DISCLAIMER before I gush about this game:
This game has maybe the worst voice acting I’ve heard in a game since the original Resident Evil, the script is bizarre with more focus on weird character moments than the plot, the combat isn’t super deep, there aren’t endless unlockable weapons and combos, it’s extremely linear with no platforming or exploration, and the game is pretty short at around 6 hours for a first playthrough.
Now with all of that out of the way: I adore this game and it’s disappointing seeing so many mainstream critics seemingly not even give this a chance. This is especially difficult when the industry is in desperate need of more throwback action games like this.
This game meshes pretty standard third person cover shooting systems seamlessly with visceral melee combat. You are armed with a katana to parry enemies, slash and block. You also have an assault rifle at all times which you can customize with various attachments as you progress. You’re secondary weapon is whatever you pick up from slain enemies and can range from shotguns, LMGs, grenade launchers to rocket launchers. Your third gun is your sidearm that you also have at all times but it operates with a face button you tap to fire a quick shot to stagger enemies, keep your combo going or break enemy charge attacks. A few rare occasions will also let you go to work with a huge chainsaw.
As you progress you’ll unlock various abilities that keep the gameplay fresh like a charge attack, slide attack, grenades and even bullet time. None of these are super deep and I kinda wish there were a few more combos or juggles but everything is fluid and useful.
The biggest draw to the combat is the stylish finishing moves that are usually jiu jitsui take downs. It’s all awesomely gory gun-fu and this is the closest thing we have so far to a John Wick video game.
Gameplay pretty much consists of pushing forward killing enemies room by room till you reach the next checkpoint or end of level boss. The enemies range from different knife wielding enemies, synthetics, gunners, ninjas and large foes in mech suits. It’s not a ton of variety but there’s just enough and enough remixed combinations of enemies to keep you on your toes. The first boss fight is meh but I thought all the others were really good.
This is a weird game that leans into its quirkiness with several mini games to break up all the combat. These include karaoke, ramen eating, an arcade cabinet and a gun range similar to RE4’s. They’re all nice distractions and are accessible at all times to go back and try to beat your previous score. There are also training levels that are scored and new game plus with additional difficulties to give some replay value and make up for the relatively short length of the campaign.
The story isn’t fleshed out much at all but there are a ton of revelations and plot threads left dangling in the last few minutes of the game so I really pray this game can find a cult following and a way to get a sequel made.
This game may not be the most polished and definitely isn’t to everyone’s taste but fans of 6th gen character action games should definitely give this a shot. The difficulty is pretty high on normal but I’m really looking forward to playing again on hard and Japanese hard. This is my sleeper hit of the year so far.
8/10
This game has maybe the worst voice acting I’ve heard in a game since the original Resident Evil, the script is bizarre with more focus on weird character moments than the plot, the combat isn’t super deep, there aren’t endless unlockable weapons and combos, it’s extremely linear with no platforming or exploration, and the game is pretty short at around 6 hours for a first playthrough.
Now with all of that out of the way: I adore this game and it’s disappointing seeing so many mainstream critics seemingly not even give this a chance. This is especially difficult when the industry is in desperate need of more throwback action games like this.
This game meshes pretty standard third person cover shooting systems seamlessly with visceral melee combat. You are armed with a katana to parry enemies, slash and block. You also have an assault rifle at all times which you can customize with various attachments as you progress. You’re secondary weapon is whatever you pick up from slain enemies and can range from shotguns, LMGs, grenade launchers to rocket launchers. Your third gun is your sidearm that you also have at all times but it operates with a face button you tap to fire a quick shot to stagger enemies, keep your combo going or break enemy charge attacks. A few rare occasions will also let you go to work with a huge chainsaw.
As you progress you’ll unlock various abilities that keep the gameplay fresh like a charge attack, slide attack, grenades and even bullet time. None of these are super deep and I kinda wish there were a few more combos or juggles but everything is fluid and useful.
The biggest draw to the combat is the stylish finishing moves that are usually jiu jitsui take downs. It’s all awesomely gory gun-fu and this is the closest thing we have so far to a John Wick video game.
Gameplay pretty much consists of pushing forward killing enemies room by room till you reach the next checkpoint or end of level boss. The enemies range from different knife wielding enemies, synthetics, gunners, ninjas and large foes in mech suits. It’s not a ton of variety but there’s just enough and enough remixed combinations of enemies to keep you on your toes. The first boss fight is meh but I thought all the others were really good.
This is a weird game that leans into its quirkiness with several mini games to break up all the combat. These include karaoke, ramen eating, an arcade cabinet and a gun range similar to RE4’s. They’re all nice distractions and are accessible at all times to go back and try to beat your previous score. There are also training levels that are scored and new game plus with additional difficulties to give some replay value and make up for the relatively short length of the campaign.
The story isn’t fleshed out much at all but there are a ton of revelations and plot threads left dangling in the last few minutes of the game so I really pray this game can find a cult following and a way to get a sequel made.
This game may not be the most polished and definitely isn’t to everyone’s taste but fans of 6th gen character action games should definitely give this a shot. The difficulty is pretty high on normal but I’m really looking forward to playing again on hard and Japanese hard. This is my sleeper hit of the year so far.
8/10
Reviewed on May 08, 2023