Berserk Musou (PS3, PS4, PC)

[Walter]

I've only played the game for about an hour, because I can only stomach playing in 10-15 minute bursts. It is just so goddamned monotonous. I expected some mindless fun, but this game only delivers on half of that promise.  The counterpoint to everything I'm about to say is: "Well, that's just Musou, Walter." That does not excuse the sloppy mess of this game.

It's clear that not much thought went into making it fun or dynamic to play. Combat scenarios vary, but you can usually count on there being between 100-500 grunts standing like meat puppets in your way of a goal. Go ahead and stop to inspect them, they won't bother attacking you. So you can either choose to mindlessly slaughter them (for no apparent reward), or just run literally through the whole mess of them to get to the goal --  usually an enemy with slightly more health than the average grunt. During these dramatic battles, the grunts will sit off to the side, waiting patiently to be mutilated by collateral damage.



Tip: You can execute a combo attack by hitting x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x.

Combat so far consists of the X button, but if you're feeling particularly saucy you can pepper in some Y button too — maybe even go all the way and HOLD the Y button. Regardless of your tactical decision on the battlefield, the result is about as fun as playing a game with cheat codes enabled, against enemies who we can't be certain know that you're even there.

I'll try and play through more of it, because I'm interested in how the other characters play. But I'm loathe to invest dozens of hours just to play who I want to, so I might ACTUALLY end up using CheatEngine to enable them. Wouldn't that be ironic?

[Salem]

Nailed it. I really can't understand how this series has a following. The idea you're in God mode and the enemies don't know you're there.     totally on point.  I'd really appreciate quality in our Berserk mediums.  We're definitely not given quantity. 

[Aazealh]

I've only played the game for about an hour, because I can only stomach playing in 10-15 minute bursts. It is just so goddamned monotonous. I expected some mindless fun, but this game only delivers on half of that promise.  The counterpoint to everything I'm about to say is: "Well, that's just Musou, Walter." That does not excuse the sloppy mess of this game.

I tried to warn you guys.

[Walter]

I tried to warn you guys.

Well, I'm not exactly shocked by the result. I can't even say that I'm disappointed, since I knew what to expect. But it's still unfortunate. As always, Berserk deserves better.

[Ruhe Strom]

How satisfying would you say the actual combat is Walter? In terms of sound design and how weapons impact on enemies I mean. I have some experience with the Gundam DW games, and the combat in those felt like it had no weight to it at all. I'd probably get more satisfaction from bashing two toys together.

Something that put me off the game quite strongly was watching some gameplay of the level where Guts meets Casca and Griffith. It just didn't seem quite right to watch the guy who will eventually be renowned as the 'Hundred Man Slayer" dispatch over 400 Band of the Hawk soldiers (isn't that basically all of them at this point in the story?). Too much emphasis on big killing fields and very little depth to the combat (not that you'd need it against AI that basic).

[DirectDK]

Something that put me off the game quite strongly was watching some gameplay of the level where Guts meets Casca and Griffith. It just didn't seem quite right to watch the guy who will eventually be renowned as the 'Hundred Man Slayer" dispatch over 400 Band of the Hawk soldiers (isn't that basically all of them at this point in the story?). Too much emphasis on big killing fields and very little depth to the combat (not that you'd need it against AI that basic).

Hahaha, this is very true.  When I played that part, and was hacking and slashing Casca, I kept saying under my breath "I can't...  NO THIS IS WRONG... I CAN'T!  DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!!!" but I laughed and cringed and powered through, lol.

Well, I'm not exactly shocked by the result. I can't even say that I'm disappointed, since I knew what to expect. But it's still unfortunate. As always, Berserk deserves better.

Since I'm already not a fan of Musou games, and was disappointed with Hyrule Warriors, I went in with pretty low expectations.  So to my surprise, I found myself enjoying the 2 hours I've spent on it so far more than I thought I would.  But can't argue with you on your last point, Berserk always deserves better!  The Dreamcast game came close though.

The game got a 16+ over here in Germany (as did the films) and there is no changed content when compared to the Japanese version

Ah, I see.  I'm in the US, and mine had a Mature rating, and when I load up the game, it specifically asks if I want Gore on or off.  Naturally, I chose on!

I've played the prologue and 5 missions.  I hate to be the negative nancy, but if this wasn't Berserk there is no way on earth I'd touch this game.  I knew going in the formula looked generic, but wow.  There is no strategy at all.  On hard.  Button mash as a ton of ai stands around.  This is to video games as the 2016 anime was to Berserk imo.

