Board 8 > Holy crap, Pyre is fun. And really good.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Supergiant's 3-for-3 now.

Who would have thought a visual novel with "combat" of 3-on-3 basketball would be so enthralling? Played it for 9 hours before I even knew it.
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At this point, Supergiant can do no wrong in my eyes.
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It does feel like blasphemy that Logan Cunningham isn't doing 90% of the voice work.
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Yup! Pyre soooo amazing <3

Rukey <3 <3
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I made a custom Pyre tournament using the Versus mode cpu vs. cpu. http://challonge.com/tournament_of_rites

It's been interesting to watch the computer at its highest level go bonkers against one another.

I beat the story yesterday, not sure I'm interested to play it again. I really enjoyed it the entire time though. <3 Ti'zo.

I wish the game had online multiplayer... it feels like it naturally should.
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Peridiam posted...

I made a custom Pyre tournament using the Versus mode cpu vs. cpu. http://challonge.com/tournament_of_rites

It's been interesting to watch the computer at its highest level go bonkers against one another.

I beat the story yesterday, not sure I'm interested to play it again. I really enjoyed it the entire time though. <3 Ti'zo.

I wish the game had online multiplayer... it feels like it naturally should.

Yeah, I'd love to play against other people :(
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What is Pyre is it really that g...

trdl23 posted...

3-on-3 basketball

wait what

why haven't I played this
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I got it because it reviewed so well, but I've been kind of eh.... about it.

The combat is a little repetitive, and the story is really dense. I don't like having to do research to figure out what is going on.

I'm intrigued where it's going, but it isn't really gripping me
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Also I laugh every time they call out Bae
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Shaduln posted...

At this point, Supergiant can do no wrong in my eyes.

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I absolutely loved Pyre, it was super up my alley with the lore and world building. And I loved every character.
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Zigzagoon posted...

Yup! Pyre soooo amazing <3

Rukey <3 <3

I feel kinda bad because I sent him home first :( I didn't want to break apart Hayden and the rest of the gang, and I needed Jodi for future rites due to her super-strength

I do adore all of the characters. I even like some of the adversary characters!
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trdl23 posted...

It does feel like blasphemy that Logan Cunningham isn't doing 90% of the voice work.

?

he's the voice
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But he's not the ENTIRE voice.

Yeah, he's the only voice who says stuff in English, but even in Pyre's made-up language you can still glean meaning from a lot of the characters.
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i'd still say he's doing ~90% of the voice work
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Character rankings go

Sir Gilman > Rukey > Tizo > Shae > Pamitha > Hedwyn > Jodi > Bertrude > Volfred
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Character rankings go!

Rukey (I did some research afterward and just loved him) > Gilman > Zhae > Pamitha > Jodi > Tizo > Volfred > Bertrude > Hedwyn Don't get me wrong though -- I genuinely enjoyed all of them.

I would seriously love to see this as a competitive eSports game. It's so different from anything I've played before.

Final choices:

Exiles liberated: 6, in this order: -- Rukey, Hedwyn, Jodi, Zhae, Gilman, Pamitha

Final liberation: Myself, per Volfred's request.

Beyonder Orb: Kept it

Final record: 20-0; perfect!

Savescums: Okay, I did one against the Essence in a Liberation Rite. I chose a really bad team against three damn birds.

In the end, I really would like to know why the Rites were ending and why the Titan Stars had come back. But Supergiant always leaves a bunch of questions unanswered at the end of their games. Maybe for the best.
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My order:

Liberated: 7, in this order: -- Rukey, Gilman, Hedwyn, Jodariel, Pamitha, Bertrude, Volfred

Final liberation: Volfred, despite his request.

Beyonder Orb: Kept it.

Didn't liberate Fae, Ti'zo, or myself. Fae seemed happy enough in the Downside, Ti'zo was from there and I kinda figured it's his home. As for myself, I barely consider myself a character. It was Volfred's plan, he should reap the benefits.

Character ranking... dunno. I liked a lot of them in the end. I found Ti'zo adorable. I liked Hedwyn's calm, diplomatic demeanor. Jodariel had been through a lot. Gilman was so steadfast. Volfred was an excellent overseer.

I guess I didn't connect with Pamitha or Bertrude much, and since I liberated Rukey first I barely got to know him.
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Oh for the rest of my stuff

Librated: Jodi -> Rukey -> Hedwyn -> Pamitha -> Gilman -> Shae

Final liberation was going to be Tizo, but then I liberated myself since I couldn't turn down Tizo!

So final 3 in Downside were Tizo, Volfred, and Bertrude. I actually think I got the best ending because all 3 have basically no desire to be in the Commonwealth.

Other random things: The only reason I liberated Rukey as early as 2nd was because he really wanted to be with his family, otherwise I would have kept him for much longer.

Also the reveals for each character at the end was great, and finding out Rukey and Pamitha got together once they were liberated made me squeal
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Yeah, the major reasons I liberated Rukey and Hedwyn so quickly was because they had people to come home to.

I think the majority of people are going to keep Tizo and Bertrude down there, and possibly Volfred if they don't take their own liberation.
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I kept Rukey with me all the way to the end because he was my best friend down there and I also loved his play style in rites
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Ahem...

Going into it, I wasn’t sure the implications that came with sending someone back. There were those who were adamant about their return -- Hedwyn, Rukey and some others. Some expressed no real desire to return -- Mae, Bertrude, Pamitha. Others were a little harder to define. My favorites, in order, were Mae > Sir Gilman > Rukey > Bertrude > Ti’Zo > Volfred > Jodariel > Hedwyn > Pamitha.

