Adore Review (G_Swizzle__)
Adore has good bones but it does need work.
The parts of the Adore that I enjoy:
The monster design is good, I wouldn't say its completely unique but compared to some of the other monster collecting games I have seen they are enjoyable.
The combat system is entirely unique to the genera, you "control" your monster, while also being able to control the main character, both of which have their own health bars and can get hit by the same attack/monster. Your stamina bar is the main recourse to use your monsters. No stamina = no monsters. They have "ultimate" abilities that are exclusive to each monster, that range from healing to throwing up water on your foes. When your ultimate isn't charged you have a generic attacking ability that is also different from monster to monster. If your monsters heath bar is drained they don't "faint" they get cursed. They can still be used in combat but if they have any damage dealt to them in this state you will die and get sent back to town.
Each of the 4 monsters in your party level throughout combat making their attacks stronger, as you progress you can have them learn traits. The trait system is generic and leaves more to be desired but its enough to customize your party to what play style you most enjoy.
There are artifacts that you as the player can equip that provide passive benefits to add more build diversity which is a nice touch as you as the player don't level up like your monsters.
From what little story I've read it seems fun, but corny. That is to be expected for a game geared towards a younger audience.
The things I dislike about this game:
Not being able to just skip the dialog in the game is annoying, not deal breaking but be aware that you have to spam the continue button if you don't care about the story.
The tutorial and info screens can be less informing then they should be. Some game mechanics you just have to figure out on your own.
The controls are obviously optimized for a controller and not a keyboard and mouse. If you double tap any summon button you basically waste stamina as your monster is thrown out and retrieved so fast the model doesn't load and its neck is broken. This along with some irritating mobbing that can happen means you as the player are getting the ever loving **** kicked outta you while you wait for stamina to regen.
The targeting system that is used for your monsters just doesn't work for me. I will try and target a monster that will one shot my party monsters faster then it takes Trump to get indited and they go after a monster that is as fearsome as a puppy.
Some of the wild monsters attacks are less then fun to deal with, monsters with floating wind attacks and damn electric snakes that one shot any party monsters and almost the player character that again mob are less then fun to kite. (I fully recognize that this is most likely user error I just don't have the mental to deal with it 100% of the time)
Conversely some monsters in general are weaker then a toddler with a blow up hammer. They just hit you and its a minor annoyance. If you capture them, you have a toddler that hits wild monsters with a blow up hammer.
When opening chest to get a random monster, you have to hit the F button twice. Once to open the chest and a second time to collect the monster. Unlike in most games were when you open a chest the loot is automatically collected. When this isn't done you lose the monster forever. You get a really rare blessed monster that is game changing and you don't confirm that you want it, its GONE. FOREVER. Hitting F a second time isn't obvious when it SHOULD be. The game shouldn't let you leave the map before you confirm you want the monster or you "release" it.
One thing that has been a MAJOR annoyance to me is that the save system doesn't work 100% of the time. About an hour of progress was lost because the save system just didn't work.
All in all Adore is a unique monster collecting game that is difficult but enjoyable at best and at worst just doesn't save your progress. I enjoy it when I have the mental, when I don't I have to take 10 mins of my day to sit outside and pretend that video games were never invented.