Hack-and-Slash Meets Tactical Time Travel in ‘Lysfanga’
Although Lysfanga’s isometric views may remind players of Hades, the gameplay of this game is unique. While players will still engage in combat with monsters and foes, the main character Imë has the added ability to manipulate time and redo battles with different strategies. In subsequent attempts, Imë’s shadow from the previous timeline will also join in the fight against enemies. This feature is reminiscent of the ghost characters in racing games like Mario Kart and Gran Turismo, but in a cooperative rather than competitive manner.
The goal is to complete separate levels of combat in one “run” with only a limited number of ghost Ims doing the job. Naturally, things are further complicated by enemies that cannot be defeated head-on, or paired monsters that must be killed almost simultaneously, or they respawn each other. Another ReturnByte editor said it reminded them of Transistor — a game that rewards careful planning of moves. While I was able to rush through some early encounters without much thought, later levels required careful route planning and doors that locked and opened as my character (or his ghost) dashed through them, exploding enemies that could be knocked into others. enemies and a constant countdown which meant sometimes there wasn’t enough time to think.
Fortunately, Lysfanga’s short levels – most of which can be completed in less than two minutes – can be restarted. (There were times when I knew I was screwing up, from seconds to levels.) Imë also has a bunch of spells and special attacks with cooldown timers, adding more combat options. The controls are relatively simple: two melee attack buttons that can be linked together, a button for casting spells, a dash button for dodging attacks and jumping over gaps, a rewind trigger for your time warping powers, and a button for ultimate. attack.
According to the trailer, there will be different weapons for different approaches, such as long-reaching spears and fast chakram blades. You can also unleash a super attack that not only deals high damage to nearby enemies, but also reverberates through your opposing teams.
While some action gaming skills help, you can beat most levels just by thinking them through before you act. The controls and gameplay aren’t very similar, but Lysfanga reminded me of the old Fire Emblem games where careful planning ended the battle before it even started. Even in this early demo, the game offers incredibly satisfying moments when all your attacking clones come together to wipe out all the enemies in a matter of seconds. Each level can be replayed with tokens throughout the game and includes a more challenging time limit to beat if you thought it was too easy the first time.
Along with Under The Waves, the game is one of the first titles from Quantic Dream’s new Spotlight publishing division. Lafanga will be released later this year on PC via both Steam and Epic Games.
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