I don't have much experience with Musou games, but aren't most Musou games button mash?  But I did find some strategy to it so far.  IE, square square triangle impales the enemy on the third strike, and then Guts does one giant strike down with the body impaled and annihilates everyone in the vicinity.  I personally found that button combo the best for now.  Plus the triangle dash triangle combo was very useful against bosses.  I mean, I didn't find the PS2 game any less or more deep as far as move sets are concerned.  And I think Musou games are more about trying to set records and complete missions in record time, mostly determined about who or where to target first, etc.

Anyways, I'll probably play it another hour or so tonight!

[Walter]

How satisfying would you say the actual combat is Walter? In terms of sound design and how weapons impact on enemies I mean. I have some experience with the Gundam DW games, and the combat in those felt like it had no weight to it at all. I'd probably get more satisfaction from bashing two toys together.

Well, it's very button-mashy. There is no weight to the combat movements. Your swings take a certain amount of time to execute, and you're locked into those animations until then. Sometimes your swings will be interrupted by an enemy general or whatever, but for the most part you're just mashing on X or Y until you don't need to anymore.  But you can get used to that. The biggest problem with the combat design is the terrible camera, which can't track where you're swinging for shit. This is exacerbated when you're on horseback and you can turn on a dime. The camera just doesn't know what the fuck to do.

Something that put me off the game quite strongly was watching some gameplay of the level where Guts meets Casca and Griffith. It just didn't seem quite right to watch the guy who will eventually be renowned as the 'Hundred Man Slayer" dispatch over 400 Band of the Hawk soldiers

Honestly, that's the least of the game's problems. As far as staying true to the story, it does better than I expected for a game where it's a matter of course that you'll be executing a campaign of genocide in every stage. That being said, there are some weird issues. Like after 3 years pass with the Falcons, Guts' character model changes dramatically (in accordance with his character design change in the manga). But no one else's does. Griffith, Casca, Rickert, Judeau, all look the exact same.

Oh yeah, and I did just rescue Bazuso from the Eclipse, aided by Skull Knight. So... there are a few liberties 



I've actually had the most fun with this throwaway mode you get access to between missions, where you can have these fanfictionalized conversations with the other Falcons. I thought it'd be embarassing, but then scenes like this happen and I have a hard time holding a grudge against it. It's just so silly and worthless that I kind of love it:




And who can forget that time that Rickert wanted to get drunk with Guts?



And my personal favorite so far: Guts teasing Corkus about his love life, and his hot mic response:



(original)

BTW, it's really weird to see Giant Bomb, a site I've been visiting for years, talk so much about Berserk: http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-berserk-and-the-band-of-the-hawk/2300-11885/

[Hitoshura]

still nothing on the EU store yet

Now available on EU PSN.

PS4
https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-gb/games/addons/berserk-and-the-band-of-the-hawk-with-bonus/cid=EP4108-CUSA07406_00-BERHAWKWITHBONUS

PSVita
https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-gb/games/berserk-and-the-band-of-the-hawk-with-bonus/cid=EP4108-PCSB01085_00-BERHAWKWITHBONUS

Additional Costume Full set
https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-gb/games/addons/berserk-additional-costume-full-set/cid=EP4108-CUSA07406_00-ADDITIONALCOSSET

[Walter]

On my commute home from work Friday, I spent some time chatting (to myself) about my first few hours with Berserk Musou.



(Or grab the MP3 here)

[residentgrigo]

This series has a following as the main entries (or the One Piece game i mentioned) play a bit differently from Berserk Musou. Jim Sterling goes into what makes the Berserk version inferior to ones he gave way higher scores to. That difference are the smaller and shorter maps. The element of area control is thus nearly gone and one of the key "strategic" elements of these games falls by the wayside.
That the game is so laser focused on Guts is the other universal negative, as even more variety falls by the wayside.

The redeeming feature i personally see is the endgame outside of the campaign, with the somewhat interesting Rogue-like mode. The way you power up in this game is way more uninteresting than in most Musou re-skins (and it is the best looking one too).  I wouldn´t be surprised if the game slightly grew on Walter in the end, but having a thoroughly mediocre campaign can´t be overlooked that easily.

[Sweet Prince]

There is no weight to the combat movements.

Having played the majority of the Warriors titles, I can confirm this issue to be present in most of (if not all) the games. I'm unsure as to whether it stems from a lack of fluidity when transitioning between character animations or something more abstruse, but there is a strange sense of weightlessness to player agency which I've come to view as an (unfortunate) staple of the series. Excluding Berserk and the Band of the Hawk/Berserk Musou, the last Warriors adaptation I played was Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom, in which the aforementioned issue actually complimented the game's design (in regard to how player movement was intended to 'feel'; the emphasis placed on aerial movement using the 'Omni-Directional Mobility Gear').

