Since Dark Souls came out 10 years ago, soul games have become symbols of "hardcore" and "suffering.". After so many years of development, soul games have gradually grown, and excellent soullike games such as "Blood Source Curse" and "Only Wolf" have emerged. The soullike mobile game "Pascal Contract" that I want to introduce to you below can bring us a lot of surprises even today when the soullike game is no longer fresh.
A. Linear Cthulhu Phoenix Game Story
Frankly speaking, "Pascal Contract" really looks like "Bloodborne Curse" at first glance, and the similar Cthulhu worldview and art style, and the iconic suffering gameplay of the soullike game, will give people this illusion. But Pascal's Covenant tells a very complete story, and unlike most soul-like games, the game's main line is flat and straightforward and has a very good narrative rhythm.
The dim and oppressive giant moon, the twisted tentacles, the filth that spreads in the depths of darkness, the eerie and indescribable colossus and monsters caught in the madness... The game creates a world of Cthulhu, where the sun sinks to the bottom of the sea, the black fog overwhelms the sky, and the world goes dark. Humans can only crawl at the feet of the eerie colossus, struggling to reflect a little light in the darkness.
The story of the game itself is not lost, although there is no magnificent world setting and ubiquitous details, but the NPCs that appear are distinctive enough to be remembered. The story of the protagonist Terrence and his companions also gives them the motivation to keep moving forward. The whole story has been done well, and the story has a climax, a turn and a burst.
In addition, almost every level in the game has a unique side line content, some of which will give special rewards, some of which will affect the plot decisions, and each teammate has a corresponding contract branch. Depending on the player's choice and progress, the game also has 3 endings (one of which was joined with the DLC).
Second, hardcore but fun way of fighting
The basic combat logic of Pascal's Covenant is similar to that of most SoulLike games, and its core is the prediction and "energy" management of enemy and enemy attacks. In the game, heavy attacks, rolls, and blocks all require energy, while attacks can consume the energy of the enemy, and the opponent will enter a hard straight state when the energy is exhausted, and the enemy can be executed after the energy is exhausted. This basic logic, combined with the settings of different characters' combos, props, backstabbs, and sanity, extends a sufficiently hardcore and interesting combat system.
Unlike the Souls series' Weapon Master Mode, each character in The Pascal Covenant has a separate weapon and different moves. For example, the first Terrence is a standard knight, holding a large sword, he can attack and retreat, and his abilities are balanced in all aspects. Norwood, who carries a coffin, is a one-armed boxer who can interrupt the enemy's movements by relying on a charge attack, which is very practical when brushing pictures.
Another highlight of Pascal's Covenant is the battlefield switch, with a total of four characters for the player to use. The gameplay of character switching has been around for a long time, for example, the "Peerless Snake" series features multi-character switching brawl. By switching roles, players will be able to fight boss battles in a healthier state. On the other hand, role switching cannot be made in the combat state, which prevents players from cheating with this method, which makes the game more challenging.
Third, the unique sanity value system
Players familiar with the Cthulhu story know a thing called san, which actually refers to the sanity value. In the Cthulhu myth, the foreign gods are not directly looked at, can not be understood by humans, once humans see such creatures, the rational value will drop, when the rational value is cleared, human beings will see the truth, and mental disorders, pascal contract has a unique system of rational values.
As long as the player attacks the monster, the sanity value will decrease, and after the sanity value is reduced to a certain extent, the protagonist will enter an abnormal state and be severely punished. In this state, the picture seems to be covered with a layer of filters, the character can not be continuously evaded, the maximum amount of health will be reduced, and the battle will be more dangerous.
Not only that, in boss battles, when the boss health drops to a certain value, it will forcibly reduce the character's sanity value, causing it to fall into a state of collapse. The protagonist becomes stronger in the state of collapse, and the oppressive feeling that comes with it increases dramatically. This unique system that traps players in the Jedi, life and death is only instantaneous, has the essence of the "Soul" series, and has a fresh enough taste. The unique gameplay generated by the sanity value makes the Pascal Contract form its own "soul".
Is the Pascal Contract fun?
There's no doubt that Pascal Covenant is by far the best soullike game on mobile, and none. A complete worldview architecture, a solid feel, excellent map design, a reasonable cultivation system and a large number of processes are finally combined to form a stunning work.
1. Although the game is hardcore, it is also very interesting, and it is more suitable for light soullike players.
2. The unique sanity value system makes the game more playable.
3. Multiple selectable characters make the game more playable.
4. The linear story makes the game lose some freedom.
5. The hardcore gameplay makes it difficult for some players who have never touched the soul game to get started.