig in, but so far I'm really impressed with the UI and visuals. Its on sale today at 20% off, so go have a look!

Comments

  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    edited December 2013
    Is it worth it? The reviews say it only lasts 5-6 hours.
  • CerevantCerevant Member Posts: 2,314
    Well, like I said - I'm not very far into it, but a buck or so an hour (assuming there is no replay value) isn't a bad deal. Killing stuff is always fun :)
  • LiamEslerLiamEsler Member Posts: 1,859
    I've been enjoying it! :D
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    meagloth said:

    Is it worth it? The reviews say it only lasts 5-6 hours.

    @meagloth
    The official website says 10-15 hrs of gameplay... which is okay I suppose. I mean it's comparable to many mainstream games like Homefront, Diablo 3 (one full playthrough) etc... but compared to gems like Baldur's Gate... it seems comparatively inadequate.

    My main problem with the game is that on top of paying upfront, there are ingame purchases like Warrior/Mage/Rogue starter pack, Hints guide etc... For a proper epic like Baldur's Gate, I can understand, but for a small/short tablet/smart-phone game, I find it hard to accept.
  • FrozenCellsFrozenCells Member Posts: 385
    iOS? Pass.
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    iOS D:
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    Cerevant said:

    Well, like I said - I'm not very far into it, but a buck or so an hour (assuming there is no replay value) isn't a bad deal. Killing stuff is always fun :)

    It seems like I can just go and finish infinity blade then.
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    @meagloth those 61 levels I attained in Infinity Blade II :P, when I heard of BG:EE I was like, oh god, at least a good game for iPad besides IB2!!!!!!
    I think I played so much IB2 that I tried to slash enemies with my fingers in BG:EE the first days.
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    edited December 2013
    @crevsdaak, you cannot talk about IB2 skills. You talkin' to level 105, secret gem mode, all the lightsaberswordthings, I owned that game. I beat the lightsaber guy with the ship when he was something like level 10,000.

    Edit: correction. My iPad just corrected lightsaber to lighsaberswordthing:P
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    @meagloth I only played for 3 weeks :P, but I didn't had Sky Vaults or what ever came in one of the latest updates.
  • horredtheplaguehorredtheplague Member, Developer Posts: 186
    @Heindrich1988: There were no etc. besides those you listed--that's the sum of in-game purchases. None are required to play in any way, they just enhance the experience. They transfer between platforms, if you were to purchase on both iPod and iPad, or if you got a new device. So, buy them once, have them always.


    The aforementioned Infinity Blade series is a huge container of in-game purchases, on the other hand. You can pay as much as $99 in a single "gold chest" purchase, which is really out of hand for an iOS game. Also, it's disposable and temporary. Once you spend it, you're back for more (and more, and more, ad infinitum). More like virtual drug-dealing, less like old-school gaming. (Note: I haven't actually played Infinity Blade to see how specifically this applies, just using it as a broad example).

    But this is the mean, not the extreme, of contemporary iTunes App Store gaming. Arcade-style & freemium games, or "pay as you play" are what really rake the players over the coals. And for some reason these seem to dominate the App Store by a huge margin.

    As a result, The Shadow Sun is not a "grind" game like most that get labelled RPG's on iTunes. It's more about the story, and the richness of the world you experience and interact with. Right along the alley of classics like Baldur's Gate, which has been a huge influence on our staff for many years. What we've all grown to love, in the W-RPG genre. This is what we hope draws players to our game, and engages them our new IP world. We offer a lot of replay value with our in-depth character development. Different character builds can make the same encounter (battle or otherwise) go entirely different. We played this game dozens of times while building it, and still didn't get bored--just by trying out the available options.

    It's short by CRPG standards, more the length of a large expansion pack for a full-length RPG. It's priced accordingly, for that. How much does a full-length newly-released quality story-driven CRPG title sell for on day one? I'm guessing you won't touch it for a single digit of dollars, nor even close to that.

    And yes, many of these now contain both in-game purchases and after-purchase expansions as well. The blatant approach seen in games like Dragon Age left a sour taste in my mouth, that never totally went away. Totally broke what little immersion in the plot, I had. We at Ossian are opposed to this sort of practice, and I highly doubt you'll ever see actual "dollar-peddlers" mixed in with our in-game merchants in any of our products.



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