… right.
Next one~

Huh, the person who made this video took the fifth Guardian on as the third one.

(click to show/hide)

Either way you look at it, this way or that way, or another way, this is still my favourite Guardian~ :3

I like the 3D effect which makes use of the background and foreground, probably because I think 3D effects are more impressive when done in 2D games/films. The boss themselves only seem to be vulnerable at set points, but though it doesn't seem to be as clunky as the first boss in terms of execution. It also has a background attack which I think is neat, though I've noticed it has a missile attack which doesn't seem to do much.

Oh my.

Indeed, Charlie may have picked out most of my avatars, but I suppose I have taken a liking to them by now.

As for my questions for the moment:

1. Discord aside, are you on any social media platforms solely for family or close friends who are not on Discord?
2. Out of the stars out there, which holds your favourite name? (Astrological stars, not celebrities.)
3. How often do you go out to meet with friends offline?
4. How is Albert doing?
5. Have you ever owned any plushies?
6. Approximately how many non-Albert cats have you seen this year, offline?
7. What are your thoughts on the Afrikaans language, from what you have seen/heard to date?
8. What New Year's resolutions have you made, if any exist?

1) No.
2) Andromeda
3) I don't really meet these days, mainly because I've come to prefer a solitary life.
4) Albert is doing great. He spends a lot of time asleep, but he's still quite energetic.
5) No.
6) Yesterday I saw a grey cat and tried to approach them. They backed away and eventually fled into a nearby bush. I also saw a black and white cat, though I didn't approach them because I've decided that cats on someone else's property are off limits.
7) The songs Cibryll and her girlfriends have shown me kinda remind of the German language. Also Afrikaans has one of the longest words I've ever seen, so there's also that.
8] I have no New Years Resolutions.

Then here comes--

* gets trampled by the boss *

… ouch.

Third Guardian, taken on fourth.

(click to show/hide)

Again on a no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode, because they're. Like. Mad enough to do that, I guess.

Not too fond of this one. The eye weakspots are reasonable, but the boss's attacks aren't really that interesting. The worst one is the red meteors which feel like a cheap way to make the fight harder without making the boss itself more challenging. Aside from that, it feels slower paced compared to the previous fights, which I feel make the other problems worse.

Then I'll bring out--

* gets smashed into a wall and crushed by falling blocks *

… seventh Guardian, taken on fifth…  X_X

(click to show/hide)

Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing.

And something that. I dunno if you'll read this before or after seeing the battle, but. I'll spoiler it anyway~

(click to show/hide)

Incidentally, the older versions didn't have the pool of poison magma.
Nope.
Older versions had a bottomless pit that was instantly lethal. Unfair, right? Cheap deaths ahoy--

With that said, on older versions Surtr apparently had pretty low health for a late-game boss.
So when the poison magma pool was added, he gained a huge increase to his health to compensate.

Honestly, this guy is the one thing I hate about the Icefire Treetop (which has one of my favourite themes). (I do like the boss theme though~)

Surtr having the bottomless pit in earlier versions sounds completely unfair and I'm glad it was replaced with the more thematically appropriate lava. The fight itself seems rather simple. Weakpoint is easy to target, and you can walk along Surtr's arms which is neat. Personally I think the arm crush attack should target the player's current location rather than the side to make it more of a threat.

That was faster than expected lmao

Next we have--

* gets crushed by the boss *

X_X

Fourth Guardian, taken on sixth.

(click to show/hide)

Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing.

Getting crushed by that boss is apparently instantly fatal.
I don't remember if I experienced that, haha--

I had a a feeling it was going to be this one next. Anyway, the tentacles are a good way to keep the player on their toes without being too annoying. The boulders are just cheap and would be better off removed. The hand lasers would be better off replaced with a flamethrower, but the other attacks are good enough to keep the player engaged,

Yeah, the tentacle/hand things will spawn enemies if left unchecked.
As for the rolling balls, I don't know if this is intended or an oversight, but.
They can apparently be blocked with the Angel Shield, and after being blocked, they lose the ability to damage you.

---

Next we have the alien Guardian, Anu, the sixth Guardian taken on seventh.

(click to show/hide)

Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing. :3

The moving background is quite impressive. The blue fireballs seem annoying to dodge and would be better off as homing projectiles. The black saws, charge attack and laser beams are good though.

Righto, Guardian #8, Echidna. Taken on eighth, and. Like.


Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing.

But Echidna's also got a gimmick that I've mentioned here.

Next up, Guardian #9, found in the Eternal Prison.
Can never remember if it was the Doom part or the Gloom part though it looks to be Doom.
Or maybe it was the Bloom part.


Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing.



Flower dragon, flower dragon~ :3

Next up, Guardian #9, found in the Eternal Prison.
Can never remember if it was the Doom part or the Gloom part though it looks to be Doom.
Or maybe it was the Bloom part.

(click to show/hide)

Same ol' "no damage, no sub-weapon usage battle on hard mode" thing.

Flower dragon, flower dragon~ :3

Hel's lance attacks only seem to be a threat to more aggressive players, though most of her attacks are like this as well. Her energy orbs don't see much use after the early stages of the fight, which is a shame because more can be done with them. Giving them homing properties later on, and having them explode on contact with platforms would help with making Hel more of a threat overall.

The laser pillars I feel should also target the player's location rather than just the sides. Setting the sides of the arena on fire could also add more challenge so that the player has to actually do more than just use the side platforms. Lastly, her final phase doesn't even last long to be a real threat, which is a shame really. That said, Hel is a beautiful woman, though I'm probably just saying that because I like her dark hair.

Seeing as Cib is doing it, I'm tossing this DLC boss in.

(click to show/hide)

Your thoughts and whatnot would be most appreciated, for the glory of future Bloom Beast hybrid research commentary that will ensue.

This was quite underwhelming. The fight relies on the player being able to strike the boss's weak point at routine intervals in between attacks. It also has four attacks, though it only uses the last two during the later stages of the fight. Its main threat seems to be its large size, which ensures that the player will have less room to dodge its bombs or jump attack. I suppose this fish could use more sauce such being able to jump around the arena, fire a large laser beam or fire a bullet spread or a group of missiles. Also the arena background sure is... uh something.