I was hoping Berserk Musou would avoid this pitfall, at least during scenarios where the player is controlling Guts, by emulating the sense of inertia conveyed through Guts' movements in Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō. Alas, my hopes were dashed! 

Also, on the back of what you mentioned about enemy aggression (or lack thereof), Walter: I played a few levels on 'Normal' difficulty then cranked the difficulty up to 'Berserk' with the intention of replaying the levels I'd completed (starting with the first level), and I found that allowing myself to get flanked by relatively small groups of enemies that would otherwise act as fodder for the frenzy gauge resulted in me having my health shredded to nothing in a matter of seconds. This huge spike in enemy aggression between the three 'standard' difficulties and the one 'extreme' difficulty seems to be another staple of the series. Come to think of it, it's fairly typical of 'arcade style' games of this kind: the best example I can think of which illustrates this is 'Inferno' difficulty in the Earth Defense Force games.

[Demon Knight]

This game is not bad if you play on hard or hell difficulty. It's just a musou after all


Anyway, this might be old and off topic. But i wish it becomes true.
https://www.google.com.sa/amp/wccftech.com/software-president-hidetaka-miyazaki-berserk-creator-kentaro-miura-collaborate-new-project-rumor/amp/

[Walter]

Anyway, this might be old and off topic. But i wish it becomes true.
https://www.google.com.sa/amp/wccftech.com/software-president-hidetaka-miyazaki-berserk-creator-kentaro-miura-collaborate-new-project-rumor/amp/

It's not happening: http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=15259.0

[Walter]

That Femto boss fight at the Eclipse was one of the stupidest, most infuriating fights I've ever experienced in a game. Utter garbage.

[Tama]

That Femto boss fight at the Eclipse was one of the stupidest, most infuriating fights I've ever experienced in a game. Utter garbage.

That's what I've been hearing Walter. I haven't played it myself yet, but why is this? Is it just made crappy, or unfair?

[The Beast of Darkness]

That Femto boss fight at the Eclipse was one of the stupidest, most infuriating fights I've ever experienced in a game. Utter garbage.

Just did it yesterday and I agree. It's nearly impossible to touch him with everything he's throwing at you. You're happy once you get passed it...

[Walter]

That's what I've been hearing Walter. I haven't played it myself yet, but why is this? Is it just made crappy, or unfair?

It's a boss battle against Femto, so of course, the odds are going to be stacked against you. But I mean... coooome on. Given the ridiculous scenario they've concocted, it should have gone something like this: Oh, getting to Femto is virtually impossible? Fair enough, I'll just try and land a hit. Nope can't do that, oh shit, I'm about to die. **Forced game over state, Skull Knight intervenes, stage ends**. But no, no — they actually want you to break through his insane defenses and land three successive hits to end the stage. Why?  Musou!

When the level starts, there's a special effect: Your movements and attacks are slowed by about 2-3x when you're within range of these stupid Beherit stone piles, which you can smash to break free of the effect. The location of these changes throughout the stage, so most of the time you're walking around and attacking in slow-motion. Always a recipe for fun.

Hitting Femto is easy enough at first. Get up close and wail on him. Then he squats down and suddenly Guts is pulled into the ground (wtf), and you're respawned further away from him. Do this twice, and on round three things get real. The beherit stone pile things only spawn next to Femto now. And he'll begin constantly projecting spinning whirlwinds that surround him in a huge radius. Get hit by those, and you're sent flying away. Get back up and walk in slow-mo back to where you were. You can try to block the tornados and walk slowly toward Femto, but just one of them will break through your defense, leaving you prone, and then the second or third will hit you for sure.

So your only real strategy is to "dash" your way past the whirlwinds, which, you know, is pretty frustrating to do when you're slowed by the effect of the stone pile, which you can't get to because of the whirlwinds, which you can't get past because of the stone pile, which you can't get to because of the whirlwinds. Having fun yet? Even if you manage to get through an opening in the whirlwinds, his other special attacks (translucent bubbles slowly advancing toward you) force you to go prone, so then the whirlwinds will certainly get you.

It becomes a cycle of walking toward him slowly, getting blown away, trying again, getting blown away, trying again, getting a little further, forced prone, then getting blown away. The way I finally broke through was with one of Guts' stupid frenzy attacks, the kind you're never really sure of the range of. So basically, stabbing in the dark, missing, building up the meter again by, you know, "killing" hundreds of surrounding apostles (2 character models for these, btw), and trying over and over blindly until it hits.

This game fucking sucks.

