I played 7 Souls-Like games you've never heard of (AGAIN)

[@VaatiVidya]

Sorry for hitting you with that fireball. D'oh! (Homer Simpson moment haha)

[@Gangalligalax]

You're *such* a dad

[@tagov]

D'oh!

[@IronPineapple]

classic minions behavior

[@dogolionnovelder4951]

uh! haha!

[@SoloWing88]

@@IronPineapple why you little!

[@dest]

Hey, creative director for Abigor here. I always knew in the back of my mind that there was a chance we could show up on an Iron Pineapple video but I didn't think it would actually happen. Our team worked really hard on Abigor for 8 months and put our hearts into it. Glad you had fun with it; I couldn't hope for more! Thanks for playing, made my day.

[@NihilisticGoliath]

Your game looks very good, in all aspects. Pat yourself and the other devs on the back for me. :)

[@simonwoods1236]

Looks really fun! I'll be paying attention to this one!

[@imagoloop4029]

Abigor gives some serious Fable vibes, which is very nice. Gonna out an eye on you people for sure ;)

[@OnlyGamingClips]

That looks pretty fun, the cut scenes were totally epic. When i get paid im gonna see if I can get this on one of my platforms, it’s prolly only a Steam game though I bet.

[@sethsnow796]

@Sigma Eastwood I completely agree

[@Jhost90]

Tower Princess seems like one of those absolute gems in concept that has been ruined by someone in production saying "Yo no guys you TOTALLY have to make it a roguelike they're selling so good these days"

[@TheNithal]

There's no "these days" about it since the game was in development for years and played the same from the start.

[@Jhost90]

@@TheNithal maybe the someone in production was the these days we made along the way

[@Whyexes]

Like Witchfire. Roguelike shit is just the most zero-IQ game design because its the lack of game design.

[@ariannadravis3934]

​@@Whyexes Ok grandpa, let's get you back to bed.

[@cescimes]

​@@Whyexesconsider Hades

[@GameDevYal]

This is probably my favorite ongoing series, Iron's recommendations has made me buy at least 3 games I wouldn't even have been aware of without it.

[@Avrysatos]

Can I ask which games and if you enjoyed them?

[@hiroranger2156]

I am curious too wich games you bought because i too bought games that appeared in this series

[@SpookieD00kie]

I too have bought hobo cat 3 times

[@Robyamdam]

Same I played Juice Galaxy, Blue fire, Tyrant's realm, Little Witch, Bright memory and Unsighted from seeing them featured

[@GameDevYal]

​@@Avrysatos Little Witch Nobeta: amazing blend of Resident Evil and Souls gameplay + cute and horror artstyles, it's a bit exploitative of characters and I wish levels weren't just the same 2 textures repeated over and over infinitely, but the core gameplay is an amazing mix of systems that synergize with each other and the bosses are really good. (The full release happened like a week ago btw) TUNIC: It's got an amazing sense of mystery and discovery due to some stuff I can't even talk about without spoiling the experience. If you like ARGs or grew up with 1990s gaming instruction manuals and schoolyard rumors, this game will speak to you on a personal level. Ender Lilies: It's got the souls sadness more than the gamplay, but the "you can leave a spirit behind and keep moving while it attacks autonomously" mechanic is pretty fun and has a lot of depth. The map is an atrocious mess that makes it HARDER to understand areas and also doubles as a little nagging reminder to backtrack to complete areas (which usually fails because of how many movement abilities you need) and overall I burned out on it so much near the end, I reached the final boss but never even fought them. Death's Gambit: played this in early access and replayed it when the big overhaul dropped, IMO the final cut made it worse (the forced humor just ruins the somber elements, most of the new areas are featureless padding corridors, the new ending selection gimmick actively punishes you for trying to enjoy all the content in the game, and don't get me started on the stat and upgrade systems...) Vigil: The Longest Night: I haven't actually played it yet (I got it right before Elden Ring news started happening and then got permanently distracted by FROMSoftware) so I can't tell you what I think about it yet, but it looks amazing. Death Trash: Also haven't played it, I'm thinking I'll hold off until it leaves early access, but I love it conceptually and style-wise so I just had to support the dev right away. Hellpoint: Amazing area design and has one of the best hubs in any soulslike, indie or not, but the gameplay is really janky with little touches like "hitboxes appear the same frame as attack tells, so you can't use the tell do see attacks coming before they hit you". If you play soulslikes for exploration, taking cool screenshots and feeling insignificant you might enjoy it, if you play for the core gameplay loop you probably won't. It really was 7 games, huh? I didn't realize until I counted...

[@IronPineapple]

I think this is my longest video ever and it was on accident

[@A045-c7k]

Lets goooo

[@dang3rgaming743]

Good

[@aidenmclaughlin1076]

Good

[@bryanadam4578]

Be infected with the longman!! Make longer videos!!!!

