That area feels a lot like Primal, and as such I also like it. But unfortunately I can't pick that area and thus when I think of Flow, I think of the "parked" initial position, which while not terrible, is not really that great, either.
I still enjoy the parked version, but definitely the stage shines once you hit the tree and get that raft going. My favorite vanilla DOA5 stage for sure.
It's alright, but the snow stage in DOA2U (sans snowstorm) had a very serene, beautiful backdrop with the mountains in the distance and the ice cave below. I can't help but feel that Ends of the Earth is a less impressive arctic stage. Floorplan is good though.
...Can't argue with you there. It pales in comparison to DOA2U's snow stage which also pales in comparison to the original DOA2's snow stage honestly. Still a decent looking stage but I admit it could be a lot better, particularly if it was a snow stage rather than an ice/glacier stage.
I think the only thing that gives it that tone is the music, though, and preferably I want character-music anyway. The stage itself is pretty bland to me.
The most "serious" stage to me is probably Sakura/Dragon Temple.
You're probably right, Sakura definitely gives the most serious feel. Arrival comes in 2nd probably because of the music. The stage itself isn't particularly interesting but I feel that particular stage doesn't need to be.
Yes, I do. It's probably my least favorite stage, though Tatami/Dojo comes close.
I'm very controversial about Dojo and I pick that stage. It's absolutely the most boring stage in the game but it... centers me I'll say. I feel like I can focus more in that stage and land more combos, etc. Plus near the beginning of the game when I actually still listened to the lolstage music, it was probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite song to listen to.
Upon release I really liked the Street, but lately it hasn't been doing it as much for me. Would help if I could Izuna people off the roof onto the floor below.
Street lost it's novelty for me after a while. I liked it at the start but it started to just feel kind of boring to me. Rarely does that billboard ever get hit and even the train gets old after a while as well as the "after train" music being crazy repetitive. DOA2U's little city box stage beat it by a mile. Funny that.
Also... does anyone else think Flow kind of lost some of it's beauty when the game released? I mean maybe it was just lighting changes but the stage looked so full of life here even on the first tier:
Where as in the final release it's so much darker/grittier and less appealing to the eye.
I noticed rather than the whole backdrop being gorgeously lit up, only certain points of the stage had light peeking in as if the trees were blocking the light, which didn't work as well imo.