Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/99400/
Source: Youtube Channel 1986anakonda
Developer: Fanafzar Sharif Co., Dead Mage Inc.
Publisher: Dead Mage Inc.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: May 9, 2011
Genre: Action-Adventure
Pros:
+ Highly ambitious indie game for a much lower price now ($20->$5)
+ Incredible level designs with breath taking environments
+ Lots of checkpoints make deaths a little less than a bit of wasted time
+ Decent looking execution animations
+ An okay hack-n-slash combat experience
Cons:
- Animations are choppy and erratic between transitions
- Combat doesn't change very much and gets boring
- Collision detection is odd and causes lots of problems during platforming
- The game feels incredibly unpolished
- Camera angles change instantaneously, dangerous around cliffs
Recommended: No, I actually bought and played the game to see why it was rated so low by critics and players alike to study it
For and Indie game, the game is very ambitious in its graphics, its gameplay mechanics, and its presentation. Just looking at screenshots, I would've been fooled to believe this was a AAA game for the Playstation 2. The graphics in detail can be seen as rigid and low quality, but it looks amazing the way its presented when the camera pans out and shows the entirety of the architecture around the level. Then the lower qualities of the game is shown when the combat begins. Combat animations are erratic and awkward when they transition into each other, attacks feel clunky, and the camera is fixed in weird angles sometimes. The player isn't able to block or dodge in the middle of an attack or combo which leaves them wide open during a fight. Jumping is heavy and weird which makes platforming less enjoyable. Why are there side-climbing parts? This is such an age-old mechanic in Action-Adventure games that developers don't even use anymore because it doesn't add any entertainment value anymore. You climb ropes and climb through walls. The only part that seemed appropriate as a legitimate challenge is the wall with all the razor wheels moving around. To put it bluntly, it's an attempt to make a God of War or Prince of Persia as an indie game, but doesn't have the same polish and quality as a AAA game.
Aesthetics
Art-style: Mythological Fantasy 3D
+ Amazing environment level designs
+ A charismatic and believable narrator
+ Cool execution animations
+ Although the music is forgettable, it did have the feeling of a AAA game
- Models in detail are rigid and blocky
- Textures are low-res and muddy looking
- Color palette is dark tones and all blend into each other, nothing stands out
- Animation in and out of combat is erratic and awkward
Aesthetics: 5/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard and Mouse
+ Simple single button combo system
+ Key mappings can be changed
+ Ledge detection can be a bit strange, but grabs on most of the time
- Jumping has a weird animation, physics, and fall rate which affects platforming
- Can't block or dodge when in a combo, and using it while standing is pointless
- Aside from the ground slam, all other combos are useless
Buttons: 5/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Progress forward through combat, puzzles, and climbing
+ The Persian theme has been done before, but shows it in a different manner
+ The presentation of the game's environment is really high quality
+ Combat isn't too complicated and fairly easy to get used to
- Combat got really boring as only one attack was effective (ground slam)
- Climbing ropes and walls is so outdated, it was tedious and boring
- Puzzles were annoying as well as you were constantly attacked by enemies
- Platforming had its collision detection problems
Concept and Content: 4/10
Duration
+ Combat had an okay flow to it. It went on from one section to another
- Although the game was fairly short, it felt long
- Frustration from controls and bugs made the game drag on
- There's no replay value in the game, and there's no reason to play it again
Duration: 3/10
Fun
+ The environment was absolutely breath-taking. I couldn't believe it was indie
+ At first, combat, puzzles and platforming was okay; it was almost fun
+ The executions were pretty cool at first
- Executions were all Quick-time Events (QTE) later on
- Combat got repetitive, puzzles were annoying, and platforming wasn't fun
Fun: 6/10
Overall
I wasn't expecting too much from Garshasp: The Monster Slayer and bought it with the intention of studying it. For an indie developed game that started in Iran, it's quite impressive. But as a game, it's not something I'd play again or recommend to friends. The game is an emulation of 3D action-adventure games of the past without its polish and quality. A prequel was released for the game, but I think I played and learned enough from this series to avoid playing another one in its series. Overall: 4.6/10
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