Stylish and hyper-short, Shikhondo is a perfectly sized experience that somehow still suffers from repetitive stage design. Enemies barely vary between stages at all, making it hard to really see what sets them apart from one another. The soul mechanics, allowing you to capture enemy essence and use it to fuel a powered up state, is the star here, but the system lacks the complexity of similar genre attempts like Akai Katana. Boss designs are fun and are maybe the highest point of the game, but they aren't enough to make one excited to shoot five-thousand little red fells once again in a few minutes.