Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 12/Mar 02:10

Coridden – Review

Some of our fondest gaming memories come from playing It Takes Two with someone hundreds of miles away. As Coridden, the subject of today’s review, is a game that highly encourages co-op play, we wanted to approach it with a similar mindset. Unfortunately, life got in the way, as it tends to do. For our review, we ended up giving Coridden a shot in single-player mode. While this probably isn’t the ideal way to take a look at this game in particular, it does answer the question of whether or not it has merit as a solo experience. Story Set in Aasha, a strange post-apocalyptic world, Coridden tells the story of four siblings: Jai, Devi, Lilly, and Eshan. It’s not entirely clear when things take place, as Aasha’s inhabitants rely on ancient weaponry, like spears and bows, but modern technology is scattered all over the world. On the eve of a tournament, the siblings are given special gauntlets that grant them the power of transformation by obtaining monster DNA. These gauntlets are what kickstart Coridden’s story, as it turns out they are inhabited by an AI that might just hold the key to finding our heroes’ missing father. This forms the basis for Coridden’s main storyline, although there are plenty of side quests and individual stories for the siblings to dive into, as well as discoverable lore that fleshes out the world further. Graphics We weren’t particularly impressed with Coridden’s isometric visuals. The creature designs are supposedly the game’s main draw, but the models used here look dated and oversimplified, presumably to keep the game’s performance under control when a lot is happening at once, especially in co-op. It’s often difficult to make out what exactly is going on, however. Things are zoomed out a tad too much, and the game is too dark as a whole. Aesthetically, Coridden is fantastic, as evidenced by the portraits and key art, but the in-game execution of the graphics falls flat. Sound Although there is voice acting present in Coridden, it is uneven and rough, to the point that it detracts from the game’s immersion. Fortunately, things fare better for the atmospheric soundtrack, which fits well with both Coridden’s more intense action as well as the air of mystery surrounding the exploration of the game’s different environments. The sound effects are decent too, both when it comes to ambient sound effects and the different growls and snarls of the different creatures. Gameplay At its core, Coridden is an ARPG that puts a heavy focus on being able to transform into the various creatures that you encounter and defeat as you make your way through the story campaign. There is a wide variety of equipable transformations to choose from, and these can be customized and upgraded too, resulting in a wide variety of playstyles and strategies that you can employ to take on Coridden’s bosses. Being an ARPG, this is a combat-heavy game, and the robust transformation system forms the backbone of what makes Coridden so engaging. Individual forms have individual stamina meters, so you’re swapping between different forms on the fly to unleash powerful attacks from different creatures in quick succession. The various monster forms are akin to different classes or wearables in other games, meaning that they are permanent instead of temporary, time-limited boosts. The different sizes, shapes, and attacks of these creatures allow Coridden to cater to a wide variety of play-styles. A good part of what makes the game fun comes simply from experimenting with new additions to your ever-growing menagerie. That said, Coridden rewards players for sticking with forms for longer, as each monster comes with its own skill tree. This is further supplemented by each of the four playable characters having their own unique abilities. It’s layer upon layer of strategic customizability, yet Coridden never becomes overly complex and remains intuitive throughout. It also helps that the game’s combat controls are snappy and responsive. That said, the game’s difficulty can feel punishing at times, and we often felt like we faced a wall whenever we had to fight a particularly tough monster. Your experience may be entirely different in co-op, where you can strategize and synergize. Unfortunately, defeating a monster doesn’t guarantee that you’ll obtain its form. There is a seeming randomness here, and Coridden occasionally felt needlessly grindy as we refought the same enemies over and over again, trying to obtain the ability to transform into them. While we understand why this was done, it would’ve been preferable had this mechanic relied on collecting a set number of monster parts, for example, and in the case of boss battles, getting their form should be a guaranteed reward. At roughly eight hours for a single playthrough, Coridden isn’t a very long game, and the reliance on random drops feels like padding. Granted, the dynamic of the game’s mechanics might feel significantly different when playing in co-op, as the battles would presumably be quicker and less tedious. This would inevitably result in shorter playthroughs, so once again, replayability is the keyword here. It’s a good thing that Coridden excels at this, as each player would need their own copy of the game, of course. Granted, Coridden doesn’t break the bank with its €19.99 RRP, but if you’re going to play this one with a full set of four players, then that price does add up. Conclusion Our experience with Coridden was a mixed bag. The game definitely has a lot of strengths but doesn’t always play to them. Admittedly, our main issues with Coridden’s gameplay stem from the game’s difficulty spikes and tedious grinding, something that is likely mitigated by teaming up with friends to tackle the campaign. Still, the game’s lacklustre visuals and voice acting hurt the overall appeal. We’re on the fence about whether or not to recommend this one, and ultimately, it boils down to whether or not you’ll be able to convince someone to take on this adventure together.