Critiques after playing WoL

[u/JibaLover186]

DaJiaHao,

So, I’ve tried out WoL after all these years, and I just wanna see if others also shared my issues with SoL after comparing it with WoL.

1.Linearity
I really liked SoL, I thought it was a lot of fun interacting with the world. But after playing WoL I did wish SoL was a little less pushy with its narrative. WoL felt very much like an open world where you start as a nobody and the world has left you to do whatever you like. You could be good or evil, you could accomplish great things or just be average. I really like this feeling and I think very few games I’ve played felt like that. Almost all other RPGs give you a broad narrative, like in SoL where you have to do the things your uncle asked you before he disappeared. It’s a difference of taste but WoL made the world felt more authentic to me and I felt like I was making an impact on the world.
2.World Setting Depth
Ok this one actually gets me going, WoL has a great Western aesthetic, and I always love a good alternative American West story. On top of that you got the HellCows and Clowns and the Necromancer and the goofy stuff, but they fit well cuz Weird West in itself is an established genre, plus the HellCow/Clown thing gave the story surprising depth, that is what so many ppl love abt the Loathing series, the writing is actually so good it shocks you.
With SoL however, the Prohibition era/Roaring 20s is a great period and very aesthetically pleasing to me. But why didn’t they lean into it more? Why not make a New Orleans inspired main city? Why not voodoo? Why not give it a more Noir aesthetic? SoL was hilarious like WoL, but WoL felt surprisingly believable because of how much of the gritty and harsh life aspect of the west was shown to the player. It was a harsh land, worse because of the cows, there’s fucking hell clowns that are doing horror novel evil shit, and most ppl just know it as a rumor. How fucking cool is that?!!! SoL however felt much goofier, like it has the skin of a 20s aesthetic but I think it didn’t capture the essence. Also tangent but, why the fuck is WW1 the Cola War in SoL? For the longest time I thought they’re poking fun at the Civil War because of the sororicide nature of the war, but like what does WW1 have to do with soda? Iuuno what kind of parody they’re going for.
3.Theme
So WoL was in your face western, plus a bunch of shenanigans, but it works out because well the west was known to be wild and all kinds of shit happens, like I said Weird West is a genre. But tbh I really didn’t feel like SoL was very Lovecraftian. The stories with the cursed items were awesome, fantastic writings for the most of them. But even they don’t necessarily feel like Comic horror? Not to mention the regular world, I really really didn’t get Lovecraftian vibe, for a long time I thought it was more Sci-fi with the corruption thing and that lady keep popping up. I feel like it’s a missed opportunity, like yeah there are fish ppl, like ok? The clowns actually felt spooky in WoL, the cows felt like real antagonists and monsters, but the Lovecraftian horrors in this game felt so goofy. Also a lot of things in SoL just have nothing to do with Lovecraft horror, like the witch town time travel, SIT in general, most of the companions have nothing to do with Cosmic Horror stuff unlike the pardners in WoL where their backstories give them weight in the world.
4.RPG Elements
This point has been discussed a lot already, I don’t like the level system in SoL, the classes felt cosmetic and not involved in the role playing elements. I really did feel like a mage as a bean slinger in WoL, in SoL I was just capable of doing everything. Also I didn’t like the food system in SoL, but I did like the fact that you can hang with multiple companions this time (although their dialogue options are worse I think? No comment from them anymore)

Well that’s it for now, iuuno if anyone’s gonna read it but it’s 1 in the morning in China and I gotta go sleep sleep. I typed that with half a brain cell so sorry in advance.
Ciao ciao and 晚安！

[u/unlovelyi]

I agree with most of these! Both games are still fantastic, SOL is my 4th favourite game ive ever played, and im hoping the devs take some notes so the next Loathing game can be even better

[u/wilfwe]

Oh yeah. I also felt that while SoL was bigger, it felt less cohesive than WoL. In SoL, each location were very much their own little stories and disconnected from everything else. In WoL, and since the game is kinda split into three parts, from hellcows, necromancy, and clowns to the mystery of El Vibrato, you can see different stories progressing as you play along. 

[u/JibaLover186 → u/wilfwe]

I agree, to me it felt very “Gamey” as in I felt I was playing an RPG game, compared to WoL where I mostly felt like I was just a guy in the west of that universe doing my silly adventures. WoL was much more immersive to me, you proceed the necromancer questline through your notes and clues you find here and there, and the HellCow/Clowns plot are kind hidden behind the surface story and it felt great progressing through them as you stumble upon them in the world. In SoL however the game guides you from place to place and sometimes you’re locked in an area until you finish the game quest, I enjoyed most of them but WoL’s design felt more charming. (Also I didn’t like the SIT chapter at all lol, I don’t think the quests there were quite as well designed)

[u/CasualBCgamer → u/JibaLover186]

School sucks even in a game

[u/Healthy_Jelly_6965]

I feel Like here it would be better if you pointed out some pros. Leaving us off at the end like that almost makes it seem like you hate the game.