[@restore7187]

Good

[@wordsoflove8787]

Asterigos looks surprisingly great! Feels like a lot of love went into making it, very promising demo

[@kotd666]

it remind me kingdom of amalur, but look nice too

[@mike22273]

(I know this is a year old, I'm sorry) it struck me like Immortals Fenyx Rising. Like if Immortals Fenyx Rising is Greek mythology Elden Ring, then Asterigos is Greek mythology Demon's Souls

[@supaF]

Asterigos had some fantastic sound design. That alligator bite sound was so crisp, everything sounded like it had weight

[@missbelled6700]

i could break that crate all day

[@LegendofSpyroEnjoyer]

Sound design is so overlooked these days. Everything in that demo looked good.

[@AlbertBalbastreMorte]

the cutesy bug game had a surprisingly fitting sound design too.

[@Kholaslittlespot1]

Actually may take a look at that demo

[@GattiJuanIgnacio]

It was weird seeing Garen from League of Legends as a boss in Asterigos.

[@Drewdignity]

Congratulations for getting the score of 2 in Divinus Vanitas. I am proud of you

[@ttttillermand]

@@Xxanderz lol chill?

[@giuseppevgiordano]

@@Xxanderz what is good to you?

[@Retr0Static]

@@giuseppevgiordano obviously Lords of the fallen, the pinnacle of soulslike rpgs

[@Osonyth2003]

@@Xxanderz have you played the souls games??

[@ix8750]

​@@Xxanderz The original souls games were all made by a Japanese dev team... It sounds more like you just prefer hack and slash combat games with combo modifiers. Lots of "soulslike" games are generic sure but the original series of games that spawned the genre are by default the exact opposite of generic because they created and defined a genre of its own rather than being fully derivative of one.

[@300IQPrower]

oh that Tower Princess thing is heartbreaking. Everything looks so passionately crafted....except the actual gameplay. It's like they were putting their all into it and then the budget ran out after they were 20% done, and everything had to be designed around hiding that.

[@CrysJaL]

Seems to me more like its a matter of good graphics designers and animation with poor combat/gameplay design. It's pretty common imo, a pretty product made by some good graphics people who aren't good at gameplay.

[@Stroggoii]

At least fixing the absurdly spongy enemy issue is the kind of thing you can fix with a weekend of text editing. It's just a matter of them wanting to.

[@CrysJaL]

@@Stroggoii Balancing is one issue, but it's things like fluidity, mechanics and general gameplay that suffer, not just the numbers. Take the Calisto Protocol as a key example of that (although its enemies were also pretty spongey).

[@ledumpsterfire6474]

It's actually really not that bad. I'd say even the combat is about 70% of the way there. Level design, maybe 20% since there's so much repetition; most roguelikes use proc-gen for a reason. Character controller like 80%, it just needs a lot of polish. Some balancing later, and it would probably be a pretty solid game. It takes so little to make a game feel bad. Like a platformer with no coyote time, which seems like a very minor addition, leads to a lot of people feeling deaths are unfair which sucks the fun out of it for them.

[@hazukichanx408]

@@CrysJaL Having gone to college to study game design, I can confirm that (usually, at least) artists, designers and programmers tend to be very different personality types with drastically differing levels of competence. A designer worth their salt can balance a game, write well, make sure it's fun to play - but can't draw very well and putting together even basic code is a stretch (this was me). Artists, they can paint a gorgeous vibrant cascade of evocative imagery, _provided_ they don't have to do it with words. And programmers, well, they make everything work, work their butts off to do so, and are probably the most intelligent team members in terms of raw mental processing power and abstract thinking... while, again, not being great at the other two specializations' fortes. It's really just an evolution of the old webcomic dilemma: You either have at least two people working on a comic, or it's going to be either beautiful but vapid... or amazingly written, but look like dog poop. If you want everything to be up to the ever-higher standards we gamers have set for our games, you kinda have to get together a team of talented specialists! And those who don't... who lack a proper designer, for instance... well, you can usually tell. This Tower Princess thing sounded like a prime example to me, even before I read your comment.

[@GehrmansWheelchair]

Vaati admitting to purposefully hiding the existence of Minions from his son is some of the funniest shit I’ve heard in a long time 😂

[@EnergyBurst2]

He is a wise man for doing so.

[@moreadawm4051]

while it's based i'm kinda sad that it's ultimately futile

[@DareMurdok]

I wish we could all be so lucky to not know about minions.

[@Firestar4041]

You cant hide the deep Minion lore forever Vaati *THEY WILL HAUNT US ALL*

[@SkiLLAGEx94]

I did the same with peppa pig and paw patrol for my daughter... but her nan and niece showed her them 😑

[@LarvaTubaShow]

Asterigos had some fantastic sound design. That alligator bite sound was so crisp, everything sounded like it had weight

[@SgtFunBun]

i know, im considering getting this game for me and my lady to play if it has co-op, if not it looks pretty kickass to grind in my free time

[@olivierspot]

lowkey looks like a Monster Hunter Asset with its protruding belly charge

[@abcbizarre]

That game actually looks playable unlike 90% of the games he tries

[@BoneTea]

@@olivierspot i saw the intro cutscene into facing off against the monster and immediately thought monster hunter

[@thewallsspeaktome3507]

the sword and shield hits sound very bad to me, but the gator was very noice in that regard

[@Psoewish]

Man Abigor is just oozing with charm, those students should be proud of what they made.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Charm? Looks generic.

