Welcome back, Bound Souls!
Since Devlog #1 mostly introduced the game, I wanted the next ones to dive a bit deeper into how Soul Chained actually plays once players stop panic rolling into each other for 15 minutes straight.
But don't take it as an insult - there's absolutely nothing wrong with having fun with the Soul Chain's mechanics. I mean, it's statistically-proven already - it just really takes a while to get used to.
So - this one's about the Soul Chain. I'm not dragging out this intro further.
The Soul Chain - it's (almost) the game title for a reason...
So far into development, the most common mistake new players make is trying to play the game like it’s Dark Souls. Most players initially ignore the chain entirely and just hack-and-slash their way through everything like they’re legally obligated to dodge roll every problem in life.
What they eventually realize - usually after several avoidable deaths and the eventual collapse of at least one friendship - is that the Soul Chain is actually another weapon.
I mean, look, the Soul Chain does more than just ruin your positioning, or yanking each other off from rolling in opposite directions - it lets you trip enemies, pull buddies out of danger, reposition each other, or even fling them into the enemy as bait (for the greater good).
The intended gameplay was always supposed to feel careful and methodical. The reality is usually 40% intentional and 60% screaming at each other, especially in the first 2 hours. Honestly, that ratio has remained surprisingly the same throughout development.
Boss Trippin' - Not as simple as you think
Some of the hardest mechanics to balance were boss tripping systems. Making bosses trippable was easy, making them trippable without immediately getting bullied into the floor permanently was much harder.
There are also some unbelievably stupid strategies that somehow work extremely well.
Here's an example combat flow:
Player 1 builds full strength with the Bastard Blade's Strong Attack
Player 2 acts as bait (aka running around close to the enemy like a fool)
Player 1 lands the attack successfully but becomes open to an embarrassing 1-hit delete
Player 2 violently yanks them out of combat at the last second
It may look less like tactical combat and more like two goblins operating construction equipment illegally - but it works.
Tell you what, if one of you clips something like this and shares it on Discord, I'll do an extra special shoutout like the stupidly overly-supportive dev I am.
Chain Magic - Adding that extra "oomph"
Another thing players massively underestimate is chain magic, which is funny because once you learn how to use it properly, it’s probably the strongest system in the game.
I mean, you can set enemies on fire for extra DPS, freeze them in place, tornado spin teammates against mobs, do some explode-y stuff and cut down enemies with buzzsaws. Don't wait for Shia LaBeouf to scream at your ear to just use it.
I've even seen some players use the tornado spin magic to un-stuck themselves. Talk about using game mechanics to avoid unintentional softlocks that's probably my fault in the beginning. Oh, and you're welcome, btw.
Well, that's it for this devlog. Next up - I'll talk more about combat, level design, and the single-player mode. I mean, it's just as simple as dividing my time between writing devlogs and getting the demo uber-ready for the upcoming Steam Next Fest right hahahahuhuhu
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