Check out the Digital Vortex booth!
Saturday was a busy day for me at PAX East. Next up was an appointment to see the game, Bylina, at the Digital Vortex booth. There were other games at the booth but I was there to see Bylina. The game is an action-adventure game focusing on skill-based combat. The story is based in Slavic folklore. The writing is also witty and sneaky humorous so it’s a good thing I have a great sense of humor too.
In the game, you make your way to the Thrice-Nine Kingdom and deal with Koschei the Deathless. All to save your immortal soul; sounds simple enough right? In the demo, you could switch your weapons and upgrade them. The start build had a sword and bow and arrows. You could switch the sword with a spear, axe, or any other weapon you could find in the wild. You also have a dodge roll which you will have to master quickly because that could be the only way you survive. Also you can use that roll to combo attacks with so pay attention. You also have healing potions similar to Dark Souls as well as being able to cook at a campfire. You’ll need ingredients as well as the recipe to cook so keep an eye out.
Now, one major issue I had with the demo was that there was a glitch that was keeping things from progressing in said demo. The first time it happened, I lost control and could only move the camera. To resolve things, you had to reload a saved file, losing slight progression. After it happened a few more times, I saved frequently while playing the demo so I didn’t lose too much. It was annoying because it wouldn’t happen at the same time or same way. One time, I took out the bow and arrow and had it happen. One time, I tried to run away from an enemy and it happened. The devs know about the issues and are going to fix it. Bylina has a dark environment and an interesting story. I really like the customization in terms of equipment. Get the glitch issues resolved and you’ll have a cool adventure.