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(Image credit: Lucid Dreams Studios)
The right kind of game
(Image credit: Lucid Dreams Studios)
One thing I found fascinating –because I absolutely cannot help myself when it comes to this stuff– is that Lucid Dreams has deliberately moved away from the Soulslike label compared to Biomorph’s earlier marketing. Why? Grégoire says the team didn’t want to set anyone up for disappointment.
“So we think, well, if we call it a Soulslike game and we do not offer a Soulslike experience, we could piss off some people. And we don’t want that. We just want people to at least know what they want. Not that the game is not hard, the extra bosses will be harder, but the main path will be doable. And this is not the case for most of the Soulslike games out there; it’s the full experience that is hard.”
Putting the morph in Biomorph
(Image credit: Lucid Dreams Studios)
“When we completed our first game,Legends of Ethernal, we did it as a team of three people,” he explains. “It was a work of love to ship that game. And it was action-adventure, so we had all the technology to build another game. And I was playing Super Mario Odyssey at the time, because it came out when we started thinking about the second project for the company. And I was like, well, that’s pretty neat. I like, when I throw my hat, I have the skill set of the creatures. So we thought, why don’t we do a prototype based on that? And we did, and it was pretty fun. It was great to be able to have different moves. So we said hey, let’s push that further and create a game based on that.
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(Image credit: Lucid Dreams Studios)
“Right now, even the demo that you have, a main issue that we had was the balance. We’re still working on that, but it was the balance between the weapon that you have as the player and the weapon that you have as the creatures. I did a system that is more reminiscent of Ender Lilies. [For example,] the weapon that you have, the gun, was overpowered. Somebody could kill the boss because you always add infinite charge, so somebody could get on the wall and just shoot. So we needed to be wise about how we handled that. And there were some creatures that can throw a boomerang, or something like that, which is a little bit like the gun because it can deal multiple hits if there are multiple creatures in this path.
Cherries on top
(Image credit: Lucid Dreams Studios)
The central copycat mechanic also feeds back into that classic Metroidvania exploration and progression in another interesting way. When you absorb a creature’s abilities, that specific creature – not every member of the species – will grow stronger over time, to the point that it will have new attacks and abilities when you encounter it while backtracking later into the game. This adds a small cost to using your alternate forms, and in theory, it makes for a more dynamic difficulty curve.
“We really wanted to have some increase of difficulty, and at the same time, it’s up to the player to do it or not,” Grégoire adds. “You need to biomorph a creature a certain amount of times to add it to what we call the arsenal, where you can transform back at will. But when you biomorph more creatures, you can unlock a new level for that creature so it gets stronger on your side. You have a stronger version when you are that creature. But if you don’t like it, you can choose not to biomorph more of these creatures. So you can choose which one you want to maximize, and which one you want to say, ‘oh, I don’t really like that specific creature, I don’t want to maximize it because I’ll be coming back here later and it would just be harder for me.’ So it’s really a choice that we wanted to give to the player.”
Another element I didn’t get a great feel for in the demo, and which I wouldn’t expect to see in a Metroidvania like this, is Biomorph’s Animal Crossing-lite settlement system. You collect and unlock blueprints for buildings to plop down in the game’s central city, and beyond improving upgrade facilities like merchants and blacksmiths, there’s an element of cosmetic customization to this too. It’s not a super in-depth city builder, but it’s more than a passing distraction. Grégoire compares it to Spiritfarer, and while it’s “not a feature that would be used super hardcore,” he says there’s enough room for you to “choose how you want the city to look, a little bit more like in a game like Animal Crossing.” It’s yet another interesting layer to a Metroidvania that’s ended up being much more involved and intriguing than I initially expected, and another reason I’ll be near the front of the line when Biomorph releases later this year.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”