What are you playing?

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Basically if you've bought a skill five times (which you can do in a single run if you have enough cash) it becomes permanently unlocked.
Buying an actually new move also tends to unlock similar moves for all of your weapons (the most infamous example being the Charged Backfist that lets you pull a insta-kill stab with bladed weapons; takes a lot longer to charge up, though).

I'd say the gradual unlocking works alright here. I generally need some play experience before you can appreciate the new tools.
However you can make your life a lot easier by buying certain moves early. Snap Kick is a godsend to close the distance to your target, and there's this one skill that lets you kick objects (which includes weapons lying on the ground, but also a lot of smaller deco objects) at enemies which is pretty handy in a lot of areas.
Though if your parry/dodge game is spot on you technically start with all the tools you actually need.

[Kugelfisch]

I didn't mind unlocking the moves. You'll be busy enough with your base moves anyway.
You have palm strike and throwing from the start and those are so vital that you should get used to them anyway.

Besides that, most unluckable moves are pretty situational. Besides the strong sweep, all unlockable focus moves cost two or three bars and some require a weapon. You won't have two bars of focus until the third level the soonest.


What I can say for sure is that you don't have this "failing forward" effect many roguelites have.
Yes, you need to unlock stuff for a while. But you wouldn't know what to do with all the moves right from the start anyway.
Yes, you unlock shortcuts. But you earned them and they are sometimes not worth taking anyway.

I could easily get to the Museum without a single death by taking all the shortcuts. But I'd skip so many shrines that I'd arrive there without any unlocked rewards. So the shortcuts come with a price.

Think of the unlocks as a full armour and weapon set of a tough monster in MonHun. You have been grinding and are now more powerful for it. But you had to earn that shit. You didn't just get more powerful via leveling, you had to get good first and better stats were your reward.

[rabidtictac]

What I can say for sure is that you don't have this "failing forward" effect many roguelites have.

That's precisely what I was worried about. So I'm glad to hear it's not the case. I hate most modern roguelites because they're not really built for a fresh run to clear and they push the meta progression angle of "die your way to victory."

[Kugelfisch]

Yeah that's absolutely not the case here. You don't need any of the moves you unlock. All are situational and optional but you'll have them eventually anyway. They sure as shit don't carry you.

You'll progress further because you get better as a player. Because the game will absolutely kick your shit in. I bet you won't even make it to the fist boss your first run.

Watching a good player in Sifu is a bit like watching someone good at Ghosts and Goblins or Battletoads. Looks easy, until you try it.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Really anything that actually makes the game easier is locked behind the shrine bonuses, which you can never earn permanently.
And has anyone tried out those Arena missions? That shit is dope, man.

That's precisely what I was worried about. So I'm glad to hear it's not the case. I hate most modern roguelites because they're not really built for a fresh run to clear and they push the meta progression angle of "die your way to victory."

Rogue Legacy is one of the biggest mistakes in gaming history.

[Kugelfisch]

That game is utter garbage. Nothing about it is good.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Just got Sifu's true ending. Dayum that got close towards the end. Also somehow managed to punch Yang out of his Yamcha-style charge combo attack.
And man, those durability upgrades really go a long way. I had like one and managed to keep that quarterstaff almost for the entire boss fight.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

So I check out Soulash (soul ash?).
>tank controls in my Roguelike
jameson.gif
Well, at least I can switch this back to true-and-honest numpad controls.
>default controls for numpad don't work because "switch action bar" and "move without turning" are mapped to the same button
It's fun to have your games gaslight you into thinking that your keyboard is broken or something
>mandatory mouse controls for pretty much anything that is not moving or melee-attacking
jameson.gif.
This totally won't make numpad controls awkward at all.

So far runs have been pretty swingy. If it's not an adorable bunny or the dirtiest of peasants, it will probably kick your ass. Including fucking bats of all things.
Though currently I've lucked out as a necromancer. Started with corpses and adorable bunnies around me. The only thing that has stopped me from snowballing completely was some high-level witch I managed to defeat by letting my zombies take care of the problem.

[Kugelfisch]

>mandatory mouse controls in a roguelike
Yeah no, I won't even try that. It's bad enough if a dungeon crawler does that. But in a roguelike? That's just poor taste.

[AdorableOtter]

Finished the alt ending route in SIFU, and… I like the normal ending better. Going alt is such a pain in every body part for a meh outcome, I'll never do this shit again.
Also, weapons suck, or maybe I suck at weapons, they are basically all throwing weapons for me. It hurts weapons don't have the equivalents of charged punch and back elbow (ala Double Dragon), when some enemies (including bosses) are totally susceptible to them.