The choices I made in this order are as follows:

Jodariel -- I sent her first. She was turning into a demon, and as the strongest of us, I thought if there was something to establish on the other side, she could do it. At this time, her, Mae, Rukey and I think Sir Gilman were eligible.

Rukey -- Sending him second was tough, but he was part of the original three and Hedwyn was not yet ready. Rukey wanted to go home most of all those who remained, he wanted to see his mom and he would help the Plan from the other side.

Hedwyn -- The last of the three, I sent Hedwyn because I felt he was best-equipped to handle the Plan and because he had expressed the most desire to go. Here, I faced the Essence, and denied Pamitha’s request to let her sister through. Her sister is driven only by hatred, regardless of the follies of those in the Commonwealth. She was undeserving.

Ti’Zo -- I sent him next because he was most-referenced as wanting to visit the Commonwealth, and we’d find out that he had spent innumerable years in the Downside, assisting the Nightwings. Ti’Zo earned his freedom a thousand times over and I felt that he should go. At this point, everyone but Volfred (by his choosing) and Sir Gilman were eligible on my game.

When I received a messenger imp about Ti’zo, Volfred said this, “You did it, little one … You’d scarce believe how long our Ti’zo toiled here in service of the Nightwings. He deserves his peace more than us all.”

At this point, I had Mae, Bertrude, Sir Gilman, Pamitha and Volfred. Mae was my favorite, but she had expressed the least desire to return. For me, up next would be Volfred or Gilman, the latter of whom expressed desire to fight on for the Plan on the other side, the former being instrumental in executing the Plan.

When asked who to free next, my gut told me Volfred, but he was ineligible.

Sir Gilman -- I went with the Wyrm-Knight. He was so overjoyed to have earned his honor back, and promised a thousand times to help with the Plan. I feel it was the right decision.

Volfred -- Next I sent Volfred. It was time for him to help execute the Plan on the other end. He was grateful and I felt good about the decision.

I then had Mae, Pamitha and Bertrude. One of the last things Pamitha said to me was how her people could never be at peace with those in the Commonwealth and it reinforced my belief that she should not be one sent back, if I was to choose one more. Mae had friends in all those who were sent back before. Bertrude had love of Volfred, and at this point, it was a toss-up between Mae and Bertrude for me. Mae wanted to be with Almer, and I left her. I sent Bertrude, who in turn sent me, and then I sent her.

Combat wise, I'd say Bertrude was the best because she had a skill that let her cast aura through objects, and her aura was nice and wide.
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I think I'm OK not putting this into spoilers now:

Character ranking for Rites games:

-Ti'Zo -- Once you max out his special trinket, this guy is just unstoppable. His aura's surprisingly strong for someone of his stature, he evades attacks easily, and flight is really good. Plus the mastery that adds 10 damage is obscene on a flyer.
-Pamitha -- Again, flyers OP. The fact that she can just charge right into the enemy team is amazing. I always passed the ball to her since her trinket made her get "free" dunks.
-Zhae -- A decent normal cast plus unparalleled mobility made her fantastic. She and the next one on this list were my top scorers, but I'm putting her above because she scored more points and also could regroup after a failed attack for another go.
-Gilman -- Nobody could get their hands on this slippery wyrm. His dash speed plus his huge jumps made him a top dunker. And unlike Rukey, he actually did some good zoning too since he was able to wall off people with his aura and use it to retreat if needed.
-Volfred -- Volfred's the king of zoning in this game. Once I learned I could join his aura with the sapling's to make the explosion huge, it was a total game-changer. He rarely scored, but he held the door so well.
-Bertrude -- Clunky movement and unpredictable cast patterns made her tough to use, though that jump is ridiculous. I mainly have her this high for those score-changing masteries. Those are nuts.
-Rukey -- I didn't go the MoonSault path with him, which is probably why he's this low. He was great early on, but it felt like Gilman just did everything better than him. Still scored a lot of points!
-Jodariel -- At first she was my vote for the best of the original 3, thanks to her domination over the early Rites of the game. She falls off REALLY hard though because she's so slow and takes forever to respawn. I never got the hang of her dash masteries.
-Hedwyn -- A jack of all trades really is a master of none, and in this kind of game, you need to be a master of something. He worldwide buffs just weren't good enough.
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Rukey with revive after scoring is incredibly OP. The Curs are by FAR my favorite to use in game.
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Bertrude > Rukey > Mae > Pamitha > Ti'Zo > Gilman > Volfred > Jodarial > Hedwyn as far as battle prowess goes.
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Jodariel is the best character. Gilman is the best baller.

imo
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From a CPU vs. CPU perspective, I ranked them:
1. Cur (so fast)
2. Nomad (basically Cur)
3. Savage (that jump)
4. Wyrm (not great for kills but still slippery and quick)
5. Harp (kamikaze can be very effective)
6. Crone (good AOE but slower)
7. Imp (quick, fast respawn provides good defense, sometimes die too much)
8. Demon (great at disrupting enemy teams, but very slow, looong respawn)
9. Sap (good defense but slow, awkward movement, often immobile)

Again, this game needs PvP.
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https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/2017/7/28/16078022/pyre-greg-kasavin-achievement-oriented-podcast-dd948a4f109f

Don't hold your breath.

Also -- no new game+? Really?
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I guess I don't know how NG+ would work in this game.

I might go at it again on a higher difficulty soon. I never got the hang of the big passing executions that many of the CPU enemies did.
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