Info about Fall of Light: Darkest Edition:

Official game description:
Just Updated
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Fall of Light has been featured at Rock, Paper, Shotgun as a "Hidden Gem" and one of the "Best new Steam games" of this week.
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**"Quite a bit like Dark Souls then, but with a touch of Ico to it."**  
Check out the article here:  
Gamepad strongly recommended
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For best gameplay experience, we strongly recommend to use a gamepad. Fall of Light's control scheme hase been carefuly tailored in order to make Dark Souls fans feel right at home.
About the Game
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_"In the beginning, there was only an excruciating, screaming void, wherein twisted souls writhed about, imprisoned in nothingness. Then the darkness was pierced by Luce, and with her came warmth and order. The time of men had begun, and would last many eras. But the 14th era is one of Darkness…"_
As Nyx, an old, retired warrior, evade the Shadows and find your way through the crooked corridors of gloomy dungeons, navigate the treacherous pathways of the darkened overworld and fight emissaries of darkness in long-forgotten temples. Many puzzles and deadly traps stand between you and your goal – to bring your daughter Aether to the last place on the face of Earth that still sees light.
Inspired by games such as Dark Souls and ICO, Fall of Light rewards those who explore the world on their own and draw their own conclusions. Meet odd characters, search through every nook and cranny to unlock hidden secrets and learn more about the history and lore of the somber world around you. Pick your favorite combination of close-range weapons, crossbows and shields, determine your fighting stance and get ready to face hordes of crafty enemies. And above all, keep your daughter from harm, as she is the light piercing the darkness and the key to unlocking forbidden passages.
Features:
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*   20 different battle stances, including two-handed and dual-wielding
*   10 weapon classes covering both short-range and long-range weaponry
*   Guide and protect your companion – Aether, the Indigo child
*   Fight Shadows, soldiers of darkness and underworld bosses
*   Explore the overworld, scour dungeons and temples to gain and use special powers
*   Uncover many secrets and solve various environmental puzzles

Release date: Sep 28, 2017

Categories: Soulslike Combat, Action RPG, Exploration, Character Progression, Puzzle Solving, Atmospheric Horror, Single-player Story, Companion System

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals significant issues with game stability, control responsiveness, and overall gameplay enjoyment. Multiple users have reported problems such as progress loss, frame drops, and unresponsive controls, which severely impact the user experience. These issues contribute to a high level of friction, making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating to play.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $3.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community generally finds the game worth purchasing only when it is significantly discounted. Multiple reviews mention that the game is only worth buying during a sale, with specific mentions of prices around $3, $8, and $15. This indicates that the perceived fair price range for the game is quite low, likely due to criticisms about it being a rip-off of Dark Souls and having limited content.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 18.0h
  - Story completion: 8.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides insights into the typical playtime metrics for the game. The first quote suggests that a typical playthrough can take around 10-20 hours. The second quote indicates that a first playthrough takes at least 8 hours without a guide, which supports the story completion time. The third quote mentions that a player who believes they are halfway through the game has already spent 9 hours, suggesting a total game completion time of around 18 hours. The fourth quote supports the idea that players spend significant time on the game, contributing to the overall playtime metrics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game offers immediate fun for some players but has a steep learning curve and tutorial issues that can cause early frustration. Once past the tutorial, the experience varies significantly.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Getting past the tutorial
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Steep learning curve; Punishing tutorial; Lack of character responsiveness
  - Unlock drivers: Mastering combat; Exploration
  - Conditions: Patience with learning curve; Willingness to explore
- Player Archetypes:
  - Souls Veteran (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Challenge and mastery of difficult gameplay mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and patient, focusing on learning enemy patterns and perfecting their own skills.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Souls player; Dark Souls fan
    - Reference games: Dark Souls; Bloodborne; Hollow Knight
  - Souls-like Curious (sale)
    - Motivation: Improvement and overcoming challenges.
    - Playstyle: Open to learning and trying new strategies, often seeking advice from more experienced players.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Newcomer; Casual player
    - Reference games: Dark Souls; Hollow Knight
  - Cautious Recommender (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Providing fair and balanced game assessments.
    - Playstyle: Analytical and considerate, focusing on evaluating the game's worth and providing balanced recommendations.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Experienced gamer; Balanced reviewer
    - Reference games: Dark Souls; Bloodborne