[@k1llmong3r58]

@@Fragenzeichenplatte thats just fantasy tropes in general my guy the game is using the same premise as any other fantasy game same recipe, different meal

[@j-money753]

​@@Fragenzeichenplatte yeah but it was created by students, not full blown game developers

[@venomsnanake]

I would just like to say that despite how rough Tower Princess is, the princess designs are amazing. Like genuinely, the penguin princess is adorable.

[@cloudshad0ws]

I'm wondering if the issues he had with the tankiness of the enemies had to do with him only using the one gun weapon the entire time he was complaining about that. I bet the different weapon types are actually important, and you can't just use the same gun the entire game.

[@HenriqueRJchiki]

Furry weirdo

[@SkellyHertz]

I think that's because they took inspiration from World of Final Fantasy's Quacho Queen.

[@abysswicked9076]

Almost all of its designs are just amazing. I absolutely love the oversaturated, cartoony design in games. There aren’t a lot of games that use it, and even fewer that do it right. It did the art style right. It’s rough, and the enemies are spongy as all get out, but with a bit of work on the damage and health, it could be an incredible game.

[@felixpomerleau8220]

@@cloudshad0ws I played the demo and some of the full game, I was even the first comment (that I saw) to recommend the game to iron pineapple, it's really that bad, there's sword, and then gun, some knights have more hp others are faster, but there is no way to increase your base damage, and all fights are too long because of it

[@Jones_Money]

I really can't believe our game (divinus vanitas, the first one) made this list. I am so honored, thank you so much

[@Jones_Money]

Also, it will be on sale as soon as we can have it! Divinus Vanitas, now on steam!

[@iamjustkiwi]

It was a really fun seeming concept, even if locking onto your buddies is a bit evil lol.

[@CallN0w]

it's a rare in the genre of Magus-likes

[@CallN0w]

just a full on Magus experience with open world instead of ps3 era

[@RecordsoftheDeepFolk]

This game looks really interesting and awesome! Def going on my wish list!

[@CityofButterfly]

Seeing Asterigos here was a pleasant surprise because that game is already on my wish list. Seems like you had a good time with it, that makes me even more motivated to buy it. Quick update in case anyone cares: I played it and loved it. Highly recommend.

[@XxWolfxWaRioRxX]

I've finished it on hard and it's well worth the price so go support the talented devs

[@caseyhall2320]

That is such exciting news for me 😆 wish listed

[@user-nh9du6nk6k]

The first game was actually really well made for a student project

[@thebootster]

Take the multiplayer from that and put it in dragons dogma 2.

[@rollye4857]

@@thebootster Man if only

[@Jmerzio]

Yea but not as a 9.99 product. Thats not a 'lets get it out there and see what happens' price imo

[@thegreenfather1978]

They put tire tracks on the dirt road, alongside the trees and boulders, are they hinting us for a future car DLC? (Horse-drawn carriages wouldn't leave a nice band of grass in the center of the road, those are specifiic to modern cars and trucks.)

[@josephhausser3096]

@@Jmerzio broh that's less than two Starbucks lattes. Good price imo

[@Niteowl33]

I really love seeing the student projects like Abigor in this series. Even if they aren't the best games it's always awesome to see the beginning of someone's game dev career.

[@Facepalm9]

I mean, one in a million dev projects become anything worth playing so is it really awesome to see the beginning of someone's career? Everything is either some retro pixel indie love letter to popular old RPGs, or some pixel soulslike semi-metroidvania. It's really not that awesome.

[@yeetboi3863]

@@Facepalm9 right, but the time and dedication to even make it is insane, I doubt you could make something half as good as Abigor

[@Niteowl33]

@@Facepalm9 You're free to have that opinion. Pessimism like that doesn't get you anything in life though. AAA games these days are the opposite of Abigor. They have no heart or soul. They exist purely to make money. Graphics and fluff aren't why people play videogames though. People play them because of the art form behind videogames. Abigor is an artist's first project. They may not be the next Van Gogh, Picasso, or Michelangelo, but they have a real chance to get to that point with experience. Discouraging them only means that the next great artist will never be seen by the world.

[@thegrayyernaut]

@@Facepalm9 At least they're out there trying to become one in a million. Those who don't try, never succeed. You should try trying sometimes.

[@adewan]

@@Facepalm9 What really isn't awesome is the fact that you think you're eligible to criticize a literal student project. Like, a group of teenagers (most likely) did this to get a grade at school. What are you doing with your life?

[@connortremblay1259]

"Any game with a roll button" Technically mirrors edge is a souls-like. You should play it

[@JohnGigaGrenade]

But people heard of it already!

[@ddm_gamer]

@@JohnGigaGrenade Alot of younglings probaly dont know about mirrors edge

[@seanfrazee5146]

Technically days gone is a souls game now

[@jacoblimber4040]

nah it has woman which is a huge disadvantage I wouldn’t recommend it

[@RainL8]

Daaaaanggg this is the series that we’re always waiting for! *and being 40mins long is also a huge bonus 😂

[@Biouke]

I honestly didn't see those 40mn pass by, that's a good sign :)

[@metalmonster9536]

It's actually pretty odd to see Vaati coming out from the calm storyteller mode to Homer Simpson gamer mode

[@catlover7466]

Right? Friendly fire even

[@Laezar1]

Asterigos looks great! The fact that it ends and you're like "are you kidding me?" is a good sign

[@bladedoodle]

Abigor is unironically art. Those cutscenes had soul.

