I actually do not like the way the actual game plays like, even without all that random stage patterns that were, in my humble opinion, a mistake.
"Len'en was a mistake". No, not quite.
There is a great variance between pattern quality, even for short bosses.
Patterns that plays neat and actually adhere to shmup principles are mixed with patterns that are just a single gimmick that one can master easily, are much harder or much easier than chronologically adjacent patterns, and/or just sucks.
For example:
- Souko Shirami's nonspells are enlongated bullets that move in a expanding carousel pattern. They are needlessly confusing for a stage ONE boss, even without that ambiguosity where those enlongated bullets actually ends.
- Kaizen Azuma is just schizophrenic. First nonspell is laughably easy, then you got a first spell which expands on that nonspell in a manner that feel like cheating due to confusion where bullet could come, then back to another easy nonspell, and easy-to-master gimmicks.
- Battle with Garaiya Ogata is mostly stupid gimmicks that one can master easily, especially the nonspells which seem to be just to show.
- Para feels like just throwing whatever didn't make cut for other bosses' respective battles, which, while making somewhat of a sense from a character perspective, just feels lazy from a GAME perspective.
- final bosses that debuted in that game have patterns that feel like they were made as fast as possible while making sure they somehow were connected to characters shooting them in question. They feel extremely rushed compared to patterns of previous final bosses (Clause, Yaorochi and Fumikado, NOT Shion), which, while still requiring polishing, look and plays like they got a great more deal of an actual work put into them. Mitori's first spell card, in particular, might be as well a big fat "F*** YOU" to the player... if not for the fact it is mostly luck based. Drunk coding, eh?
- Yago's battle starts with a bunch of gimmick that plays EXACTLY like they were straight from test rooms. Then better-designed spells plays... mixed with the former. Ugh.
There are more examples (Hibaru is an obvious one), but I'm too lazy to make an exhaustive list of them.
It looks like JynX is implementing the first thing they think about for a pattern, and not redesign or outright replace them even after it becomes painfully obvious some of these patterns SUCKS.
It's like JynX cares about the game second and focuses on the story first, placing characters and stories that feel like straight from the modern action shonen series on the no.1 place on the "to do" list. The result is a game that, if reviewed by actual game reviewers, would earn a 5/10 score at the very best.
You know what? I care only about the stories then. I don't care about the games (which plays badly) nor the music (the BPoHC's new pieces are fifty-fifty nice ideas and VERY rushed melodies recycled from elsewhere).
I've wrote so much just to point out obvious problems about an extensive game that is yet to be known by more that a dozen people.
