(This content was originally published by Delightworks Inc. The gaming division of Delightworks has since been integrated into Lasengle).
Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, COO at Delightworks.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
My first attempt at blogging didn't exactly break the internet, but enough of you liked my take on indie games to make me want to keep going, so here I am! I love sharing my gaming takes with you because it's a great way for you to get to know this old-timer, and I can also share some of the cool stuff we're working on here.
Which brings me to an exciting announcement!!
Some of you might've seen the official release we put out a few days back, announcing the launch of our new venture, but it was missing one key point: the name. We weren't able to announce it at the time due to some red-tape, but now we can finally share it with you.
So, drumroll, please... welcome to "Lasengle Corporation"!!!!
Me and the game dev team from Delightworks will be making Lasengle our new home. I'm really grateful to be leading the team as the CEO and excited to see what's to come. What a way to end the year!
But before we get busy at the new place, most of us will be taking some time off to celebrate the New Year. Looking back over the last year, I'd say it's been an easier ride than the rollercoaster of 2020, but we're still a long way off what it was like in 2019.
2022 is a fresh start for both Delightworks and Lasengle, and I hope it's going to be a fresh start for everyone. A year when we move on from the new normal, and just get back to "normal" (whatever that means to you!).
I'm looking forward to a new year in a new place, and wish you all a happy and hopeful 2022!
But before you go here's my featured game for blog #2, Loop Hero.
Round and round and round again.
Ever get the feeling your life is on repeat ? The same thing day after day after day? School or work, that feeling that you're just going round and round the same circle, getting nowhere. But you keep at it anyway. And then one day, somehow, you've leveled up and you're on to the next stage.
I mean sure, it'd be much easier if we could skip these loops. If the friendly neighborhood wizard could just drop by and boost us up to level 100. But real life doesn't work like that (if only it did!). There's no shortcuts or magic spells. The only way to grow is to keep testing ourselves over and over again--sucks, but it's true.
So round and round and round again we go.
Loop Hero is a game just like that. It's a tough one to define--I'm not sure if I'd call it a deck-building game, a strategic RPG, or something else. Honestly, it's a bit of both, and so uniquely cool it might just need its own category.
In Loop Hero, you play a hero who moves along a path that loops around to form a circuit. As you move along the path you'll meet enemies and battle it out. Combat and movement are fully automated--it's like watching a little adventurer on autopilot.
So, with no control over movement or combat, what's the player doing? Well, your role is kind of like the hand of fate, placing trials and tribulations along the hero's path to test and challenge them as they move around the loop (god-complex anyone??). And that's what makes this game so much fun: you need a strategy.
If you just use basic enemies, then your hero's only coasting. They won't power up or get any of the cooler weapons and items. You have to think how you can place enemies, buildings, and terrains, at just the right level to test your hero's current strength and equipment.
I soon found out that if you go in without a plan, throw a bunch of obstacles in the path, you're dead pretty quick. And the same thing happened when I overdid the danger level--my little hero was toast in no time.
What makes this game so addictive is finding that sweet spot--juggling my hero's items with enemies and terrain to get that hard-but-not-too-hard balance. I was constantly switching out gear as I decided what to put in my hero's path, trying to find the perfect setup that would be enough to win the battle, but not too powerful that it wouldn't be a challenge. The game forces you to adapt and tweak your strategy on the fly, and I really liked that aspect.
There's also synergy between the different elements, and you need to consider how the hero's class, their abilities, the enemies, buildings, and terrain will work together as you balance all these elements. You need to be always thinking a few steps ahead.
There's a lot of strategic thinking involved, which is why the auto-combat and movement mechanic makes the game much easier to play, and lets you focus on tactics. That's possibly what I liked the most: how it mixes simple control with complex game play. It's why every time I died, I wanted to get straight back in and give it another go. I'd be like, "Okay, so that didn't work. Time for plan B," and still want to go back for more, even when I was down to Plan Z!
There's a lot of strategic thinking involved. Having auto-combat and movement makes the game much easier to play, and lets you focus on tactics. That's possibly what I liked the most: how it mixes simple control with complex game play. It's why every time I died, I wanted to get straight back in and give it another go. I'd be like, "Okay, so that didn't work. Time for plan B," and still want to go back from more, even when I was down to Plan Z!
Loop Hero is one of those games where you say, "Just one more go," and before you realize it it's three in the morning and you're still saying, "Just one more!"
Round and round and round again...
If you want to get strong, you need to keep testing your limits. The more you test yourself, the more you learn and the further you go. It feels like you're going round the same loop, doing the same thing over and over. But you're actually growing and learning. All you can do is keep moving down the path ahead and hope it works out.
Loop Hero is a great game, but it's also a great metaphor for life and the journey we have to go on to get stronger.
That's my take on Loop Hero!
Thanks for reading.
The next game is calling my name so gotta go--till next time!
Yoshinori X（Twitter）