Blind Playtest of "Mortal Shell II" Souls-Like Open-Beta (Part 5/6)

Cleansed a beacon by pure luck, just blundered through it and somehow made it. Was surprisingly able to beat The Wandering Shepherd boss fight only to be steamrolled over by Magdalena, The Lady of the Woods. All in all, I'm surprised I've gotten this far to get to a major boss (I think she's a major boss due to the cutscene). "Mortal Shell II" on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/47... Playtest Highlights: Playtest Update and Session Continuation (00:00:01 - 01:50): The creator introduces an update to the Mortal Shell 2 open beta and explains that they are continuing their playthrough from where they left off, noting the game's massive scale. The Necessity of Cleansing Beacons (03:51 - 04:39): The creator discusses their realization that cleansing beacons is a mandatory mechanic for progression in certain areas of the game. Combat Boredom and Repetition (11:50 - 13:30): The creator expresses a sense of boredom after five hours of play, attributing it to the repetitive nature of the combat cycle, which involves constant sword swinging and beacon cleansing. POV and Lock-on Frustrations (17:23 - 18:17): The creator notes a specific frustration with the control system, explaining how locking onto a target prevents them from freely moving their point of view. Technical Bypassing of Enemies (20:18 - 21:29): The creator describes a technical occurrence where they were able to bypass a difficult encounter after the enemies fell, allowing them to proceed to cleansing a beacon. Unintentional Beacon Cleansing (21:38 - 22:24): The creator admits to cleansing a beacon through what they believe was an unintended sequence of events, though they are happy to take the progress. Enjoyment of Challenging Pacing (27:42 - 28:49): Despite losing a battle, the creator shares that they enjoyed the specific difficulty and pacing of the encounter, finding it fun and different. Triumphant Boss Defeat (34:20 - 34:42): The creator expresses surprise and happiness after defeating the "The Wandering Shepherd" boss, a victory they didn't initially expect. Renewed Interest in the Narrative (36:11 - 37:01): The creator mentions their satisfaction with encountering more story elements and dialogue after a long journey through various game environments. UI and Collision Frustrations (45:17 - 45:40): The creator highlights a minor frustration with the environment's collision detection, noting that they had to stand at a specific angle to squeeze through certain passages. Technical Item Interaction (47:49 - 48:22): The creator points out a technical delay where they were unable to pick up a specific item until the fragments of broken boxes had completely disappeared. Final Boss Attempts and Wrap-up (56:18 - 57:06): The creator summarizes their session, celebrating their beacon cleansing and boss victory while acknowledging their current struggle with a new boss before signing off for a break. Playtest Data Points: Boredom: 00:11:54 Triumphant: 00:34:20 Apprehension: 00:41:21 Experimental Player Strategy: 00:44:59 Annoyance: 00:47:32 Narrative: 00:03:45, 00:36:11 Controls/Tutorial: 00:17:25, 00:15:50 Technical Issue: 00:20:18, 00:47:49 Progression/Systems: 00:21:47 Pacing/Difficulty: 00:27:53 UI/UX: 00:45:17 Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Session Intro 00:01:23 - Exploring the Sunken Village 00:02:15 - Beacon Cleansing Attempt 00:07:35 - Facing the Elite Guards 00:10:12 - Tactical Retreat and Recovery 00:12:20 - Unexpected Ambush 00:15:41 - Environmental Combat Challenge 00:17:22 - Camera Lock-on and Movement Issues 00:20:10 - Bypassing Elite Enemies via Gravity 00:21:47 - Successful Beacon Cleansing 00:27:41 - Enemy Pattern Recognition Practice 00:33:00 - Boss Encounter: The Wandering Shepherd 00:34:20 - Triumph: Defeating the Shepherd 00:35:01 - Dialogue with the Crow NPC 00:37:41 - Leveling Up and Shell Upgrades 00:38:14 - Entering the Abandoned Mine 00:38:37 - Customizing Equipment and Infusions 00:42:00 - Boss Cutscene: The Lady of the Woods 00:43:30 - Initial Boss Strategy and Pattern Learning 00:47:45 - Technical Item Pickup Glitch 00:51:16 - Block and Counter-Attack Testing 00:56:18 - Session Recap and Final Feedback #playtesting #GameExploration #demogameplay