The First Play Thread of First Plays

[Neon Ignition]

Whilst discussion has come down on the side of not merging the General Discussion forum with First Play there's still a blurring of lines when it comes to some titles. I've increasingly found myself falling into this trap thanks to the Win3 which is in the same bracket as the Deck in opening up play time to games that are not new titles that warrant a dedicated First Play thread of their own as no discussion would occur. Likewise they're not Retro and sometimes don't even have a General Discussion thread anyway.

So, in the same manner that VR games have a thread where they can all be discussed in First Play grouped together I figured we should have a First Play thread for games that kind of fall between the gaps.

For Clarification:
If a new game has released a thread should still be started up in First Play as normal. This thread is intended purely for discussion of already released titles that don't warrant setting up a dedicated thread anymore but you still have detailed thoughts you would like to to discuss and share.

[Neon Ignition]

I have two recent games I've played that fit this and I'm on another at the moment:

Fall Guys
Apparently about to go F2P soon I picked this up on PC for £3 not too long ago. The battle royale Takashi's Castle style gameplay is initially fun but to be honest I found it got old pretty quick. The trouble is that there's room for players to scramble and try to out perform each other in obstacle levels but matches typically run 5 rounds and by the time you reach the third you find yourself at the mercy of random elements too much. You'll commonly lose because you're placed on a team based level so regardless of performance it's luck if you get through and once that sense settles in it kills the game.

Life is Strange: True Colors
Definitely the shortest entry, almost to the extent it risks harming the game. It looks really nice and returning to having the action take place within a single location means a lot more time learning the characters and consequences of your actions and so the game very quickly proves itself to be a huge improvement on Life is Strange 2. There's little sense you can influence the story but it's a largely engaging tale and the characters are really likeable. Biggest issue lies more with its finale where the 'villain' is pretty obvious from the first introduction and the resolution of the game feels a bit rushed. However, the ending contains a sequence that hits the feels nicely. Overall the game is one I'd probably rank second out of the four we've seen released. Whilst it's set up is a big step in the right direction on several fronts the sense that the cutting room floor has sections on it is a little too strong and I still feel that the central mystery element of the first game was a big contributor in why that game was so successful and here it's not quite compelling enough to top the original. Still, a really strong showing and I hope Deck Nine come back and get to make LiS4.

[Neon Ignition]

SOMA
I don't really know what to make of this so far. In some ways it's a little Bioshock styled with its underwater setting. With you working your way in a linear way through the facility gone wrong it gives similar vibes on some occasions but there's not too much to the gameplay. You're unarmed, encounters seem limited to those with the robots who patrol areas in a similar way to Big Daddy's but where BD's would leave you alone as long as you left them alone, these robots give chase on sight. It means encounters are just clunky stealth sections, sneaking around to access the door to your escape without detection. They're not very engaging sections, literally just you crouching around and moving when they're not nearby so you quickly come to want the game to have as few sections in it with them. The catch here is that that reduces the experience of the game to being a bit like a walking sim and on that basis it would be... okay, but not that overly engaging.

[QualityChimp]

I have two recent games I've played that fit this and I'm on another at the moment:

Fall Guys
Apparently about to go F2P soon I picked this up on PC for £3 not too long ago. The battle royale Takashi's Castle style gameplay is initially fun but to be honest I found it got old pretty quick. The trouble is that there's room for players to scramble and try to out perform each other in obstacle levels but matches typically run 5 rounds and by the time you reach the third you find yourself at the mercy of random elements too much. You'll commonly lose because you're placed on a team based level so regardless of performance it's luck if you get through and once that sense settles in it kills the game.

For all its cutesy marshmallow aesthetics, I found this game to be pad-throwingly infuriating at times!

[Neon Ignition]

The same, it veers away from a reliance on skill far too often


SOMA
I'm past half way and it's moved more on to having a creature that stalks you during some sequences now and it's highlighted I think what I was originally saying about it, the game leans to suiting being a walking sim more. The creature just jump scare walks toward you which results in you legging it but there's no smart design at play in the encounter at all. You can only try to remain outside the line of sight, there's no actual stealth mechanic and it pops up in areas where you can't see and aren't familiar with the layout leading you to just leg it for any exit you can find. It's really sucking the fun out of the game.

[teddymeow]

For all its cutesy marshmallow aesthetics, I found this game to be pad-throwingly infuriating at times!

I thought it was ****! Same as Human Fall Flat.

[QualityChimp]

I thought it was ****! Same as Human Fall Flat.

