Why can’t you guys just leave poor Gargles alone 
That’s funny. That is how some of us felt before he was buffed and got the instinct life bar.
How is it not? You battle through a few fights, and under the right conditions you fight a hidden boss, that is the base definition of an arcade mode that I’ve played in every fighting game ever, unless you’re referencing a story mode which is entirely different.
I think Shadow Lords needs some sort of reward to encourage replaying. You can just buy the mimics so that doesn’t encourage replayability. You beat Gargos once in challenging and above and you get the stage forever. No reason to continue. Now if they were character endings…
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Not everyone just buys the content, I didn’t buy it so I have the replay value. If you bought the skins and have no goals left, that was your choice. There is plenty of lore and story to uncover in shadow lords, much like Dark Souls, you have to find it yourself via flavor text, mission drops and beating mimics.
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Yeah sure. Text is good and all but it gets repetitive. The dialogue and missions just feel the same each time. If you have a character endings, it will add more flavor. Replay value isn’t really just doing the same thing multiple times with the same character to unlock something (The defeat Gargos x times). That is just tedious. Instead, character endings encourage you to try different things with a differernt character for the endings.
It’s not because it’s not as straight-forward as arcade modes traditionally are. Plus you can’t play this mode vanilla. Every fighter has buffs that have to be countered by using guardians, consumables, & relics/nanobots. Plus if you try to play as many turns as you can it can go on and on and on (you’re talking to the first player to get over 100 turns on any difficulty,BTW). Plus if you do try to treat SL like an arcade mode you’re still going to have to at least fight Omen 4 times before you get to Gargos…or, you know, not…but yeah…no.
So far the closest thing we have to a true arcade mode in the game is season 1 story mode, but even then there’s no true boss (Shago doesn’t count considering the special conditions you have to meet to get him) and it’s only for the season 1 characters. Plus the menus getting to it are more aimed at just unlocking the mural & bonus XP than just enjoying the game mode for what it is.
An arcade mode is pure & simple fight 8-10 full fights in vanilla, and then a boss(es), show a quick “what happens now” scene, end credits. And Shadow Lords is in no way that. The closest thing you can really compare it to that I can think of is Soul Calibur 2’s weapon master mode…an extra elongated story arc that adds conditions to fights and items to purchase to buff your character.
But SC2 still had an arcade mode…
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I thought Fang of Gargos is the one that decimates you in 2-3 hits? Your telling me there is a buff even worse than FANG …great lol
Each season is kind of released as a new game. S1 had it’s small arcade mode, s2 had a slightly larger one, s3 has shadow lords, there is survival mode, ranked, exhibition, crazy shadow lords mp, even a copy of yourself in shadow mode. While an arcade mode is nice, it is a common game mode that really is kinda outdated. While Shadow Jago does have prereqs to fight, he is still a boss. KI1 on easy back in the day didn’t let you fight eyedol unless you increased the difficulty. There is no lack of modes in KI. I would argue it has more modes than most fighting games aside from maybe Smash.
If they ever decide to make a full on arcade mode for every season, and I really hope they do that, I’d love it if they took a different approach with the endings than what we normally see in fighting games.
Usually it’s a “what if” ending where you find out what might happen if that particular character won the whole tournament or beat the boss or whatever. Like when Raiden beat Shang Tsung in MK1, he took control of the tournament, got bored, invited other gods to participate and the resulting wars destroyed Earth.
Now obviously, that didn’t happen in the MK world, and character continuity issues aside in MK9, this original MK1 ending is completely useless since it never happens. One might argue the value of giving the player something to think on as far as the possibilities leading in to the next game, but for one thing, it’s not hard to figure out which endings are actually possible, and which endings are Sub Zero hatching eggs and riding an ice dragon.
Also, with KI, the seasonal approach means we might not get another “sequel” for a long time. So why make endings with possible lead ins to the next game if there might not be one for a long time? So if silly endings and lead in endings should maybe take a back seat, that kind of eliminates “what if” endings entirely, at least in my mind.
I’d rather see them go with more of a story backup approach, where we both find out more about the character’s background, but also provide some other type of action that they take within the story itself. I’d have Gargos be more of a “gatekeeper” that blocks your path to this knowledge as opposed to the traditional final boss where beating him only shows something that pertains to what happens if you beat him. The resulting ending could, and likely would, have little to do with him unless a particular character actually fights him in the story.
TL/DR: I’d love an arcade mode, but I want to actually support the story they’re trying to tell and not just be some ridiculous nonsense about what happens when each character beats the boss because that’s not going to happen anyways, so what’s the point?
I guess I agree and disagree.
This mode can get repetitive from play-through to play-through because of how the missions repeat, and thus the text in those mission can get old, but the text in the dossiers and Mimic skins are the ultimate goal for me, so getting through the missions isn’t a problem. That being said, I’ve been playing through with different characters each time, and finding alternate paths in those repeating missions with new characters is pretty fun. I just found out that Omen can infiltrate the Cult of Gargos, and that Tusk and Thunder can interact with those 3 wolves that appear randomly. I do hope they add A TON more mission choices and character interactions like the ones mention though, and that we get more stuff to unlock pertaining to lore, items, and skins and whatnot.
I whole heartedly agree her. I caught myself last night playing with a Gargos, Shago, Kan-ra team, hoping that I would get vastly different dialogue options that with the regular Alliance. I was sort of role playing as I went through too, pick the most ■■■■■■■ choices, only to realize that having bad guys didn’t really augment the mission selections, nor did me being a ■■■■ really change the outcomes/experiences in said missions.
