Morbid analysis: the seven acolytes

Morbid: the seven acolytes It is without a doubt one of the surprises of the year. It may be a statement that shocks or surprises more than one player, but it is absolutely true. This is a launch developed by a small Finnish studio, Still Running, which attracts attention from the first moment. Through a very elaborate pixel art style, Morbid: the seven acolytes, takes us to a dark world with clear references to Lovecraft stories.

This parameter is mixed with the Classic gameplay of a soul and takes us to some truly raw action. And, this release does not want to hide and shows a violence and a viscerality that fits perfectly with the atmosphere it represents. But, How do you feel in control? If you want to know more about this game, do not miss the following analysis.

A decadent world

Our adventure begins by putting yourself in the shoes of a warrior belonging to the society of The Dibrom Order. Members of this order are trained in the art of combat from childhood in an attempt to combat any threat of darkness. The problem is that the evil we are facing has wiped out all members of the order. The only solution to this is to kill the Seven Acolytes. Who were possessed by terrible demons called Gahars.

As we have already advanced in the previous paragraphs, Morbid: the seven acolytes, is a game that generates a unique atmosphere. The darkness of its landscapes, the decline of its villages and its inhabitants make us feel in danger from the first moment. Accompanying this darkness, more than obvious signs of Lovecraftian mythology begin to appear. Creatures similar to little Cthullus, to environments that bring us back to the author’s novels. These inspirations are pretty clear, so if you are a fan of this type of reading, you will feel right at home.

On the other hand, you have to highlight the good artistic work of this game. We’re talking about some of the best pixel art we’ve seen on the move. also, this graphic style is complemented by a simply spectacular character design. And that’s it, the harshness of the scenes Morbid: the seven acolytes

We don’t want to go into too much detail, because seeing these creatures is a wonderful experience for the player. But just to give us an idea of ​​the level of viscerality of this title, there is a specific enemy that is going to attack us with its own fetus. And I can tell you that is the usual trend for this version.

Melodies of Darkness

Surprisingly, in addition to this good work in the graphics section, we find an equal or more polished sound section. A few days ago we were able to speak directly with Simo, the composer of the soundtrack of this Morbid: the seven acolytes. And the truth is, from there, we want to highlight their wonderful work.

Morbid: the seven acolytes, It has melodies that perfectly match what is displayed on the screen. Its different themes take us to a world full of darkness and where its inhabitants have lost hope.. In this sense, far from going into comparisons, I must say that I found topics that could appear in any FromSoftware job without major problems. A sample of the good work and results achieved by the team.

Apart from that, we have to point out that the game, although it came from a small studio, It is translated into perfect Spanish. Something important so as not to lose any detail of its history.

Soul-like mechanics

Leaving aside the technical part of the game, we must emphasize that we are faced with a game that could be incorporated into the subgenre of the soul. It means that we will find many similarities with the games developed by FromSoftware. However, the game also manages to differentiate itself in some aspects that we will discuss later.

First of all, the game follows a fairly classic structure in several of its aspects. On the one hand, There is a life bar and an energy bar, which behave in a standard way. Which means that when we are hit we will lose life and our energy will decrease every time we hit, roll or run.

Also, Morbid: the seven acolytes, has other classic elements, such as dibrom stones, with which we will cure and have limited uses, or the sanctuaries which have the same utility as the bonfires of the Japanese franchise. Although these shrines have the peculiarity of allow us to consult our active missions.

Your own touch

On the other hand, if we deepen the differences, we will find its system of progression. Unlike other games in this subgenre, improvements in our character come through blessings. These blessings are scattered throughout the game’s mapping, so it’s easy to leave a few behind. By killing enemies we will get skill points with which to improve these blessings. This, yes, we will have limited spaces to equip the blessings, we will therefore have to choose wisely the ones that suit us best.

We waited until this point, to comment on another of the peculiarities of this version, such as the use of reason. As we have already mentioned and repeated during this analysis, Morbid: the seven acolytes has very evident inspiration in the works of Lovecraft. It’s because of it using sanity as a playable variable makes perfect sense.

But how does mental health affect? As well, As our sanity decreases, the possibility of spectra appearing will increase. Specters are the ghosts of the enemies we defeat. Therefore, you have to be careful what you are doing.

A very precise fight

Having said that, it’s time for us to talk about one of the aspects that usually carries the most weight in this type of game; the fight. From now on We expect the fight to meet expectations perfectly. Of course, in this sense the game does not innovate and remains faithful to the original formula. This means that we are faced with a combat that is a bit rudimentary, but which requires great precision from the player.

With regard to the latter, we refer to measure very well the times in which to attack our enemies or what it will take to deliver a charged blow. Since we are talking about the special hit, we have to tell you that Morbid: the seven acolytes It only has two buttons for attack, another for parrys and finally a button to run or roll with. In a way, The most interesting thing about this formula are these special attacks which vary depending on the type of weapon we are carrying.

One of the most useful ways to get the various weapons in the game is through their missions. During the adventure We will find different characters who will give us all kinds of tasks, completing them will provide us with unique gear, runes, and learn more about this world.

More options

In addition to the above, we must highlight the possibility of using a ranged weapon in combat. Similar to Bloodbornewe can use different ranged weapons without having to drop our melee weapon. In this sense, we find a system that works and that gives variety to the action. A very interesting point to mention is that the game has a great variety of weapons, which makes our combat strategies much more varied.

Likewise, our weapons can be upgraded through the use of runes. These runes will provide us with different effects, from a higher attack speed, to classic elemental damage.

The 7 Acolytes

Well, now is the time to speak openly and highlight an issue that is still associated with this type of post; The difficulty. We are faced with a game which has a high difficulty and which may not be suitable for all audiences. Despite this, I have to say that if you are a fan of this type of game, you won’t be really under pressure. The game has a complicated showdown, but it doesn’t hit the genre’s difficulty quotas.

I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it’s something to be aware of, because you will not find a great challenge in this Morbid: the seven acolytes. Following this line, the final boss battles are very spectacular and have a good variety giving the player some great moments. The same goes for mini-bosses, or what they’re called in the game. “Fearsome enemies”. These optional bosses will give us an extra challenge and add variety to the title.

In addition, their maps are quite extensive, they have many secrets in their environment, as well as dangers. In reality, Many times crossing them without getting lost will be one of their biggest challenges.

Despite all these advantages, Morbid: the seven acolytes He has a few butes. The first of these concerns the artificial intelligence of our enemies. This sometimes obscures the playable aspect, causing enemies to “get caught” or not to detect us despite their presence. Another aspect that has been questionable is not having a safe or some type of warehouse to store the material, which means that many times we have to throw away weapons or items to make room for others.

Finally Morbid: the seven acolytes…

Morbid: the seven acolytes it is certainly one of the surprises of the year. As we have already mentioned from the beginning, We’re up against a launch that has an artistically commendable job and translates it meaningfully to its playable mechanics. The team of Always run has managed to bring to market a really solid product that dazzles with its design of enemies and levels and that perfectly fills its playable section.

It is perhaps only in the latter case that we can Morbid: the seven acolytes. The game is limited to following a pattern established with us for a long time and which innovates in a very specific way. If I had taken a step forward in this direction, we would be talking about an even better game than it already is. Something incredible, since we are facing a match highly recommended for all lovers of the genre. Remember, if you liked this analysis, you have a lot more here.