In Progress Streets of Rage X (Windows / Android) Beta 34

[DCurrent]

OK so I've had a chance to try her out. I've finished a run with her and had a few short/mid-way runs that ended in a frustration-quit ^_^".

I enjoy some aspects of her but she does feel a bit weak. I don't mean the amount of damage she deals so much as just how easy (or not) it is to be effective with her, chain moves together, etc. though I can't put my finger on why exactly. She's just kind of... difficult to work with? I actually play way better with Axel 1, which is hilarious because I am universally terrible with Axel in every SoR game to the point that my friend (who's an Axel main) always gives me shit about it xD. So for an SoR 1 Blaze main and Axel hater to PREFER SoR 1 Axel is very worrying for me xD.

I really don't like giving negative feedback and I hope you understand this comes from a place of love and respect, but here are some things I felt underwhelmed by:
- Her Offense Special. I understand it's a reference to her Back Attack in SoR 2, but it not only is visually very underwhelming (it doesn't FEEL like a Special move at all), but it also isn't very useful (except MAYBE to hit enemies coming up behind you) and I kind of just forgot/pretended it didn't exist.
- Her Star Move/Blitz: Again, I can sort of see the reference, the spinning fist being a nod to her SoR 2/3 combo, but like the Offense Special, it doesn't FEEL special and isn't very useful either. Another forgettable move for me, sadly . Perhaps if she slid further with it and her fist was engulfed in her blue energy, it would feel a bit flashier?
- Her Rage Attack is pretty much the same exact thing as her Run Attack, just stronger, and was easily the most disappointing part of her moveset. From another developer, I would've gone as far as to call it 'lazy', but I imagine there's probably a reasonable reason for it being this way.

I'm assuming most of these things are due to lack of sprites, which of course I don't blame you for if that's the case. It's just a shame she couldn't have felt a little more flashy and unique in those areas.

I was kind of feeling the same thing.

Positive things I noted - I don't know if the actual numbers changed, but in general it feels like bosses and enemies aren't as ridiculously spongy as before. It still bugs me that player damage is lower overall than the OG games (Ex. Blaze doing 24 instead of 32 on backdrop, Max outputting a pitiful 40 points on the back-breaker instead of 70, etc.) but I still feel things are better balanced overall than older versions where your best shot barely took a pixel from Barbon.

I like that you can turn on the orginal tracks. No offense to Master Draven, but sometimes he deviates a little bit too much - and you just want the old school.

Nitpicks:

• Blind alt path transitions are back. Why the downgrade? I noticed an option that looked like it could fix them, but it's kind of hidden and should be on by default. I get you might want to keep things kind of a surprise and that make sense, but we should at least get a tiny peek - if nothing else show us what the character could see (their POV of a hall, window, etc.).
• Selective transparency is gone from places like the pillars in SOR2 Stage 1 bar. Again, why the downgrade? It doesn't make the game feel more retro, just more primitive and limited - especially when you've got transparency all over the place for lighting. It's also a practical annoyance to have your view blocked.
• Blaze1 way over uses the flip kick animation. It sucked all the way back in SOR1 when her grab flurry was identical to attack flurry. Now it's her power attack (stationary grab) too. For that matter, she's reusing a lot of things:
  • Vertical jumpkick = forward jump kick.
  • Blitz = Rage
  • All heavy weapons swings are the same and all reuse SOR2 animations (no home run swing like in OG SOR1).
  • Energy attack with a knife is just - her normal knife stab with some afterimages.
• As @Psykai noted, her forward special is boring and useless. If you want to reference SOR2 - then why not make it the Hishousouzan with an invincibility window?
• It's WAY too difficult to throw enemies off SOR1 Stage 7 elevator. That's pretty much the entire point and fun factor of that area - the risk of getting knocked off to toss people over. Unless you are in a near pixel perfect perfect sweet spot, they are blocked by the rail or bounce right off it. But of course Singals have no trouble throwing YOU over from anywhere near the rail. I absolutely LOTHE the idea of referencing SORR, but this is one area I think they got absolutely right. Thrown enemies were scripted to hit their heads on the rail and bounce over the edge during a thrown fall from most reasonable distances. Something like this is sorely needed IMO, or just a boost to the vertical velcoity on player throws.

Hope that doesn't sound too crabby. Wouldn't make points if I didn't think the rest was awesome!

DC

 

[Blit-X- TV [LIVE]]

Initially I wasn't going to share this VOD because honestly I felt that I was being too negative/nit picky with my review but after reading the 2 previous comments, I do share their sentiments & they are somewhat reflected in this.
My main issues were the forward special (as I feel that move is better suited perhaps to the defensive special if anything) & not really being able to link moves together to create combos.

I do understand tho that there wasn't much to work with. Trying to create a new moveset isn't easy work.

 

[SRC267]

GRIME mix.

@Kratus had a quick go on the new update, enemies seem improved/less forgiving which is good. Blaze's combos much tighter now as well. I'd agree with danno on too fast though.

Have you tried Beta 34? Your clip still shows beta 33. I made the same mistake where I didn't uninstall the game first and simply updated/overwrote the old with the new download, which doesn't really give you the upgraded beta. (At least on android) I then went back and uninstalled it, and reinstalled the new download and finally Beta 34 installed. You can see via the main menu, bottom left the version number.

 

[seahorses]

Blaze switching her feet feels unatural in this.



I dug up my old drive and found an old edit of mine kinda similar, but mine is for Defense Special though. Because it has crowd control trait where you can hit enemy both front and back.




I think this is what you're aiming for?


I don't have anything similar I'm affraid. But even though I make one, It more fit for a counter.

Maybe you can use this edit of Saiha?


I used it for my 3 Stars Blitz (All of my edits is BK3/SOR3 mechanic. See below for the move concept) so maybe it's fine if you used it for Blaze Offense Special because it serve for different purpose.
Excuse the blurry GIF because it's a WIP.

And I used Hakki Shou for her Offense Special and Chou Reppa Dan for her blitz. See the video below in action for SOR2 Rom Hack. And no, I will never release the rom hack, It was only for a test.

Sorry for the quality. Turns out my crappy notebook can't handle it after all.

 

[Kratus]

Ok, I didn't expect this amount of negative feedback about Blaze since she has basically the original SOR1 moveset with a few more from BKM (front special and blitz), in which most people didn't see/play.

Here's an example of where I got both the forward special and blitz.

For now, I'm considering removing all SOR1 characters, or maybe leaving only SOR3 ones due to having the most complete moveset and due to the others being below the expectations with recycled sprites. I'm not planning to draw more, even less using SORR ones. To be honest I was even considering making all SOR1 with only the original moveset, but I ended up adding a few more trying to leave them at least on a similar level as the others.

Before the removal, here's my vision about the SOR1 Blaze gameplay.

I can't read all the posts now, but I still will read/answer all of them later.

 

[O Ilusionista]

Excuse the blurry GIF because it's a WIP.

And I used Hakki Shou for her Offense Special and Chou Reppa Dan for her blitz. See the video below in action for SOR2 Rom Hack. And no, I will never release the rom hack, It was only for a test.

I liked this and Chou Reppa Dan ideas a lot.
And if you want to make it different from the other move, Don't make her jump during the movement, instead slide her forward, similar to Sakura's Shoryuken.