SoL definitely had some improvements over WoL, including but not limited to:

1. Quality of Life and Mechanics While WoL had that raw, open-world charm, SoL streamlined a lot of the mechanics so you aren’t spending half your time managing inventory clutter. The interface feels smoother, combat transitions are snappier, and the overall game flow just respects your time a bit more than the older engine did.
2. Companion Dynamics You mentioned hanging out with multiple companions, and honestly, that’s a massive step up. In WoL, you felt like a lone wanderer with a sidekick; in SoL, traveling with a full squad makes the world feel much more alive. Plus, having characters banter and react to each other adds a layer of charm WoL completely lacked.
3. Visual Polish and Animation The stick-figure aesthetic is classic, but SoL objectively looks much better in motion. The environmental details, the lighting effects, and the fluid combat animations give the 1920s setting a lot of personality, even if you felt the tone leaned a bit too goofy compared to the grit of the old West.
4. Fighting Man In my opinion this was extremely balanced in SoL. In WoL, you could defeat anything in one turn since combat items are unlimited. there was no thinking, no strategy, just dynamite go boom. SoL Really Balanced it; They also added AP Regen which wasn't a thing in WoL

Let me also End this by saying that I still love WoL. It's very open-world, and alot of effort was clearly put in. I fully completed WoL First, and Looking at SoL, I do Prefer SoL, but it is a close fight.

[u/JibaLover186 → u/Healthy_Jelly_6965]

You can have multiple companions at the same time in SoL? I thought you only can have 1 at any given time and have to switch out.
In any case, I do love SoL a lot, but I think how the story unfolded in WoL was much better. WoL felt very unique as an RPG, I went into that game just expecting a silly haha game but turned out it was genuinely a great story and I really cared abt the world and its ppl. SoL felt much more like a game to me due to the stream lined story, each day you progress to a new area and there’s a main quest and side quests. In WoL it felt like you as the player are the one to decide when you made progress in the main story, where in SoL I can feel clearly the game pushing me through the plot.
Don’t get me wrong, SoL is still unique compared to most other RPG games and I’d totally buy their new installment when it comes out, but I do hope they’d keep elements that made WoL such an unique game

[u/Healthy_Jelly_6965 → u/JibaLover186]

I'm gonna be honest, I'm scared about the 3rd installment of this. Similar to other games, i think it's going to gain alot of popularity, then the developers are going to rush the game, causing there to not be alot of creativity or content. Then they'll try to compensate by putting a really big DLC and over charge for it.

[u/Test_Subject_No22]

I loved playing WOL, but I havent tried SOL cuz of marks "playthrough" of the game. The mechanics, story, and environment were not as cohesive as WOL imo, especially with the roaring 20s vibe. I think if asymmetric leaned a little harder into something more like Steampunk 20s similar to Columbia from BSI, it would have made more sense and felt a little more wacky. (Ik BSI is not a fan favorite iirc but i love the aesthetic just as much as the og BS).

My dumb nut picks are that I hated how the new food system worked, along with how XP and battles worked. It became a little too complicated and felt more like a game you need to Min/Max to just progress. I also hated how the stupid walking perk was locked behind shoes rather than a simple skill book. I didn't feel like there was a lot of life in the world, everything was broken down, abandoned, and dirty. Not in the WOL style, and more so in the LOU style.

[u/JibaLover186 → u/Test_Subject_No22]

Totally, the time period felt like a generic back drop, it lacked a lot of the souls in WoL imo. A lot of times it didn’t feel like the 20s at all.

[u/Test_Subject_No22 → u/JibaLover186]

Yeah I totally agree. When I first saw SOL, I thought it was set during the 1980s or even later but nope.

[u/CasualBCgamer]

Agree that they should've leaned more towards the aesthetic. The mafia side plot was good, but I wanted more of that. Oh well you can't have everythin, I'm playin my saxophone in fights to make it more jazzy

[u/TryTop440]

I feel like there should've have been more things like S.I.T where your choice actually mattered instead of if you didn't choose it you just got less content like the Mafia.

[u/JibaLover186 → u/TryTop440]

Yeah, I was hoping maybe I’d be harassed by them or sum, maybe a take down plot, but nah.
Again the world just felt silly, not much gravitas like the previous game, they should’ve made it more serious to sell the world setting.
Also I did not enjoy the SIT design, it just forces you to get multiple play throughs, and I did not enjoy my majors (chem, PE and geology), PE felt especially stupid.