The effect these actions have on the course of battle are displayed at the bottom of the screen in a timeline that also shows when to anticipate the actions of enemies. Each Daughter starts the fight with 100 Action Points (AP) that are spent on movement or using skills. Daughters act on a timeline in teams ranging from one to four units. Those with a grasp on turn-based games won’t be frightened by anything Othercide offers, outside of the expectation that death will come frequently. The game begins with a tutorial as The Mother, a capable force that sacrifices her power to create the Daughters players will use in combat. As a tactical strategy game in the vein of recent XCOMs, Othercide‘s action unfolds on dark scenes that are actually clusters of squares where character and enemy actions transpire. Much like its story, Othercide plays as a carefully constructed web of mechanics that begin to supplement each other in successive bursts. But, in my excitement, I realize I am getting ahead of myself. In a delightful implementation of a codex, narrative bits are doled out in a way that actually aids players and further justifies mechanics of the game. His deformed plague mask and oppressive scissors are meant to intimidate players in combat but express some kind of terror inflicted upon The Child.Ĭutscenes and dialog aim to unravel just a bit of the mystique for players. The Doctor is more than just a towering, obese sack of flesh. After encountering the game’s first boss, The Doctor, players will gain a sense into the kind of twisted, Silent Hill approach Lightbulb Crew takes. As a long time Souls devourer, loose threads that can be dissected and eventually tied together are wonderful ways to invite players into caring about a story for more than just it basic whole. I never found myself explicity confused by Othercide‘s method of telling a story. Inch by inch players will gain insight into The Veil and how it acts as a kind of safeguard between dimensions how Suffering is actually a force called an Other who cast their influence over a figure known as The Child, who began the calamities found in Othercide. It all may seem obtuse at first, what with a figure known as The Mother giving parts of her soul to spawn Daughters that beat back the forces of Suffering. Othercide uses thick yet elusive symbolism to dole out droplets of narrative between its bouts of death and recollection. Dog-like creatures sprout tentacles from their bodies or excrete poison from fanged maws.
Many of the bipedal forces wear plague doctor masks and wield guns or scythes, but even they are birthed onto the battlefield from a strange black soup. In Othercide, the enemies players fight rarely strike a passing resemblance to humans. Grotesque statues jut from the surface of a strange dimension, effigies of untold horrors–or simply the ones right in front of you.
Then, suddenly, a new fight takes place in an otherworldly realm ripped straight from the demonic hellscape of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk. Battles play out on cobblestone roads lit by tall, ominous lamps. Players will get a sense that Othercide takes place in a late 1800s/early 1900s era where some kind of plague has ravaged its city streets. Opening scenes flash back and forth between decades while a codex of lore details events from centuries ago. Initially, it all makes enough sense to set an eerie mood that any Bloodborne fans will be enraptured by. Othercide densely packs its story with weighty nouns, emphasizing their significance from the start. Yet there are few games of this caliber that initially capture with the eyes and ultimately follow through hour after hour. Other, familiar concepts are sewn into Othercide and yes, players may have encountered a mechanic or narrative beat before. Surely something this stylish couldn’t also play well? Thankfully, developer Lightbulb Crew used its expressive, painterly hand to thread a needle through every inch of code. I was afraid that, unlike its Gothic appeal, Othercide‘s gameplay would flounder under the weight of an unmatched aesthetic promise.
Its visual palette will burrow into the memory for years to come, a game that looks so distinct.
Bathed in grey tones, stark blacks and whites, and pungent splashes of red, Othercide is a remarkable feast for the eyes.
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