The Conan simulator is here, or at least the demo. I would love to state that Crowned In Steel does a remarkable job at what it set out to do, but I had some minor problems with it. Which, to be fair, is probably a skill issue from my side. So, while it does a fine job looking, and feeling the part, the gameplay is a bit confusing to my old brain, and does not entirely sync with the combat.
Sword swinging
The main issue I have is with its stagger mechanic. Meaning: you have to wail at the enemy for the stagger meter to increase to eventually have a chance to stagger your foe. To me, this just feels a bit weird, and does not entirely match the brutality of the theme (Conan), or the game it seems to be heavily inspired by (Severance: Blade of Darkness), where hits have an effect. I would have preferred if any cut, depending on the weight of the weapon, caused a stagger, or just have any kind of response from the enemy in general. Now, it only happens if a certain goal has been met, like breaking the stagger protection. The fighting can feel pretty static, with endless blocking and hard savage attacks not providing any cool effects, unless you are proactive (more on that later).
For example: you can do a vicious overhead attack with a huge two-handed sword that does damage, but visually it has no effect at all. The enemy just shrugs off the attack within seconds. This constantly breaks my mind, and throws me off my game, as the enemy can instantly retaliate, even when having its head crushed. From what I understand, though, you are supposed to block and dodge continually to build up stagger, with extremely fast movement and decision-making. All this while eluding attacks back and forth, and poking at your enemy. When you get it going, it works really well, and looks cool as hell. However, as said, every time I get a good hit in and nothing happens, my mind short-circuits.
That’s why I call it a minor issue that is somewhat skill-related, even if I had preferred a more simulated approach to the gruesome wounds inflicted. In short: it’s a design decision that affects my immersion, that flows into the gameplay. It’s not something that ruins the game, as it’s a pretty cool experience nonetheless. Yet, it will take serious time to reprogram the brain for me not to stand there gloating like an idiot after a good hit, since the enemy will punish you the moment you do.
Potential
Besides that, Crowned In Steel shows serious potential for the future. The setting seems suitably grim, and bloody. And if you like anything Conan, it’s certainly a game to try, and keep an eye on. Just remember, the gameplay does not reward you being static, even if you get a good strike in. If you learn the dodge and parry mechanics, and keep tabs on the stagger meter, you can dispatch enemies very quickly. But it’s very hard, at least for an old goat like me.
On the visuals, I thought the environments looked good and moody, especially with the pouring rain setting a nice atmosphere for the castle escape and monster slaying. The same goes for music and sound, very suitable, particularly the war drums beating in the background. The heavy grunting when cutting stuff up is fitting as well. It almost sounds like Arnold grunting, if I’m being honest. I recommend giving the demo a go, seeing as things can only get better from here, even if not everything feels 100% yet.
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 