Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

They might be “bad guys”, but that doesn’t make them “bad guys”?

The examination of human nature in direct contrast to the mechanistic tendencies needed in applying oneself to the demanding dexterous proclivities of Expedition 33’s (E33) parry system, made for a surprisingly sobering read, made all the more surprising when I share with you in the notion it was not at all my original intent for the premise of said article. During my proofreading phase in polishing the write-up, I was struck with the notion that I had some very obviously pent up mortido like energies I needed to expunge out of my being, giving the tone of my article quite the “Schopenhaurian edge”, as it were, which delights me greatly in the ornery wisdom that comes with such dimensionality. This is why it is so important to journal, at the very least, to get out what is in, though I encourage anyone with a creative itch to challenge themselves in wild earnest, as the writing process is an enlivening self-discovery process unmatched in the realm of wisened, introspective discovery.

I got around to writing this day a lot later than I originally planned, which means the structure of this particular article may end up being a bit of a rush job, truth be told, but when one is faced with a lack of time, bringing sloppy writing into roughshod existence beats an alternative involving the absence of any creativity made manifest whatsoever, regardless of focus or time related issues, so onward we must press.

As I continue my journey enjoying Expedition 33, I do take a moment to shout out the game for taking home the lions share of awards it was nominated for at last night’s Game Awards, including the mac daddy prize of the them all, Game of the Year. While E33 doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table in a mechanistic kind of way, the amount of polish that went into the game is unmatched, and developer Sandfall Interactive helps to resolidify with E33, how much gamers yearn for the parry, as players showed up en masse to celebrate Expedition 33, and its mad turn based, parry/dodging, RPG glory.

I think, one of the interesting elements that the parry system of E33 brings into focus, is the emphasis on appropriate rogues gallery design, as having an excellent foil for the protagonists to go up against is vital in creating that give and take, push/pull, ideal counterbalance in the whole tug of war process that will come to embody the structure of combat throughout the experience. Utilizing a parry in this regard, has an interesting knock on effect, in just how the developers can more effectively hone in on crafting a better class of villainy, in making sure the enemies don’t just put up a good fight in the process, but to do so with appropriately meaningful intentionality along with it.

To wit; even the smallest details of combat maneuvering can’t be underestimated nor enemy behaviors overstated, in making sure the experience does service to the gameplay in the best way imaginable. A great subtle example of this takes the form of repetitive behavior (funny enough), which normally takes on negative forms of feedback, in relation to lackadaisical enemy design involving critiques of laziness, but in a world where a player needs a familiarity involved with how enemies telegraph their own moves set, in giving players a fair shot at reading the enemy movements on the fly, in having a fair chance of parrying at a moments notice, ends up being absolutely pertinent to the satisfaction of the overall vibe.

On top of repetitive enemy behavior, which ends up benefiting from the parry/dodge dichotomy it is set against, converging what was once considered a clumsy downside, isnow made a positive through mercifully minded parry driven design machinations via a mindfully regulated roster of baddies with which to fight. Much like the need for repetitive movements, in helping the player to pick up on telegraphic enemy behaviors with parry focused gameplay in mind, having a stable of strongly designed enemies fewer in number, works with even greater measures of success, if the variation therein is relatively concentrated. This way, as soon as you are able to identify one of the handful of enemies in an area you’ve already practiced against prior, you’ll likely have little trouble in recalling the cadence of their own rhythmic sensibilities you will have to tap into again, in order to best the enemy with smooth fluidity in the matter.

E33 utilizes a tried and true technique that other devs have applied in similarly successful ways, very much in the vein of what Bungie did with the Halo series for example, in formatting how their Covenant army works, in relation to visual digestibility issues regarding game design. With a small core of unique troops making up any given platoon (grunt, jackal, elite, hunter), they effectively helped to give some easily identifiable red flags for the players to contend with, in reading the room of threat assessment swiftly, and creating an effective counter strategy thereafter, based on just a scant few visual clues mindfully built into the troops themselves. Not only does that translate to interesting combat scenarios, in how theose enemies may be remixed, but one will be able to already “feel the vibe” of the fight, in knowing how to react to the ebb and flow of battle, based on what kind of enemies attack, in the ways they will, and the methodology behind their movements. All cleverly designed in visual shorthand to better telegraph to the player what they need to know in order to succeed, and with many players perhaps not even being fully conscious of this kind of informational exchange occurring as the battle plays out, and therefore, a great example of brilliant game design at play and working resoundingly as intended.

There remained more on my mind that I was excited to dive into today, but looking at the time reminds me of how little I have left this night, so I will have to wrap this up and take my leave of you for the time being.

Stay groovy.

-Pashford