IMO if they want to add more replay-ability, they SHOULD definitely add endings for each character (just some art and a blurb), but also WAY more missions, mission choices, and mission outcomes. Allow people to actually try and role play through the game, picking teams that some times don’t get along and but heads, but also can work together to either take down the bad guy…or be the bad guy.
I see a lot of potential in SLs, and I think they see it too. I’m looking forward to the future of the mode, and hope that they can continually update and expand it for some time into the future.
Yeah, it is definitely a largely evolving beast that will have more content coming. It is complete in a playability standpoint but not in content. I’m excited to see what else is coming. The mimic skins are a great start, I would like to see goal oriented accessories too, not beat gargos goals or mimic goals but, complete a mission, find the chest, solve the puzzle, get the loot goal, like having certain captains triggers a quest chain that doesn’t stop each playthrough, has cumulative checkpoint items that trigger the next goal. Like Spinal could get a glowing elemental sword, things like that would be sweet. Also have them not be locked behind difficulty just finding the quests, completing them so on.
Yeah, that would make sense…honestly when I said “what happens now” That’s actually what I meant. I mean SL pretty much shows that defeating Gargos is a group win, so it would make more sense to show ending stories that just elaborated on what happens with each character in the aftermath.
Not in the least. In fact MKX still has it, and if what I understand is right, SFV is getting one within the next update or 2 (which I’m sure is due to the massive outcry from casual players at launch for leaving it out).
And those are the most popular modern fighting games.
Anyway, there is a thread for Arcade mode discussion already, I suggest anything further on the topic of an arcade mode be directed there:
Honestly, this is what I want to see happen in “Season 4,” not for it to be an actual S4, but for it so be an Ultamate version of the game.
One of the best things they could do to this game is go back and fill out all the “missing” content for the characters.
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They should go back and patch in S1 Acrade support for all the S2 and S3 characters. Just have them go up the ladder, and unlock 1 (they don’t need to go through and make 3 "what-if endings here) ending for the character explaining what they were doing during the S1 time frame.
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They should go back through the Rivals mode and add stuff for the S1 and S3 characters explaining what they were doing in the S2 time frame.
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As was suggested by @Sasuke99I, they should go through SLs and add endings for all the characters for what happens to them after the War of Gargos, as well as fill out the mode more with missions, loot, and whatever else.
The KI team have done a lot with this game over the last 3 years. Lore wise the game is great…though they could stand step back in order to smooth out and polish what is already in the game; that is really all I want to see on that front. There is the potential for A TON of expansion on what is already in the game (not just SLs), but it just seems they are focused on pushing ahead rather than slowing up and filling out what is already there.
The KI game we have today in terms of modes just doesn’t seem like it has a healthy frame. Everything is disjointed as it get put out and then seemingly forgotten about. All the modes could stand for an overhaul in terms of how they all fit together and feed into each other.
- Make Astral Gems able to be earned in other modes than just SLs.
- Make it so you can use Astral Gems to buy accessories and colors, not just KI gold.
- Make Shadow AI available in the Arcade and Rivals modes, and maybe special matches in SLs.
- Update the Dojo to reflect all the new mechanics in the game today.
ATM there is a lot of things to do in the game other than just playing other players, but there is no cross pollination from mode to mode that promotes play through out them.
Just my 2-cents.
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If they did this in season 4 and actually confirmed that season 4 would be the final season, then I would agree with this 110%. That would be the PERFECT way to go.
The only thing I worry about though, is what if there’s a season 5 and with it, a new boss? Do those characters get put in to this mode with endings that pertain to the aftermath of the season 5 bosses defeat while every other character just stays with the aftermath of a season 4 boss defeat? Or do all of those characters get new endings?
I would LOVE it if they did this. That would be amazing.
I would scrap the season one endings entirely. Just delete them from existence. Replace them with either 3 parts that actually happen and you have to fulfill three different tasks while playing to get them or just one part that you get by winning, but still actually happens and perhaps helps lead in to season 2 story. I’d also have Shadow Jago as the full fledged boss of the Season One Chapter and I’d lock Gargos, Omen and Eyedol for it since canonically, they can’t exist in the story yet.
Agreed. I’d still lock Gargos and Eyedol here though.
Agree with this as well. Just keep advancing the story for each character through Shadow Lords. Maybe lean in to season 4 a bit before it arrives by alluding to certain things. Maybe Gargos’ ending is that the entire invasion is interrupted by another invading force that becomes the boss of the next season.
Either way, the more we can actually piece together a canon story for the characters, where we learn some of their history, but can also figure out where they’re going and what they’ve done in each season, the better.
Also definitely want more missions and loot as well. That’s be awesome.
They had that, but messed it up. The mimmics should have been unlockables only. That would have raised the replay. If for no other reason than to unlock your favorite skin.
Just tackled SL on challenging again. Once gargos is in his red bar he goes nuts. It’s just unplayable. I know guys have beat it but it’s actually put me off the mode, nearly the game. I had the stage and it’s locked again.
I can’t be bothered with it anymore
Very differentfrom my experience…I just got to him on challenging earlier today and had Cinder as my first character (only decent with him) but ended up beating him with only losing a third of my green bar…my first thought was that he was nerfed again…since I’m only lower tier gold in ranking…
Congrats. I had removed his buffs. Omens were easy enough. I love the game but I’ve hit my limit with it
A lot of this is very closely tied to what you’re bringing into the fight.
The most immediate questions that come to mind are:
- What Artifacts did you have equipped?
- What Guardians did you use and which Tier were they?
- What Consumables did you use?
- What characters did you use? Some characters have different strategies to exploit vs Gargos, so tips can be suggested.
The fight against Gargos is largely one of preparation first. You’ll often find yourself in a situation where you can completely overwhelm Gargos by just having the right gear equipped.
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