[@Jones_Money]

Seems so dope imo

[@Firestar4041]

That game has the confidence i wish i had honestly.

[@Nightweaver1]

Abigor feels honestly like the kind of edgy animations I'd find on Newgrounds in the early 2000s, but that's also what made it so charming.

[@beric0bartman]

I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a joke or not

[@austinrobertson7666]

Reminds me of monster hunter

[@bakester17]

Can we just talk about how amazing Asterigos looks, feels and plays for the very first game from an indie studio? Genuinely.

[@emberpowertcg7692]

very excited to experience that game when it drops

[@MrErikAvA]

PREACH! it looks amazing! and i love that they went for their own style and didn't try the "dark fantasy world" thing.

[@acomingextinction]

Yeah, it was not on my radar at *all* but the demo was a joy. I'm really looking forward to the full thing.

[@Bokatstu]

Yes, it reminds me a lot of Kena: Bridge of Spirits which was an amazing game. This game got a similar vibe to it so this might be an interesting game to look forward to.

[@pricefieldx]

I mean it's essentially immortals fenyx rising

[@Cyranek]

amazed that the pool of souls like games is never ending

[@troy8420]

It’s growing even faster really, so many are coming out in the next year

[@LeoSengerRyanCooper]

Just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate this series, I've gave a try on a lot of these games and some of them will forever have a special place in my heart, like Death's Door and Going Under

[@yopoxikeweapescai9066]

Same

[@notreallyhere67]

Give Moonscars a try. It's a side scrolling Souls-like + Metroidvania. It's pretty good.

[@fnima2107]

I really respect Iron Pineapple for still putting so much effort into these videos even after hes been making them for quite some time now. Theyre still as good as the first one he made if not better

[@r0bz0rly]

He makes money from them lol

[@nicolasrecabal8195]

@@r0bz0rly breaking news

[@fnima2107]

@@nicolasrecabal8195 JUST IN KZbinR MAKES MONEY FROM A VIDEO

[@r0bz0rly]

@@nicolasrecabal8195 my point is it's in his best interest to make good content. It's not like he's altruistically doing it lmao

[@ranmanguitar]

Not sure if you'll see this comment but I wanted to extend a thank you. My son's and I bond through video games and we love souls/bloodborne/elden ring games and we absolutely love these video series. We've watched them all a few times. Please keep making them and thank you from a fan.

[@joo-o]

Those Abigor devs had some really talented friends on the art side, solid effort on their part for a "not so serious" project, insane if they did it all themselves. The final battle also stood out with the sick OST.

[@DimT670]

huh? The art is super-duper amateur what are you talking about?

[@Jones_Money]

It looks so good!

[@maagi1]

The art was terrible lmao

[@Yats6417]

One thing I'll always love about your content is how comfy it is, this is like, prime 'watch while it's raining with a coffee' content

[@ummwhodidnt]

YES! Exactly I just found this channel early this week and I look forward to my happy time before bed

[@ummwhodidnt]

Lol happy time” idk how else to word it w out sounding ghetto

[@faloughasch9239]

True that. I got COVID over the past few days and the muscle aches are hitting hard, but these videos help distract with how creative, funny, and interesting they are.

[@quentin932]

So True

[@ruffleraveninc3602]

I actually alpha tested Abigor. For one of my classes I had to test games made by the seniors. This is a student project. I’m in the same class rn. Cool to see it get some exposure. It’s improved a lot since launch.

[@Peppe-]

I love these videos because it's clear how open minded you are and how willing you are to give every game a fair chance. All the criticism you give is in a positive and productive spirit and your enjoyment of creating these videos really shine through. This is the most consistently watched "youtube series" I watch, and I'm not even that into souls-like games. Keep up the stellar work!

[@brettvv7475]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@07jackg]

Honestly, the critique is so pro-active. It's just like you say, he's always finding positive qualities amongst the negative and suggesting how they can be built on.

[@SunburnedAlbino]

Crowsworn definitely going on my wishlist now

[@primalfeline]

Oh yeah, that game. Also how’s the daughter with leukemia?

[@laszloneumann500]

It looks good because its practically hololow knight even down to animation speed and frame length

[@carbonbased6315]

Hey there! I've got a video in progress about potentially naming the "soulslike" genre as a whole. As the current KZbin champ of highlighting games in this genre, I would love to hear your opinion on my idea before I finish production! My channel is called Tru Freedom. Thanks for your time; and the recommendations on cool games I never would've tried or known about otherwise. Cheers!

[@DarkturtleX]

I usually call those games Stamina Action games rather then Soulslike

[@carbonbased6315]

@@DarkturtleX I like that a lot, mind if I use it as an option in my video? I'll give credit to you

[@DarkturtleX]

@@carbonbased6315 Sure go on and use it. Id like it if we couldnt finally get rid of the Soulslike label and finally make an proper name for this genre :)

[@Hansbricks14]

I love how he goes easy on the student projects. He’s always encouraging and has nice things to say about the game.