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Interesting and unique story (weight 0.61): The story is described as interesting, unique, and engaging. It includes atmospheric and somber storytelling that keeps players engaged.
- Enjoyable and fluid combat system (weight 0.45): The combat system is enjoyable, fluid, and well-thought-out. It is fast-paced and rewarding, with a variety of weapons and combat strategies.
- Beautiful and enjoyable graphics (weight 0.22): The game features nice graphics and beautiful visuals. The visual style is appreciated by players and fits well with the game's themes.
- Unique companion mechanics (weight 0.16): The game features unique companion mechanics, particularly with the daughter character, adding a unique dynamic to the gameplay.
- Approachable for beginners in Souls-like genre (weight 0.16): The game is considered a great introduction to the Souls-like genre, being less difficult than Dark Souls games.
- Encouraging and rewarding exploration (weight 0.14): The game encourages exploration, which is found to be enjoyable and rewarding by players.
- Responsive and helpful developers (weight 0.13): The developers are noted for being responsive to player feedback and helpful.
- Inspired by Dark Souls and ICO (weight 0.13): The game draws inspiration from Dark Souls and ICO, incorporating familiar combat aspects and thematic elements.
- Good soundtrack and voice acting (weight 0.07): The game features a good soundtrack and voice acting, enhancing the overall experience.
- Strong thematic focus on light (weight 0.07): The game has a strong thematic focus on light, representing both hope and vulnerability.
- Unique atmosphere (weight 0.07): The game has a unique atmosphere that is well-received by players.

Common complaints:
- Clunky and frustrating combat mechanics (weight 0.83): The combat system is widely criticized for being clunky, unresponsive, and poorly designed. Players find the mechanics frustrating due to issues with hit detection, controls, and overall execution.
- Poor controls and movement (weight 0.43): The controls are often described as uncomfortable, unresponsive, and poorly designed, making the game difficult to play and enjoy.
- Dark Souls imitation criticisms (weight 0.32): The game is frequently accused of being a poor imitation of Dark Souls, with many aspects of the story and intro feeling copied or unoriginal.
- Frustrating companion character (weight 0.32): The companion character, often referred to as a daughter, is seen as a burden and can slow down the game, causing frustration.
- Visual and graphical issues (weight 0.18): The game's visuals are criticized for being poor, with issues in lighting design and overall graphical quality.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.18): The game suffers from various technical issues and bugs, which affect gameplay and overall experience.
- Lack of weapon and inventory variety (weight 0.13): Players are limited to carrying only two weapons at a time, and there is a notable lack of inventory management, which restricts gameplay variety.
- Slow progression and pacing (weight 0.13): The game's progression is described as slow and gradual, with a narrative pace that feels equally slow, impacting the overall enjoyment.
- Confusing and frustrating game design (weight 0.07): Developers are accused of trolling players with confusing and frustrating game design choices that break the logic of the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Souls-like combat and mechanics (weight 0.4): The game features combat mechanics similar to the Dark Souls series, with a top-down view and action RPG elements.
- High difficulty and challenges (weight 0.18): The game is noted for its high difficulty level, which many players find challenging and sometimes unfair.
- Enjoyable exploration and puzzles (weight 0.18): Players appreciate the exploration aspects and puzzle-solving elements, finding them enjoyable and well-integrated into the level design.
- Stamina-based combat mechanics (weight 0.15): Combat is tied to a stamina meter, requiring players to manage stamina regeneration and usage carefully.
- Variety of weapons and strategies (weight 0.14): The game offers a variety of weapons with different effects and combat strategies, providing diverse gameplay options.
- Weapon and enemy behavior (weight 0.13): Weapons and enemies have specific behaviors and mechanics, requiring players to understand and adapt to these patterns.
- Multiple story endings (weight 0.11): The game's story offers replayability with multiple endings and various collectibles, adding depth to the narrative.
- Minimalistic and beautiful visuals (weight 0.11): The game features minimalistic visuals that are appreciated for their beauty and atmospheric design.
- Dark and atmospheric environments (weight 0.08): The game uses dark environments and atmospheric lighting to create a specific mood and setting.
- Level design with secrets (weight 0.08): The level design includes secrets, shortcuts, and rewards, encouraging exploration and discovery.
- Enemy respawns and behavior (weight 0.08): Enemies respawn and their behavior changes, which can impact the game's difficulty and strategy.
- Companion mechanics (weight 0.08): The game includes companion mechanics, particularly with the daughter character, adding a unique element to gameplay.
- Game progression system (weight 0.07): The game includes a progression system that affects how players advance and develop their characters.
- Large locations (weight 0.07): The game features large locations, providing expansive areas for players to explore.
- Developers troll players (weight 0.06): Some players feel that the developers intentionally break game design logic to frustrate players.

Performance notes:
- Poor graphics and optimization (weight 0.26): The game has been criticized for its poor graphics quality and bad optimization, making it run poorly on various hardware configurations.
- Technical bugs and issues (weight 0.18): Players have reported various technical bugs, including texture issues, camera problems, brightness issues, and character movement bugs.
- Positive performance feedback (weight 0.11): Some players have reported that the game runs smoothly and flawlessly on their systems, indicating that the performance can vary significantly depending on the hardware and settings.
- Sound and music feedback (weight 0.07): Feedback on the game's audio includes criticisms about the lack of pronounced sound effects and positive comments about the atmospheric music.

