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Bosses mix things up a bit, requiring actual strategic thinking to match their more far-ranging attack patterns (compared to standard enemies), but they appear too infrequently. The very occasional branching path that leads to an optional treasure room that amounts to a stiffer fight for a larger reward. Lichdom offers no such respite you advance until there’s a fight and then advance some more.
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There’s simply not enough variety to keep the boredom at bay all throughout.Ī game like Dark Souls – which Lichdom most definitely takes a page from – bolsters its technique and timing-heavy combat mechanics with exploration and light puzzle-solving. But those energizing components exist within a 20-hour journey that’s been built as a corridor shooter. You pop off ranged spells and area of effect spells, use short-range teleportation to dodge, and even explode in a “nova” of energy if you time a magical block just so. There’s a deeply satisfying magical combat system that ties into a spellcrafting mechanic. It’s a world that seems ripe for exploration, but also one that’s constrained by its shooter design.Īnd really, it’s too big. From snow-capped mountains to vast desert wastelands, pristine ice fields to suffocating cave systems, you’ve got the full gamut of high fantasy landscapes represented here. Lichdom is a large game, and a gorgeous one. That’s all explained in the opening half hour, with additional exposition delivered primarily by a scout – the gender you didn’t choose at the game’s start – who pops up at specific checkpoints.Īs first efforts go, it’s hard not to admire indie newcomer Xaviant’s execution. There’s a grave threat facing the world, one that’s directly impacted your personal life, and you have been chosen to wield the magical powers capable of putting down this menace.
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Lichdom‘s intro establishes the backstory for your chosen battlemage – the options come down to male or female – which amounts to a revenge quest.
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It isn’t the story causing the bloat, though that’s not to say it isn’t a problem of its own. It’s just too bad the game feels so bloated. It’s a world that seems ripe for exploration, but also one that’s constrained by its shooter design.
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