[@LucaDavoli_]

@@sereenaty Thanks for reminding me low intelligence is a common trait here on the internet!

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

@Sereenaty You're not very bright are you?

[@Osonyth2003]

@@sereenaty spicy take

[@EpsilonLovesSharks]

@@sereenaty deadass just browse game forums, way faster than watching videos

[@LucaDavoli_]

@@sereenaty Okay, so I'll kinda rebuke your comment so I might highlight your stupidity and make you reflect on your behaviour. For starters, your profile screams basement dwelling virgin, but that's beside the point. You call him out for supposedly not having fun in games, yet here you are not having fun in watching his videos, which are clearly meant to be viewed with pair of comedic goggles. (As in, not to be taken too serious). He's also not a reviewer by profession, so if that's what you were expecting than once more the fault lies with you. But let's get back to my original point. You claim he's not having fun. So he's partaking in an activity he doesn't find fun, but he does it for {insert reason}. You, by watching his videos, based on your first comment, are also partaking in an activity you don't find fun but are doing it for {insert reason}.... See the hypocrisy?

[@MajorSmurf]

40minutes.... I must be in heaven. Thank you for continuing this series as I have so much fun watching.

[@Luis-nj4id]

Holy shit I just realize reading your comment that the video was 40 minutes, it felt like just a moment, Iron Pineapple's are so fun that destroy your perception of time.

[@andrju3916]

I got so engrossed in the video that I didn't realize it was 40 minutes until I finished watching and saw this comment xd

[@regidon6816]

jheez u consider this heaven lol.. can i ask r you on metal health pills by any chance?

[@arrakaarkana6281]

notes about Asterigos: Curse of the Stars: You can jump, as well. When you played, though, the jump input was to input the sprint input and the dodge input simultaneously; now there's a separate input for it. Every weapon has a special attack that is used when you switch to it from your other weapon. That's really not very relevant anymore because you did this two months ago, but whatever.

[@CriticC2rd]

Asterigos looks awesome! Hope you do a review on it!

[@Milenos]

what and not sir whoopass?

[@asdergold1]

Seems to lean on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. That's a huge plus.

[@Berd]

my favorite was the part at 27:41 where the screenshot for divinus vanitas' creation of the game thing popped up for like 0.01 seconds also sir whoopass is GOTY

[@grantm.9109]

Oh, hey Berd! Pretty cool to see you here 😊

[@saltymoistywaterbeans5588]

Berd with only 278 likes? Feels weird

[@brunskimang2228]

dude i was literally looking for a comment like this to see if anyone else noticed it

[@killdeer]

I saw that but It was literally so short I couldnt even pause it at 0.25 speed to see what it was

[@zackhenderson2392]

thank you. I was playing at .25 speed trying to catch it and jesus christ dude.

[@dima_keller]

I just love the visual style and animation of the Tower princess

[@yangi6963]

those final cut scenes from abigor actually got me pumped too. You can really tell they were going all out while enjoying themselves. Huge props to the students!!

[@kin-3877]

It made me think they really should have made a youtube series like RWBY instead of a game they clearly have the ability to animate the cutscenes well

[@candanaci9258]

wdym combat look utter garbage

[@kin-3877]

@@candanaci9258 I said cutscenes. The combat animation is god awful. their shot composition and character direction is competent enough to make a small animated KZbin show. Rwby had CONSIDERABLY worse animation (outside the fights) and backgrounds yhsn this game, before it got big anyway

[@DimT670]

@@kin-3877 that was like more than a decade ago however

[@KarminUwU]

Asterigos actually looks amazing, definitely a hidden gem

[@Halicos93]

ID buy the game in a heartbeat for sure it has that RPG Hack and slash element that i love.

[@XxWolfxWaRioRxX]

After finishing it on hard and starting NG+ I highly recommend the game it's my indie GOTY for sure so definitely go support the talented devs

[@QuadPlaythrough]

Right when I saw the MC get up at 28:49 I knew Abigor was going to be an enjoyable experience. Just the fact that someone put the time into giving all of the NPCs in the classroom unique things to do makes it stand out a ton despite the lack of visual fidelity, and shows they put a lot of effort into it. Good on them :D

[@LordMoku]

I think Conker's Bad Fur Day taught us that if you want to mock a series or a genre, you need to be able to match it first. Can't wait for the next of these videos, I love anthologies!

[@DimT670]

or mock it but don't replicate it by rote. Doing something same as anyone else and turning to the camera and saying hey isn't this stupid doesn't mean you aren't also doing the thing, you are just being insufferable and hypocritical about it

[@lord_toaster]

The addtion of Sir Whoopass to this list makes me way too happy tbh

[@singular9]

Its probably the best game to ever be made.

[@Y0PPS]

What we need is a Conkers reboot in the souls genre.

[@DLatrice325]

A lot of these games were great in their own right, not necessarily as a souls-clone. Tiny things like Asterigos' weapon selection and Crowsworn's death animation have gorgeous animation that deserves applause.

[@tobias_hart]

Asterigos' art style feels so 2000s to me and I love it. Looks like how gamecube or PS2 games exist in my nostalgia-mind without the reality of some of their technical short comings.