Recommendations:
- Play other similar games instead (weight 0.11): Players suggest that if you are interested in similar games like ICO and Dark Souls, you should play those instead.
- Wait for a sale (weight 0.09): Many players suggest only purchasing the game during a deep sale or discount period.
- Highly recommended for emotional experience (weight 0.05): The game is highly recommended for its emotional experience and combat, indicating strong positive feedback in these areas.
- Recommended for fans of specific genres (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for fans of Dark Souls and similar games, suggesting it appeals to a niche audience.
- Buy after trying the demo (weight 0.05): Some players suggest buying the game immediately after completing the demo, indicating the demo is a good indicator of the full game's quality.
- Not recommended for purchase (weight 0.05): Some players explicitly state that they do not recommend buying the game at all.
- Controller recommended (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for those who have a controller, implying better gameplay experience with a controller.
- Support and buy the game (weight 0.05): There is a recommendation to support and buy the game, indicating some players see value in purchasing it.
- Consider if obtained through a bundle (weight 0.05): The game might be worth looking into if you already have it from a bundle, but not necessarily worth purchasing separately.
- Watch videos before buying (weight 0.05): Players recommend watching videos of the game before making a purchase decision, implying that seeing gameplay might influence the decision.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.38): Players are primarily frustrated with the game's combat mechanics, which are described as basic, failing, and poorly executed. Additionally, the controls are frequently mentioned as sluggish, unresponsive, and difficult to manage, contributing significantly to the overall frustration. The high difficulty, steep learning curve, and various bugs further exacerbate these issues, making the gameplay experience challenging and less enjoyable.
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players express disappointment due to the game's poor controls, combat mechanics, and various bugs. The lack of originality in the story and poor graphics also contribute to this sentiment. Additionally, technical issues and the game's unrefined combat mechanics make it feel unpolished and lacking compared to other games.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Players enjoy the game's unique atmosphere, rewarding gameplay, and exploration mechanics. The intuitive and modern gameplay, along with the variety of weapons and responsive developers, contribute to a positive experience. The storyline, concept, and design are also highlighted as enjoyable aspects.
- Joy (weight 0.09): Players find joy in the game's great atmosphere, fantastic music, and touching story. The enjoyable combat system and the emotional engagement with the story and characters contribute to a positive and fun gameplay experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Players are satisfied with the game's combat and map design, as well as the enjoyable exploration and challenging gameplay. The interesting environments and the overall experience, despite some flaws, contribute to a sense of satisfaction.
- Frustrated (weight 0.04): Players are frustrated with the game's difficulty, lack of upgrade settings, and combat responsiveness issues. The poor performance on macOS and various design flaws, including dark environments and finicky combat, add to the frustration.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique gameplay and story, as well as its originality and overall experience. The developer's responsiveness and positive first impressions also contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players express anger due to poor game design, bugs, and developers trolling players. Progress loss and game crashes further fuel this anger, making the gameplay experience highly frustrating.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Players are interested in the game's storyline and challenging gameplay. The dark setting and unique aspects of the game also pique their interest.
- Sadness (weight 0.02): Players feel sadness primarily due to the emotional engagement with the daughter character and the ending of the game. The melancholic mood and the emotional weight of the story contribute to this feeling.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's well-done combat and fresh ideas. The unique aspects of the game, including its atmospheric story and companion mechanics, contribute to this excitement.
- Melancholic (weight 0.01): Players feel a sense of melancholy due to the game's bleak and melancholic mood. The emotional engagement with the story and characters enhances this feeling.
- Hopeful (weight 0.01): Players feel hopeful due to the emotional weight of protecting Aether and her inner light. The game's atmospheric story and unique companion mechanics contribute to this sense of hope.
- Confused (weight 0.01): Players are confused due to the lack of clear instructions for data synchronization and uncertainty about max health upgrades. These issues make the gameplay experience less straightforward and more challenging.
- Mixed (weight 0.01): Players have mixed feelings about the game, appreciating its charm and melancholy while being frustrated with its clunky controls and lackluster story. The unique aspects of the game are overshadowed by its various flaws and shortcomings.
- Engaged (weight 0.01): Players feel engaged due to the game's atmospheric story and unique companion mechanics. The emotional engagement with the story and characters, as well as the challenging gameplay, contribute to this sense of engagement.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players feel satisfied with the game's approachability for beginners and the enjoyment of taking down big bads. The overall gameplay experience, despite some flaws, contributes to this sense of satisfaction.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players express gratitude for the use of external guides and maps, which enhance their gameplay experience. These resources help mitigate some of the game's flaws and make it more enjoyable.}