I had a lot of fun with it when playing with mates over PSN during lockdown, but it was when I started playing solo that I started getting frustrated and the imprecise controls went from funny to frustrating.

I like the game. I'm pleased a smaller studio got some light shone on them and hope they get momentum to create some more fun games, but I feel I'm done with it.

My son played it for a bit, but he's wholesale obsessed with Knockout City, which is a lot more skill based and it's been great to see him get really good at the game.

[Neon Ignition]

SOMA
Can't really add much except it continued to become an experience of frustration during encounters rather than fun, really dragged the experience down
6/10

[wheelaa]

Omno

Third person adventure from Studio Inkyfox (one person, Jonas Manke).

Part explorer, part platformer, part puzzler, part collector, all balanced well with each other, none too dominant or too neglected. All rather simple though. Chilling not killing.

Charming graphical style across a typical array of locations...desert, snow, forest etc. Relaxing music that fits the game very well as you progress through the journey.

Easy game (and easy achievements). You learn a few skills on the way, all of which are incorporated into the platform / puzzle elements. Tight controls (mostly).

I've enjoyed it, and with one level to go, there has been enough variety for me to look forward to getting to each new level or area. I'll say it again though...rather simple.

[Wools]

Whilst discussion has come down on the side of not merging the General Discussion forum with First Play...

That's a real shame as I've thought so many times the 2 should be merged, as this thread and the past 10 or so threads in this folder are testament to the idea that people just don't hop across to post their impressions.

[cutmymilk]

The forum would be better with two categories. Games and Anything Else.

[Golgo]

Adding a First Play is not a difficult or time consuming thing to do - whether it's a new release or not. It makes perfect sense, especially when gameplay impressions are now increasingly lost in threads about release dates. So pull your fingers out, weebs!

[Lebowski]

More xbox gamepass stuff,

Lost in random

Tim-Burton esk wold where at the age of twelve your position in its world is decided on the roll of a Dice by an evil queen that rules over the six lands of this dice based world. Sisters Odd and Even are ripped apart when Even is moved up to Sixtopia to become a Sixer and odd is left behind in the slums of Onecroft. levels feel a bit linear but look like something straight out of a stop motion animation film like Coraline or Nightmare Before Christmas.

Where this game really comes into its own is the combat its a card deck building game where you roll your companion Dicey to unlock attacks, hitting enemy's gives dicey energy and the more energy you have the more cards are pulled out of your deck. To use the cards you roll dicey, time stops briefly and depending on how high you roll relates to the actions you can do, one card for example spawns a Sword for you to attack with one spawns a Bow another lets you place bombs down or heal yourself a really useful card i found early on adds more action points to your roll for free, i only have a few basic cards at the moment but i cant wait to find some more. The melee based weapons you unlock with the cards feels really solid and all have combos attached, you can also dodge attacks too so it all feels pretty fluid when your fighting. ive only done a couple of levels so far and i don't think its gonna outstay its welcome with its ten hour playtime so its well worth a look.

Turnip boy commits tax evasion

Very silly, very easy retro Zelda Lite game with some great writing and a fun little world to explore, worth a couple of hours play for the easy achievements and very silly cast.

[Lebowski]

Little witch in the woods Xbox / PC Early Access

This is a life sim where you play the part of an apprentice witch who ends up in a small village when she gets left behind by a train. You find an old abandoned witch house to fix up and decided to stay to help out a nearby village and bring it back to its former glory. It's a mix of Stardew valley with some exploration and puzzle elements too. Where this differs is that you don't grow your own ingredients and theirs no farming yet, you explore a lot more, and you catalogue all the things you find too. I'm really enjoying the cataloguing element everything you find you can add to your book with your quill to learn more about it.

Potions are the currency here you make them by collecting ingredients from the woods. Most of the stuff you make early game helps you explore and open new areas and it can also be sold to gain money to buy items to improve your workshop, its a nice little loop. I'm only in early game and about 20 days in but things are progressing nicely, your first task is to get to the village and find out why magical vines are destroying buildings and once this is done you can start to rebuild, so far Ive only managed to bring the carpenter back but this seems to be the first step to getting the village back on its feet.

The art style is all pixel art and really nicely drawn, with really cute little animations and a lovely Studio Ghibli esk soundtrack. if you like games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing you should definitely give this a look.

[Asura]

Little witch in the woods Xbox / PC Early Access

Looks fantastic; paging [MENTION=16665]Blobcat[/MENTION] - I suspect you'll want to pick this up when it comes out on Switch.