ReSetna review: Robosoulsvania

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ReSetna caters to a specific gaming audience who thrive on intense combat experiences, with each encounter leaving a lasting impression in their memory. The game’s rapid progression, often involving navigating through an intricate network of combat-focused tunnels, appeals to those with a penchant for the genre. However, there are certain aspects that may hinder its overall appeal.

Booting up

Right from the get-go, ReSetna leaves an indelible mark. Its striking, thought-provoking art direction paints a bleak picture of a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by robots – a reality as grim as its description suggests. The gameplay mechanics are responsive and agile, while the enemy designs offer a diverse and engaging challenge in virtually any scenario.

You assume the role of ReSetna, a battle-hardened combat robot embarking on a journey through the remnants of a once-great civilization. Along the way, you encounter mad robots that have succumbed to insanity, collecting valuable tools hidden within the ruins or bartering for them with parts scavenged from fallen comrades. In essence, ReSetna is like a robotic version of Dark Souls – complete with cryptic NPC dialogue steeped in lore and a toxic marsh to navigate.

Engaging in battles is swift and powerful; even a small number of adversaries can disrupt your journey towards the next destination of interest if you’re not cautious. To ease things, you’ll eventually acquire a dodge, a block, and an expanding inventory of weapons, abilities, and passive capabilities that can be equipped. Many of these skills are common to this genre, such as double jumping, air dashing, shielding, etc., which aid in platforming and sometimes in combat. On the surface, it all appears functional. However, in actual play, there were instances where a dodge got me stuck within the game’s level geometry, setting me up for defeat, or my attack button failed to respond after exiting a shield.

Some not-so-adorable jank

Occasionally, but frequently enough to lead to unintentional deaths and brief rewinds to make up for lost progress, this game’s mechanics can cause such issues. This issue is not limited to combat; it also affects platforming. The experience can be exhilarating when everything goes right, but it can be infuriating when things go wrong. For instance, I found myself stuck for 30 minutes on a single level due to a jump sequence that required me to double-jump from a ladder, then dash to grab a ledge. Since this type of leap was rare, I didn’t even know it was possible until I encountered it. My initial attempts at the jump resulted in me falling off the ladder or dashing into lasers because the timing was tricky. After much frustration and searching for hidden abilities or overlooked paths, I eventually figured out the correct execution of the jump.

In many cases, boss battles share a common predicament: they are intricately designed encounters featuring exciting and diverse moves that keep players engaged. However, dealing significant damage to them is quite challenging, even with powerful weapons, as it feels like you’re nibbling at their worn-down ankles before they eventually succumb. I don’t mind tough enemies or protracted battles, but these adversaries pack a punch, and their hit zones appear somewhat unjust. Finding myself stumped on the initial one because the damage I was inflicting was pathetic (I improved slightly afterwards) had me scouring every nook and cranny of the map, convinced that I’d overlooked something.

I will love you at a later time

This experience is quite disappointing as when ReSetna functions properly, it offers an exceptionally taut, action-oriented Metroidvania with numerous exciting combat challenges. The platforming segments were enjoyable too, with challenging yet satisfying moments. However, some of the game’s quirks need to be addressed by Today’s Games team soon. To top it all off, the game itself crashed, spoiled my save progress, and I was forced to restart from scratch.

I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to be overly critical, but the game I tried had all the elements of an outstanding Metroidvania-style experience. However, minor technical glitches kept cropping up, which unfortunately detracted from the overall enjoyment. If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias with precise combat and don’t mind some rough edges, there’s a lot to appreciate here. But if you can’t overlook these imperfections, it might be wise to wait for a couple more updates before diving in.

As a gamer, I received a PC version of the game from the publisher, specifically for this review. Right now, ReSetna is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and personally, I’m playing it on my PC.

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2025-01-31 07:57