#i think its funny because the ai or the cardinal system is literally trying to softlock players in sao

[sadioradio]

I couldn't be a frontliner in sao dude...I would softlock all of us on a floor or som cause of my stupid ass

[moddeydhoo]

Stray first reactions: it’s wonderful, until...

Early-game spoilers up to first non-feline NPC.

Reached B12 and I gotta... uh... the game up to this point has been a very good experience. (Linear and Skyrim-physicsy, but otherwise good. Cat animation ranging from good to excellent.) However, the game with the addition of B12 is so far... really not?

Ugh. I don’t know. Judging by the achievement names, I feel like by this point the player is meant to be feeling lonely. Maybe that’s some neurotypical shiz. I wasn’t. Quite apart from the fact that I cut my teeth on Ecco 1&2, this game asked me to play a cat, so I have been playing a cat. I’ve been knocking things off ledges, miaowing demandingly at every door I come across, and generally enjoying myself.

The buildup to meeting B12 is perfect. Very foreshadowy and ominous, with all the Maneki Neko references. I was all over myself ready to meet an AI in a ruined world. I was thinking Rain World, New Vegas... you know.

And... so B12 appears and immediately dresses you (HISS), which is funny as hell because your cat flops over in protest and creeps around as if you’ve put deadly concrete on its fur and generally remains 100% characterised as a cat. B12 itself, though, is... just... really annoying? It steals the controls from me every few seconds, which is a cardinal sin oh my god don’t do that, and it says dialogue (it suuuure does say dialogue), but it’s not talking to the cat. It’s talking past the cat, perhaps at the player or the general surroundings, and it’s just rambling about itself. And I don’t? really have any reason to care? about its lame amnesia plot hooks? I’m a cat???

There’s no VA; it’s just voice bips with no variation. Obviously that’s saving money for localisation, but it means there’s no voice I can connect to -- no literal voice, no characterisation voice. The nonverbal communication earlier, with street lights flashing on and security cameras following me and responding to me? Exquisite. Being abruptly weaned on to English text is a huge let-down. The mystery’s gone. The dialogue isn’t well written. It’s characterless, stale and cliched. It’s honestly really surprising and a quite unpleasant transition. Plus, I’m a cat. I don’t understand language. I don’t understand objects, so the immersion, already stretched by my having to find power packs for things, is good and lost now because the game is still presenting me as controlling the cat.

Cats aren’t tool-users, you see; they’re people-users. They miaow, and then a servant does things for them. I feel like “demand things” would be a way funnier system than "use object on environment”.

I dunno. Feels like an intended emotional beat badly misfired and my immersion and independence were yanked away. I’ve saved and quit for now and am hoping I’ll find it less annoying next time... but as it stands, the opening section of the game was a great experience, and I’m kinda concerned that it might just have been ruined.

(also see self-reblog in which I try to put did more clearly with examples)