Tonight after work I settled in to play some games and after starting and stopping several games I am starting to feel like I'm in a lull right now. I previously finished two fantastic games back to back, Axiom Verge and Hotline Miami 2. Both games hooked me and I played each straight through without much of anything else in between. Titan Souls was my next game up after Hotline Miami 2 and as much as I want to be absolutely in love with Titan Souls I just can't seem to muster up much of anything for it. Before I get too much further into talking about Titan Souls, because I want to dedicate some space to it, I'm playing a few other things too.

I'm finding Rogue Legacy to be a really good, relaxing podcast game. I haven't beaten any bosses and I feel like I'm not really progressing much but it kind of doesn't matter for me with that game. It's nice to just jump in mess around unlock a few tiers in the skill tree and then quit. It's a very low impact game for me, it's nice to have something to zone out too. I started Valiant Hearts. I'm not sure how much further I'll go since I had the end spoiled for me on the GOTY bombcasts. It looks absolutely gorgeous, I'm just not sure a two dimensional puzzle adventure game heavy on the puzzles is something I'm interested in right now. Some games I have on the back burner; Bloodborne another game I will start get to the title screen and say 'eh maybe another time'. Don't know if I'll get back to Shadow of Mordor, everything about that game seems to rub me the wrong way. From how character movement feels to seeming like I can't go any where without getting mobbed by Orcs. It makes me feel like I'm playing it wrong and I very well might be. That's about it, after two amazing experiences in Axiom Verge and Hotline Miami 2 I'm left finding that next game that will hook me.

Which brings me to Titan Souls. I had high hopes for this game, I played the demo on Steam and while it was challenging I felt like I could overcome the bosses once I got a little practice. Before playing the game I felt like a pretty big proponent for it. The idea of limiting a player in what they could do combat wise seemed like a really interesting idea. So many games deal in maxed out everything that some one would come along and say no, one weapon, one arrow, a bunch of difficult unforgiving bosses go. All that seemed really cool. I love the look and world even if there isn't too much in it. The game goes against pretty much everything modern AAA games are. It seemed like the consummate indie game. It's rare in games that a developer takes a stand and has a singular vision even if that vision might not be the most popular route. In almost all the talk you hear about this game, the comments you read on reviews, are how the lack of features turn people away. “Oh only one arrow?” “ I wish there had been an rpg mechanic.” All the stuff that made me really excited. It bums me out because I'd like games to be in a place where not every game has to appeal to every person. That a game can take a risk and try to tell their version of what a game could be. I want there to be creative, unique games coming out and that those games don't always have to be everything to everyone.

The problem where this breaks for me is that I personally, four hours in having beaten five bosses, am not really having that much fun with it. I might be in the wrong place for where I am in the game. While the bosses in the beginning felt doable, the latter stage bosses simply don't. I feel like more often than not I die without gaining a greater insight into the strategy, I die out of the blue, and nothing about that experience seems satisfying. I'm currently fighting in the forest area with the mushroom. I might just need to go back to the ice area but I'm having such a hard time with it, it doesn't really seem worth the toil.

So I'm left wondering should I stick with Titan Souls, has anyone come out the other end a true believer? Or should, however much I don't want to, count my losses and move on to something like Shovel Knight or I'm not sure. I have The Witcher 2 in my backlog and MGS 3. Anything that catches me would be nice, the next game I'm really excited about is Batman: Arkham Knight.