[@mrolson0603]

It looks like a Fable game and I'm down for it, looks like I might actually buy a game on this list for once.

[@aidan__vickery]

My attention span is so bad, but 40 minutes of watching souls likes is do-able. This series is so fun to watch and sit down for

[@Callmedonks]

Okay but Crowsworn looks incredible.

[@kenjutsukata1o1]

It really does. The gameplay gave me Devil May Cry vibes.

[@TequalHC]

So Hollow Knight

[@Necrodermis]

the animations of the Tower Princess enemies and the art style of White Lavender is great

[@alexry6025]

Hey vision holder of Abigor here. I was in charge of the concept, main character models, some music, and in-game cutscenes/videography. Thank you for giving us a chance!😄 Like my creative director @Destructionist said, we worked on the game for 8 months and it was fun as hell to make. I'm very glad you enjoyed it!🤗

[@zockroach]

Yo abigor had me legit freaking out. Haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Loved it

[@sontrava00]

same!! it was incredible ahaha

[@Tine_of_Nice_Dreams]

Abigor may have been amateurish but it was SO sincere and the hand drawn cutscenes charmed me so much. Compared to something more polished but cynical like sir badass, I thought Abigor looked much more fun overall.

[@rauqui5318]

There really should be more games with the drawn cutscenes, really neat

[@Tine_of_Nice_Dreams]

@@rauqui5318 Guild Wars 2 does this with lightly animated concept art/illustrations, or at least it did in the old days. More 3D rendered cutscenes now. As an illustrator myself it's just invigorating to see something I could conceivably draw being used for a game 😁

[@hyperfixatedd]

I think both are super valid, sir badass was simply the devs having a fun time

[@Phucketmcsucket]

I've got to wonder if the the students' instructor was as generous, especially seeing as how one of the VAs apparently didn't know how to pronounce "geriatric".

[@hyperfixatedd]

@@Phucketmcsucket shut up

[@kaboomtoon]

asterigos and crossworn are my most anticipated games here, they look so polished for a demo

[@asdergold1]

Asterigos reminds me real hard of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

[@flametoooth]

Crowsworn looks too much like hollow knight. Imo it crosses the line between re and copy. That said it looks great

[@fluberchuberayy2479]

Abigor was funnier than the game that was trying to be funny

[@Ptmkn]

Asterigos and Wo Long weren't even on my radar till now, so thank you for making these.

[@LeoStep93]

oh man, don't sleep on Wo Long, the demo was dope af

[@Y0PPS]

​@@LeoStep93 I became aware of the demo the day it was no longer available. Very upset I missed out.

[@LeoStep93]

@@Y0PPS oh man, that's a pity! I saw it on KZbin and immediately downloaded. Maybe they'll make another demo!

[@Y0PPS]

@@LeoStep93 I still need to play Nioh 2. I am happy to see demos happening again, it's very consumer centric. Square Enix has been offering up demos for a lot of their upcoming releases.

[@R3TR0J4N]

Was wo long not on your radars cause it ain't compare to Ghost of Tsushima? Lmao a te ninja game that brought Nioh and watch a soulslike content creator

[@daedsider]

Have you ever considered revisiting some of the games you've demo'd on this series that are now in full release? It could be neat to see how they ended up.

[@hiimkyle1894]

I agree with this 100%

[@IsThatDonnieDiddle]

Lol the addition of vatti was hilarious you guys made the first game a comedy

[@MiddyFile]

Crowsworn actually looks quite interesting, hope things go well. That death animation is fantastic, I hope they keep that theme going.

[@ZionStrickland]

Filth Vanquished irritated me a bit, maybe change to Cleansed?

[@ZephyrusBlue]

@@ZionStrickland if it is filth that is vanquished, why not just say that? Lol Not to mention, the act of “cleansing” may serve a purpose elsewhere in the games lore. Either way, we’ll find out eventually :)

[@brandonwoodhouse358]

Been so hyped for Crowsworn for while. Hope we get a release date soon

[@MiddyFile]

@@ZionStrickland Yea personally I like it, it's a bit more to the point and even aggressive compared to the usual. Although it'll depend on the tone of the game really.

[@MiddyFile]

Hearted by the souls man himself, blessed.

[@makmak3081]

I first heard of Asterigos because the singer of the Nier songs, Emil Evans, did a lot of work for its music. You can also see some nier inspiration from the two-weapon system, so if the full game is good it might be a perfect fit for me as a combination of both nier and souls elements!

[@SaxSlaveGael]

Never heard of the game until this video and I plan on pre-ordering it now after this video. Looks a bit like Kena, and I loved the game!

[@dogs-game-too]

My favorite thing about this series is that you're funny and entertaining without trying to make a ballsack or dark humor joke every other sentence like a lot of people

[@30thCenturyFish]

i truly believe that what gaming needs is more games that are funny/cute combat games. tower princess is a good example.

[@dan9806]

Had to mentally prepare myself for this 40-minute video but watching it didn't feel that long. Time really flies when you enjoy every second of something. So many amazing games to look forward to. Just added Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on my list.