[Synelor]

Thought I'd chime in on this as I've finished the game (on Hard) and completed Endless Eclipse as Guts. It's my first Musou experience, so I went in fully aware what to expect - lots and lots of mindless button mashing. This is true for the entirety of the story mode, which sucks, because the game actually gets somewhat difficult during the later stages of Endless Eclipse (layers 80-100), where the mobs finally start to swarm the player and attack for considerable damage.

Golden Age has measly boss fights with only Zodd and Wyald being somewhat fun. Luckily I managed to beat story mode Femto in a single try. I didn't even bother trying to get through his clusterfuck of projectiles, so I just ran about until I could do a death blow, rinse, repeat. Being low on health fills the frenzy meter very quickly. Endless Eclipse Femto is a different beast altogether. He won't summon any screaming heads that slow you down but is instead constantly spawning multiple slowly moving orbs that won't disappear on they own and stun you for 2-3 seconds on impact, amongst his other shenanigans. Definitely the hardest boss in the game. Funnily enough his one crucial weakness is throwing bombs, with every attack guaranteeing a knockdown for easy hits.

Snake Baron has his ridiculous stunlock combos and frenzy invulnerability periods. The Count unfortunately is a joke, getting easily stunlocked by Guts' basic combos so you can defeat him with ease. Mozgus, although not the hardest, is definitely my favourite boss, mainly because the entire mission in Tower of Conviction is engaging, plus the music. Speaking of the soundtrack, it is really solid with quite a few gems, my favourites being the Black Swordsman theme, Tower of Conviction theme, Mozgus theme, Ganishka's theme and the credits music, all excellent tracks.

Next up was Zodd again, which is more of the same as before. The Ogre and Kelpie pair is frustrating, with Kelpie's water projectiles being really hard to keep track of because of the environment, all the while the Ogre keeps cornering you, blocking the vision. Slan was good but her unavoidable wing attacks are annoying, not to mention the pestering Ogres who keep throwing logs at you. Grunbeld loves to spam his shield cannon during the first part of the battle but we're not given much time to fight him in our usual getup. Berserker armor absolutely demolishes his human and apostle forms. The sheer carnage you can cause by triggering the armor really makes the final stretch of the game more fun. The final boss, Ganishka, is solid. You need to be aware of his constant lightning attacks around him and his big attacks have long windups, so it's not hard to avoid them.

Regarding equipment, I was a bit confused about the enhancement/amalgamation system at first, so I didn't bother with it for the better part of the story. It only becomes necessary during the final levels of Endless Eclipse and if you want to farm items later on. The game doesn't give you the ability to pick whichever skills you want to keep during amalgamation until way later, which is dumb.
Tried out a few missions in the downloadable scenario pack and it definitely has hard content if you aren't geared up. There's one called "Berserk Musou" where you are given 20 minutes to kill as many enemies as possible. Eventually the game throws a Ganishka and transformed Berserker Armor Guts duo at you during every other wave. Managed to rack up almost 5000 kills in that mission alone.

Apologies if this got rambly. What I'd emphasize here is that for me, the game gradually picked up after the Eclipse, the missions were better and I was more inclined to get through the story. I was really doubting if I'd even finish it in the beginning but I kept on going and found myself actually enjoying the game.

[berserkgasuki]

I'm stuck and would like people's advice here concerning buying Berserk Musou.
Do you think they will release part 2 like they did with Ken's Rage and in the process fleshing out more of the story and making more characters playable or will this might be the last iteration of the game for a while?

[Walter]

I'm stuck and would like people's advice here concerning buying Berserk Musou.

My buying advice: In no universe is this game worth the asking price of $60. If you are still interested in playing it, then I would recommend waiting for a sale.

Do you think they will release part 2 like they did with Ken's Rage and in the process fleshing out more of the story and making more characters playable or will this might be the last iteration of the game for a while?

Unlikely. They already barreled through 90% of the story in the first game.

[DANGERDOOOOM]

**Random note** I was playing Wyald while listening to Spotify, and "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen started playing. That song is literally everything Wyald stands for.

[Demon Knight]

Can u listen to any song from Spotify? Like if i downloaded a berserk song like SIGN or Forces can i listen to it while playing the game?

[Delta Phi]

**Random note** I was playing Wyald while listening to Spotify, and "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen started playing. That song is literally everything Wyald stands for.

  That's perfect!

[brokenknight]

**Random note** I was playing Wyald while listening to Spotify, and "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen started playing. That song is literally everything Wyald stands for.

"Don't stop me now! I'm gonna have a-" " WYALD JUMP.... WYALD STOMP"

I wish he didn't say it every time....