WEBVTT

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- [Eric] It's often said
that time is fleeting,

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a precious gift when shared with others.

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Understanding the power time holds over us

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is what lies at the heart of

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"Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior."

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- [Ime] Time?

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No, no. I need real power.

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Don't you have a magic sword for me?

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- [Eric] In my six hours with Lysfanga,

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I'd describe it as a tactical time looper.

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It's a sub-genre of game
I've never seen before,

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but more on that in a bit.

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It's an isometric single
player hack 'n slasher

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where you step into the sandals of Ime

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as she quests to find her brother

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and save the world using
time twisting powers

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from a benevolent goddess.

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Lysfanga is the first commercial release

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from French developer Sand Door Studio,

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which began as a student team.

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The game is published

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under the label Spotlight
by Quantic Dream,

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who are best known for triple A

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interactive storytelling vehicles

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like "Detroit: Become Human,"

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and the upcoming perpetually
simmering "Star Wars: Eclipse."

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Unlike their parent
publisher, Quantic Dream,

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Lysfanga's narrative
takes a backseat here.

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- [Kehor] Quiet, you!

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(dramatic music)

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- [Eric] Cut scenes largely
consist of voiced text

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alongside static portraits.

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I'd like to have seen a bit
wider range of expression,

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like additional character
animations for anger or surprise.

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As such, Lysfanga's characters

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come off as pretty two dimensional.

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We have our earnest hero,

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a sibling with mysterious motivations,

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goofy golem sidekicks,

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even a cackling villain.

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(The Stranger cackles)

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- [The Stranger] You've
figured it out, have you?

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- [Eric] But the main draw
with Lysfanga is its gameplay,

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which is a wholly unique experience

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for which the Sand Door Studio
team should be commended.

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When entering an arena,

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you're encouraged to
survey the battlefield

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and plan out your best route,
utilizing your remnants.

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These are temporal clones of
yourself on previous runs,

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which work together to complete the stage

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in a timed attack format.

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Ime has access to three
weapons with distinct move sets

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that you can hot swap between,

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as well as four ultimate abilities,

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an assortment of spells,

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and equippable runes that
impart powerful bonuses.

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These all contribute
in adding extra layers

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of strategic thinking.

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After some early difficulty spikes,

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I really started to jive with
Lysfanga's core gameplay loop.

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It's pretty satisfying
to beat up on chumps

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with past versions of yourself.

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At times I found myself fighting

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against my base hack 'n slash instincts

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to fight foes I'd already
dispatched in previous loops.

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In this manner, Lysfanga
presents a unique challenge,

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interrogating learned
habits from other genres

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and flipping them upside
down like an hourglass.

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It's possible my withered brainstem

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was getting its wires crossed

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with another hack n' slasher, "Hades,"

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2019's sensational Greek
mythological roguelike

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that's slated to receive

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a much anticipated sequel by years' end.

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In my defense, I mean, look at Ime's dash.

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Speaking of, Lysfanga features a codex

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including locations and enemies

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that gradually fills out
over the course of the game.

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Or what about the unlockable
Figments of Battle game mode

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that allows you to replay any
previously completed arena

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with affixes for extra challenge?

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Skelly would like a word.

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Jokes aside, I draw in
the Hades comparison,

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not just for the SEO juice,

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but to illustrate how I imagine

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Lysfanga can grow post-launch.

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The game feels like it was built

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from the ground up for speed runners.

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I can foresee a future

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where Lysfanga gets grassroots support

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similar to how Hades got its own

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community speed running
competition, the Hermes Cup.

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I've never played anything
quite like Lysfanga before.

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And even if it's not quite
my cup of time loop tea,

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I'm interested to see what the
young Sand Door Studio team

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does next with Lysfanga.

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They've genuinely introduced something new

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into our shared gameplay lexicon.

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No small feat in the
oversaturated gaming medium.

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"Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior"

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is out this week for PC on the
Steam and Epic Games store.

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Have you turned back
the clock with Lysfanga?

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Let us know in the comments below

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and be sure to check out kotaku.com

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for more gaming coverage.

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(light music)