[@CaleoGaming]

I honestly really enjoyed making a video on Asterigos. Super fun game and I would definitely recommend it. Glad you enjoyed it as well!

[@mrwubzydx5337]

Hey, so, been watching this series for a bit. I legit use these videos to find new games, and, I gotta say, Asterigos caught my eye. The demo was great. I legit loved every moment of play time I had in it. I'm so glad I found this, and I cannot wait for the release. I'm so hyped to give a new IP and new to me developer a try. Thanks so much~

[@Skippy_Dinglechalk]

Asterigos looks really promising! I wonder if they'll ever get it on multiple platforms.

[@BurningNero]

It's available for preorder on PlayStation so it's on console 👍

[@Skippy_Dinglechalk]

@@BurningNero also on Xbox!

[@mcgoose258]

im so not used to seeing good looking games in these souslike dives, this one surprised me. remidns me a lot of Kena: Bridge of Spirits

[@Damortus3]

Why isn't anybody talking about crowsworn? This game looks sick

[@yinnyonline]

not a whole lot to talk about

[@Damortus3]

@@EllaKarhu Tbh i disliked Hollow Knight majorly. It looks sick because it looks sick.

[@Yetr]

Vaati: “The best part for me was blowing you up with a fireball” Immediately after he said that I got an ad from fireball

[@dimarichmain]

"Enemies have about three times as much health as they should" "17 copy-pasted dungeons in a row" Elden Ring moment.

[@eneco3965]

Souls-like* moment

[@Finnisher_DAD]

Haha, had the same thought actually

[@MichaelStiemsma]

Asterigos is so beautiful to me wow you playing it makes me want to get it. !

[@Monsterman1315]

Vaati and Iron Pineapple make the ultimate duo every time.

[@DakkaBert]

Asterigos genuinely looks fantastic! I hope the full game is a decent size, but def following both of those student projects you showed were awesome too, Abigor had so much effort put in.

[@asdergold1]

Asterigos reminds me real hard of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

[@marceelino]

I love how Sir Whoopass captures the nature of the Dark Souls. That's precisely how I see that franchise.

[@Alex36Quest]

This was a random recommendation on my feed, but it was so good. I don't play souls-like games, and 40 minutes seemed like quite a mouthful, but it went by in a flash. The reviews were short but good, and it was a blast to see all the different games. Subbed!

[@troy8420]

Oh you need to watch the older ones! Some of the videos are absolutely hilarious.

[@marcellosilva9286]

Please keep this series going, we all want to see just how far the Soulslike rabbit hole goes.

[@igornaimoli7321]

We all know this is one of the best series ever

[@Justanothertgrt]

I AM ALWAYS EXCITED ABOUT THESE VIDEOS PINEAPPLE

[@loglog7]

These videos give me ideas for comedy RPGs. Like if you defeat the tutorial boss in one hit, he admits you are stronger, and we get a 30 second training montage of the boss. It cuts back to you just lounging around in the boss arena as the boss returns, and now the real fight begins.

[@OwlScowling]

I also wish the scene with the TNT barrels had a QTE so you’d roll and magically survive the explosion. There was a lot of missed potential!

[@Facepalm9]

Stop watching anime.

[@r0bz0rly]

cringe Reddit humour. Don't give up your day job

[@loglog7]

@@r0bz0rly Why does a simple joke make people SO angry? Are you ok?

[@emberpowertcg7692]

@@loglog7 its the internet man, people have too much free time apparently

[@ChefAndyLunique]

The video the world has been waiting for. I LOVE these. Keep em coming.

[@cartooncritique6625]

0:46 A Wild Vaati Appears!! 😄 26:30 This game is almost like "Hollow Knight" and "Bloodborne" had a 3-Way with "Devil May Cry".

[@thisisfyne]

The end of Abigor had me rolling on the floor. Edge dial cranked to 11.

[@ildathet]

it has this 2000's flavor with the janky animations, the grain, the edgy but lovely style; it made me feel nostalgic and proud of those students

[@theoneandonly2441]

Divinus Vanitas suddenly reminded me a bit of Soul sacrifice, which was technically monster hunter but with magic. Also tower princess is sadly another example of games that have amazing art direction but is lackluster on almost every area.

[@liamvictor1]

Even if Crowsworn was'just' a Hollow Knight clone (which I'm not saying it is) we could use a few of those. HK is a pretty good choice of game to clone, and Crowsworn looks like it's gonna rule!

[@TheSquareOnes]

Agreed, I'll never understand why people are opposed to "clones" of great things that they love. If you enjoyed it then wouldn't you be happy to get the option to play even more of it?

[@Aussie_Tom]

That first game is actually very well done for a student project. I can definitely see those student devs going places if they keep at it.

[@sporepda]

Wtf no its not

[@AnglosArentHuman]

@@sporepda cope

[@sinisterdesign]

@@sporepda Spoken like someone who has no idea what most student projects are like. Seeing working, functional online co-op multiplayer in a student game is damned impressive in and of itself

[@maintainingBW]

@@sinisterdesign akshually it's not even closhe to elden ring so honestry they should just shtoo making games becauze they suck !!

