This is another just ugh map. It's a high RNG map, which I really dislike for a lot of reasons. Actually, let me rephrase that: I don't mind maps with a bit of an RNG factor - it adds a degree of uncertainty and challenge. What I don't like though is maps like this where the RNG factor is so high that it can mean the difference between winning and losing, regardless of what strategy or hero you're using.
Like the campaign mode, the danger here is getting too many extra Blood Gnolls. Unlike the campaign mode, however, you simply don't have the resources to put together a defense that can proactively keep all (or at least most) gnolls from turning into blood gnolls. That means that even if things are going great, just getting a few extra Blood Gnolls at the wrong time instantly turns it into a loss. It feels like a dirty and cheap tactic in terms of design, and it makes your wins feel less earned when you're relying on getting decent RNG no matter what.
Impressions
On the one hand, high RNG makes grading rather difficult, because it's always hard to estimate to what extent the RNG made your hero's performance seem better or worse. On the other hand, the high RNG meant that I ended up doing the map multiple times with most every hero, giving me more data points to judge by. Regardless, this was a hard map, and the grades reflect it.
Starting at the bottom this time, I'm sure no one will be shocked to see that Razz and Rags got a 'D'. As I've already explained, every hero requires getting at least not horrible RNG, so you could argue they all deserve 'D's. However, Razz and Rags require not just 'not horrible' RNG, but outright good RNG, which I feel is the true definition of a 'D'. Catha and Prince Denas join him in our dunce group, which I was rather shocked by for Prince Denas. However, he suffered from the same problem as Catha on this map: while Catha may be able to stall enemies with her sleep abilities and Prince Denas with does the same with blocking, both lack the DPS to take down enemies in a timely manner before the next batch appears, which is crucial on this map.
Eridan and Xin earn the 'C's here. Eridan shouldn't be shocking, since he too suffers from DPS problems, but I really don't know why Xin scored so low. Usually he's a very solid 'B' at the least, but man I struggled with him, and honestly he just barely avoided getting a 'D' himself. I lack the ability to identify exactly what it is, but something about this map just really brought out his weaknesses.
Somehow Arivan managed to earn a 'B' here, even though he is firmly on the low DPS team. Maybe it was just great RNG, or maybe it was the opposite of Xin, where the peculiarities of this map's design just played well to his strengths. Vez'nan got a 'B' as well, but know exactly why with him: the Blood Ogres' and Ogre Magi's high magic resistance means he less suited for dealing with him.
The rest of the 'A's and 'B's hold no surprises, so we'll wrap it up and get to the list.
Final Grades
- Eridan - C
- Arivan - B
- Catha - D
- Reg'son - A
- Prince Denas - D
- Razz and Rags - D
- Bravebark - A
- Vez'nan - B
- Xin - C
- Phoenix - A
- Durax - A
- Lynn - A
- Bruce - B
- Lilith - B
- Wilbur - A
- Faustus - A
Best Choice
Wilbur continues his streak with another Best Choice here. Again, it's all about the DPS.
Your Blood Quarry Iron video links here, and it seems like you haven't actually written anything about the actual Iron version of Blood Quarry, or at least, i haven't been able to find it.
ReplyDeleteYep, I linked the wrong blog post the in the YouTube descriptions. I've gone back and corrected it, and you can find the proper blog post here:
ReplyDeletehttps://4030gaming.blogspot.com/2021/01/kingdom-rush-origins-steam-impossible_5.html
Thanks for pointing this out!