Boss fights in Tides of Annihilation do not punish you for defeat.

Eclipse Glow Games' waves of destruction has already garnered a lot of attention for the scale and flash of its boss encounters, but what stands out even more than that is the way it approaches the idea of failure during combat. In most action games, losing is considered a complete reset, forcing the player to start the fight again. waves of destruction It seems to go against the grain of the loop. From what's been revealed so far, the bosses appear to be big, cinematic, and mechanically dense, but they may be more welcome than players might expect from a title with such dramatic presentation.

In a recent interview with Game Rant waves of destruction Producer Kun Fu hinted that the game's boss fights are about finding ways to move players forward despite failure, rather than constantly punishing mistakes. As Fu hinted at in the interview, the development team designed the boss fights to encourage players to try again without feeling like they've been pushed too far back. He wasn't explicit about what that ultimately means, but those expecting a more soul-like experience feel safe. waves of destruction You might actually get something that tilts in the opposite direction, or at least cushions the impact.

Tides of Doom is full of boss fights, but they shouldn't be punishing.

Two characters from the Boss Battle's Wave of Destruction

Numerous boss battles await players in Tides of Destruction.

As Kun Fu and Eclipse Glow Games have stated many times before, it is not a soul-like game, but waves of destruction Still, it's full of boss fights. Players will explore a re-imagined version of London set between modern-day London and a medieval fantasy realm built on the influences of King Arthur, but will encounter numerous bosses along the way. Fu said in an interview:

“We encounter a ton of bosses, and every boss has been carefully crafted, but because their role within the narrative is different, the way the story is presented and how much of an impact the story has on the combat varies from boss to boss.”

so, waves of destruction It may not be a boss rush game, but it's definitely boss-oriented in design. Moreover, rather than making each of these boss fights as narratively relevant as the last, some may push the plot forward while others merely serve as skill checks or pace resets. That doesn't mean the latter isn't based on world lore or the overall story.

It seems like it would be okay if nothing else happened waves of destruction While narrative-essential boss encounters serve as story gatekeepers, all or most of the remaining boss fights are optional and reserved for those who occasionally venture off the beaten path.

Tides of Annihilation's boss encounters appear to be built for player success.

But that doesn't necessarily make things interesting. waves of destruction's greatest combat encounter. While some aspects of its design seem a bit business-like for the genre, Eclipse Glow Games' action-adventure title may have a few tricks up its sleeve to help players experience the game without being overwhelmed by boss encounters. When asked how waves of destructionAfter dealing with the failure of the boss fight, Fu began his reply:

“For each boss, we have very clear design goals and build the encounters around the pace of that part of the game. We pay close attention to how repeated attempts feel to the player and try to minimize unnecessary repetition while maintaining narrative and combat continuity.”

Perhaps the most notable thing about the way Eclipse Glow Games has designed the boss encounters is how they feel about the player, as well as how they feel about the player on their 10th and 20th attempts. Although games like Souls generally seem to have little regard for the time and emotional energy it takes for players to finally defeat a boss. waves of destruction The idea is to “pay close attention” to these feelings so that things don’t repeat themselves unnecessarily. Fu didn't reveal the definitive results of this design philosophy in the interview, but he did reveal one more surprising detail about the game's boss fights that should cheer up those who find the enormity of their sights intimidating.

“For longer boss encounters, we'll introduce reasonable breakpoints that allow players to briefly recover or reset. We'll also reward players based on their performance to maintain an encouraging experience even during repeated attempts.”

For long boss fights in any game, it makes sense to give the player a chance to take a break from time to time, whether through a brief dialogue sequence or the opportunity to save the game and replenish health, even if some games don't offer such amenities. but where waves of destruction There may be different ways to handle repeated attempts. As Fu mentioned, players will be “rewarded” for their performance over multiple attempts. Whether this means they'll receive an in-game buff to help them move forward or receive some experience points based on how long it lasts, it can mean the difference between a player persevering or quitting.

Details on this are lacking at the moment, but if this is the direction Eclipse Glow Games is pursuing, waves of destruction You might end up providing a boss fight that feels challenging without throwing the player away. Nothing will be certain until people can enjoy the full game, but the ideas Fu outlined suggest a combat experience that will keep players moving forward without tiring them out. At the very least, it points to a design philosophy that hopes to keep people engaged long enough to see what the game is trying to say, and that alone can make every boss encounter worth pursuing, and even fights that have to be sought out rather than stumbled upon.