[@sporepda]

@@sinisterdesign Then you are quite easy to impress then. I dont care if they are students or toddlers, bad is bad no matter that

[@soulechelon2643]

Played the Asterigos demo myself and I agree, great stuff right there, went immediately on my wish list. Also played Tower Princess and also agree about the charm and the overly tanky enemies. It's too bad they didn't fix things up because this game had a ton of promise. Abigor looks like the beginning of a powerful dev team. Future's bright for them I think.

[@tatu5539]

Sir Whoopass finally seems like a soulslike that has a worthwhile story to it.

[@girldm]

i love watching these, ty so much for another one

[@theblobconsumes4859]

Wo Long encouraging aggression and having defense through offense with its Spirit Gauge system is phenomenal, I wish more Souls inspired games did that.

[@OccasionalGoof]

I wish less did since high speed offense-focused gameplay is already what most action games did - Souls stood out by having its action combat NOT doing that and being more slow and thoughtful. On a conceptual level, this is regression.

[@ipkcle1500]

@@OccasionalGoof I'd call it synthesis

[@jstar3382]

@@OccasionalGoof yeah but a lot of games don't do it with the same level of quality that Fromsoft does. That's why we love Sekiro

[@OccasionalGoof]

@@jstar3382 I just wish people who prefer fast-paced aggression didn't insist on taking everything that exists. Perhaps you don't know the frustration of not sharing in the popular opinion of what to like, and finding something that appeals to you, only for on cue, the majority to go "That's nice but it'd be better if it was more like everything else I already have" and then slowly, it transforms and becomes more like everything else, and people celebrate the "refinement" as diversity dies. In the Souls community a lot of noise is made about how "casuals" try to taint the games and the vision behind them to make them have more mass-appeal by making them easier, but the true existential threat to Souls' identity comes from action game enthusiasts, and that has always been the truth.

[@MyNameIsSalo]

theres a million japanese/korean rpgs you can play if you want fast paced action with chaining together combos. Souls games are meant to be slower paced where each individual action or misaction can end the fight so its more punishing. That's what makes them unique and why it was such a massively successful formula. The fast paced asian rpg games are literality everywhere and so many companies have made good games using that formula. Only fromsoft has managed to master the souls combat.

[@oKApplejack]

Asterigos looks like it was more Monster Hunter inspired but they lifted the combat from Toukiden. Looks pretty interesting though, definitely nice amount of polish

[@PuggetronicsPioneer]

I like the longer form videos, 40 mins flew by like nothing. Keep it up man, these videos are absolutely amazing!

[@KianaWolf]

Always a good day when this series gets a new video. Edit: Asterigos actually looks pretty good. Think I'll add that to my wishlist. I love battle mages that don't just stand around waving their arms in combat.

[@Inkyinko]

HOLD ON. When he fell through the hell portal in Abigor and screamed the second time, didn't Carbot use that scream for one of their animations? How did it originate?? It sounds so similar!!!

[@Inzaneamaru]

Abigor looks like one of those video games being played in a tv show.

[@JaveraPV]

Speaking of trying out games again upon full release, Little Witch Nobeta just had theirs. It'd be cool to see your return and thoughts on it. Asterigos was definitely my favorite out of all of these.

[@poisonempress]

Asterigos actually looks really fun, it definitely kept my attention!

[@netro7701]

White lavender has a lovely unique style and asterigos looks really fun! Those were some great and interesting games on this episode, thanks iron pineapple

[@dubbydan1361]

So glad you enjoy making these, this series is one of if not my favourite that I watch on KZbin and I always look forward to it. Keep up the good work, can't wait for the next one :D

[@Swtxblade]

Asterigos genuinely looks really good and fun, I like how they aren't focused on making it look as gross and repulsive as possible like most souls likes, it looks pretty

[@bluecloud4652]

Hey I just wanted to say thank you for recommending Outer Wilds. It's in a genre of games I have never played before and may not every have, had it not been for you praising it. It's such an amazing experience and I'm making some steady progress 👍🏼

[@QuantumFeldspar]

Outer Wilds is the best game Ive ever played, you can probably tell how much I like it.

[@bluecloud4652]

@@QuantumFeldspar yes I can feldspar 😂

[@jorge15266]

I gave up after a couple of hours. Didn't grasp me. Could you tell me what made you stick with it/motivated you? I've heard nothing but praise but I just didn't have the motivation to play it.

[@bluecloud4652]

@@jorge15266 honestly it's taking the time to read every piece of information I can. I really tried to learn about the Nomai and ended up finding them to be compelling characters, even though they're just messages on the walls. Being curious, and looking for clues or details that I haven't seen before and trying to piece everything together is what drives me. Plus the music and atmosphere is so good. Give it another shot, but I do think you'll have to be in the right mood to play the game as well

[@Sinfulpapaya]

Just imagine how crazy it will be to watch wo long's speedruns, I feel like that sistem lends itself incredibly well to players wanting to truly master the game

[@skylarfoss2754]

Abigor felt exactly like a early 2000s mid tier RPG

[@SuigetsuIsArt]

This is really one of my favourite series on KZbin. It's always so interesting, and you are really fair with all the games you play. It's one of those series that makes you think about game design and what really makes something work and what doesn't.