Recent reviews by maerlyns rainbow

I enjoyed my time with the game, in all honesty. The 30ish hours I sunk into KOTOR is just my first playthrough of it. The gameplay is archaic, as expected for a 2003 RPG, but it becomes infuriating at the very very end of the game. (From here on, spoilers)

The very end of the game is when you reach the Star Forge. All is fine. Bastila has been captured and turned to the dark side. You are Lord Revan, epic cool plot twist there. My problem doesn't come from the story. The actual act of trying to push through the Star Forge is terrible once you get deep enough into it. Infinitely spawning enemies is a very ♥♥♥♥♥♥ tactic for difficulty. And, the Star Forge has it. Dark Jedi and Sith Troopers spawning over and over with no stop to it. Maybe I did something wrong early on and didn't catch it. But, as of now, I cannot complete KOTOR due to this ♥♥♥♥♥♥ design choice for the final area. Another thing: the only time the game goes full ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mode IS AT THE FINAL AREA OF THE GAME. I don't understand who thought it was a good idea to have infinite respawning Dark Jedi who also spam force moves like no tomorrow.

I really enjoyed the game, I did, but I can't see myself completing this game. There are other games I have played that are truly difficult (i.e the Souls series, Sekiro, Give Me God of War difficulty for GoW 4, and Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami 1 car chase sequences on Legend) and I enjoy them because they aren't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ((for the most part)) and force you to get better, for the most part. But this, THIS is not difficulty. This is just pure ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I will play KOTOR 2 and hope to god that there aren't any sequences like this. I may come to KOTOR later down the line and figure out what I did wrong, but for now, I won't touch this with a 20 foot steel rod.

i see army man, i shoot.

play it



76 hours in: still slaps

I have 8 hours as of writing this, but I love this damn game. Even though Exanima has been 5 years in development, there is a lot of work shown. Exanima functions like a finished product, in some areas at least. And, honestly, that's good imo. And the fact that Bare Mettle is making their primary game, Sui Generis, alongside this product is concerning. But, since Sui Generis is essentially Exanima but much more broader (from what we have been told). And, once Bare Mettle get their grounding in their physics engine and finish up Exanima, Sui Generis has to be leagues better than the finished Exanima. I've been talking about things that do not correlate with why I love this game. So, let me get into the details.


I love this game because it's a serious challenge. Calling Exanima a "souls-like", or any game for that matter, is a misrepresentation of what Exanima is. The combat system is completely up to the physics engine and the cursor. Swing too far to one side? Your opponent is bound to strike while you're still recovering from the swing. But, when do you land your swing just right on the opponent's head, it is all worth it in the end. I, by no stretch of the imagination, am not good at Exanima's combat. All I know is: timing and tactics. Feint until your A.I opponent messes up somehow and leaves you with the perfect moment of attack. And another important thing about the combat is that you have to strike with the tip of your weapon and not the handle. This mainly affects bladed weapons, but for blunt weapons..................

I also love this game because of the physics engine. Without the physics engine, this game would seriously lack in personal enjoyment. Like I was saying before with the blunt weapons (hammers and that sort), it's janky when you use the blunt weapons like toys. If you strike just right with the handle of a weapon like a sledgehammer, your opponent is sent sprawling to the floor. In some cases, you can literally fling them seven feet away. I find enjoyment when the physics flubs up because it's funny as hell watching a poor sod get tossed around like a rag doll. That being said......the same thing can happen to you. It isn't as fun being flung around, is it? Maybe it is, until you either get KO'd or, perhaps, killed.

I will continue to update this as I progress through the game more and begin to master the mechanics. But, overall, I give it a good 8/10.

dead game

Just to make this easy for all gamers, if you're into epic parkour and gore, this is your game. The story doesn't matter.