I began the game and got to a point where a skull (presumably a boss) appears on the eastern part of my map. I proceed to the dungeon and start going through.

It's pretty tough. I'm at a part where I believe the game wants me to platform across these flame vents, but I'm not sure if I need some upgrade to do this safely or if it's on me as a player to do something differently that makes it safe.

Which brings me to my questions. Are the dungeons in a certain order? Or is the path up to the player?

I believe you can do the west/north/east at any time, with the south being the last. There were a few times where I felt I needed a certain ability to progress, but the mainline paths to the bosses don't really require anything like that. Just keep an eye out if you get stuck, paths are hidden really well.

Thanks! Yeah, I ended up abandoning my progress in the East and just wandered around. Now I'm in the West dungeon area playing around there.

@rokuthirteen: I don't want to spoil it so I'll just say there is a way to brute force it and a way to do it without getting hurt.

I'm currently in the East and banging my head against some really tough enemy rooms and that stupid flame vent puzzle too. I've been debating just going back to town and exploring another direction so I'm glad to hear other people are doing the same.

I do like the game but I hope they patch in some balance and control tweaks over time.

@lydian_sel said:

Wow, well no offence but I hope you're wrong. ;-)

I went east first and I'm having a rough go at it.. I'm still enjoying the game, and clearing a room is pretty satisfying, but mostly because it's taking me 10-15+ tries for some of them.. I keep thinking "maybe I'm not supposed to be here yet" or that I missed some upgrade that I should be using. The controls show "RB" as being for a special attack, and I don't have anything like that yet.

@sbarre:Enemy mobs in the east can be pretty brutal, especially in situations where you have very little space and lots of projectiles flying around. If you're beating your head against sections and feel like you're ill-equipped for the challenge, then you probably are, the game is intentionally vague about that sort of thing. There are facets of the eastern zone, like the bullet-hell gecko enemies and the flame vent puzzles, that are intended to be faced with certain upgrades and you'll find that once you have them the challenge is dialed down.

My advice would be to spend some time exploring for gear bits, there are loads of them in the east that are very accessible without upgrades usually stashed in crawl spaces, invisible platforms, or on ledges that look just narrow enough to fit your character sprite. Early in the game the two main upgrades you should focus on are the chain dash and the bullet-deflecting slash. Alternatively, there's nothing stopping you from going straight for the boss and coming back later to explore the parts you skipped, or just checking out another zone entirely to see if that's more your speed.

I found the eastern zone a little easier than the north and west but that's entirely subjective. There could be subtle balancing changes that take place beneath the hood depending on items/upgrades available and progression through the game... or it could all be in my head. But if you're not having fun with the game then change something up and see if it makes a difference. Happy drifting!

@lydian_sel: Man, I dunno about this "east is a good starter zone" business. The birds in the north are a complete cakewalk in all their forms compared to the asshole giant plants that leap at you in a bunch of fights in the east.

I feel like the enemies are easiest in either the west or north, the boss is easiest by FAR in the east. Mind you my hardest boss was the first (West) because I was still coming to grip with the mechanics and had no charged slash yet which makes every fight orders of magnitude easier (especially if they have pauses big enough to do a full combo into a charged slash on the 3rd swing).

Without spoiling anything, the flame vent puzzle is overall helpful but not a pre-requisite for that dungeon, I've come to discover. Don't lose too much time there.

@merxworx01: Totally know what you mean now. :) Thanks!

I started with the North and have found it pretty manageable up until the boss who has been kicking my ass. Think i may go to another area until i earn enough points for the upgraded dash.

I've since finished the Eastern zone, and I agree with you.

While the enemies can be tough, they aren't as punishing as some other zones. The visuals are fairly friendly (colors and structures, etc.). It gets you used to reading the map. There are a plentiful amount of health packs. And, like you said, the final boss is fairly straight forward.

I haven't fought the birds in the north, but the big, diving plants are annoying in the east, for sure.

I started with the North, and I have no regrets. The boss took a bunch of tries, and I did leave to go get the upgraded dash in the middle, but I don't think I actually used it (I hadn't got the timing down yet). I think he just has a hump in the middle that you need to get past, and once you do, his patterns get easier, rather than harder.

I did East next, and I feel like there was a definite difficulty bump.

@lydian_sel said:

Cool yeah I'm still definitely having fun with the game, even though it's quite difficult, which is a good sign for me because I can drop off quickly when a game is too hard, I'm old(er) and my twitch reflex isn't what it used to be. ;-)

I'll keep an eye out for those secrets, I'll admit I haven't really been looking for that stuff much, so perhaps that will help me get a few upgrades.

Someone else mentioned that the big leaping plant mobs in the east were difficult, and that's encouraging because I feel like I've got the timing for those guys down, and I can easily clear 2-3 of them at once now. But maybe that's just because I've died dozens of times to those bastards...