u/TheUberMensch123

Okay. So I just finished Scratch Creek. I think that there is a lot of good here & some pretty big flaws.

First off, the good:

*The game takes the one good thing from games like Deadspace 3. That being different narrative experiences for the 2 player characters.

*The game makes good use of proximity chat & text messaging between the two players. There are several moments where you & your partner are separated and can only use text messaging to communicate. This was very immersive, my friend & I would text each other to warn about scares or dangers. The moment where my friend, who was playing Marcus, just texted me to run & hide because a killer was in his room was incredibly immersive and reminded me of strong Slasher films.

The bad:

*Connectivity issues. These became less problematic as we progressed through the game, but the driving sequences especially had some bad rubber banding that made them very frustrating to get through.

*The final sequence. There isn’t very good direction on what you need to do to survive. We figured it out after an hour through trial, error, and a walkthrough or two. It really killed the pacing of what was an excellent co-op experience(minus technical issues) up until that point. Also, the timing windows to avoid death are very narrow & can be frustrating when one player fails to act in perfect sync with the other. This is especially frustrating with doors in the game, because one player can open it and the other can immediately close it, often causing a death & checkpoint restart.

What Id like to see refined in a second co-op game:

*Improved netcode. The lag spikes are really obnoxious & make certain sequences, like driving, impossible for one player.

*Greater focus on the two players experiencing different scares & plot elements, requiring communication over proximity chat or text messaging for both players to get the entire picture of the game’s story. The game’s greatest strength as a horror title lies in this aspect.

*A more streamlined approach to any chase or escape sequence that demands coordination between both players. This can be fixed with simple changes, like doors remaining open after one player interacts with them during scripted sequences. Or puzzle sections where each player must do something to help the other progress.

Overall, I think this is a strong but heavily flawed entry into the series. When it’s good, it’s really damn good & makes for a super effective co-op horror experience. When it’s bad, it’s an incredibly clunky & frustrating experience that demands a ton of trial & error to complete.

I think most, if not all, of the game’s flaws stem from Raul’s inexperience making co-op games before this one. If they listen to constructive feedback from fans, I think any future co-op titles would really shine & be awesome additions to the series.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

See title.

The power has gone out briefly both at my home & office 4-5 times today.

Anyone else experience this or know the cause? LPEA doing some work on the grid or something?

Simple. How did you get into TBFP/SBFP/Castle Super beast?

I had a room mate in Freshman year of College that basically threw away a full-ride scholarship to play league & convince his GF to fuck him.

Shit was super awkward, but he was a fan of the channel & I discovered the boys through that.

My ex-roommate was a dick for throwing away that scholarship in front of a brown boy(me)that had to pay for his education. We havent' talked in over 10 years. Am not a big fan of the ex-roomie, but I'll be forever grateful to that fuck-ass for introducing me to my favorite youtube channel/podcast going on 12 years later & I genuinely hope he’s doing well.

Alex, if you see this: Hope you're doing good. Sorry for being a GD weirdo when we shared a dorm at TU. No, I'm not gonna elaborate further so the weirdos among you don't doxx him.