This one surprised me. I was worried about the impressions stating the game being too grindy. While the game is definitely considered one, it’s incorporated in such a genius way, that it really depends on how you play it. This game is trying to be an arcade game like the classics from the past. Those games are known for making you die and repeat again. This is combined with the F2P nature but without the silly hooks. It’s basically encouraging you to play the campaign mode once a day. You get XP (stars in this game) to upgrade your character, moves and weapons. You also unlock costumes, music, new game modes and more. All the upgrades and unlocks are put together in a world map where you select what you want to get and you have to make some choices along the way. The levelling up system is similar to Final Fantasy X’s sphere grid. I’ve played the campaign once a day for almost a week and I almost unlocked 90% of the upgrades. I did try to focus on upgrades and ignore the rest though. Getting other weapons and their upgrades is more expensive than anything else. The game allows you to try other weapons before you purchase them through a different currency.
The game is balanced so well that I looked forward to the next day with my new upgrades. When you die, you get 2 credits to try the stage you were on again (12 stages total). But I always preferred ending my run after dying and try again the next day. The rest of the package is pretty impressive. It looks and sounds really well. The soundtrack is so weird and unique. The graphics/style remind me of Panzer Dragoon Orta slightly. There is even an in-depth bestiary of lore, enemies and bosses. Honestly, I didn’t care about the lore and don’t think it’s needed for a game like it but it’s there if you want more. The game also has ‘challenges’ with too many game modes that you can unlock. I didn’t give any of them a try. I’m happy with how the game ended. But there is definitely content if you want more. I might return to try the other modes someday but ending the campaign mode felt like the right time to stop on a happy note. So the game is slightly grindy but it really becomes a big deal if you try to unlock everything. If you only care about the gameplay/main campaign, then the grind feels very appropriate. It even feels less of a grind compared to the games of the past. The upgrades make you so OP and the campaign is not really long.
You can play the game with either the touch screen or controller. At first I thought touch screen was a nuisance because it made it harder to avoid damage compared to a controller. But it’s so much easier/quicker to attack with the touch screen, especially when you upgrade your lock on for more enemies. Stick with touch screen, it’s worth it.
Yu Suzuki really did it. If you’re fan of his games or those quirky Sega games, then there’s a high chance you’re going to like this.
I played on an iPad Pro 2020 12inch.
The game is balanced so well that I looked forward to the next day with my new upgrades. When you die, you get 2 credits to try the stage you were on again (12 stages total). But I always preferred ending my run after dying and try again the next day. The rest of the package is pretty impressive. It looks and sounds really well. The soundtrack is so weird and unique. The graphics/style remind me of Panzer Dragoon Orta slightly. There is even an in-depth bestiary of lore, enemies and bosses. Honestly, I didn’t care about the lore and don’t think it’s needed for a game like it but it’s there if you want more. The game also has ‘challenges’ with too many game modes that you can unlock. I didn’t give any of them a try. I’m happy with how the game ended. But there is definitely content if you want more. I might return to try the other modes someday but ending the campaign mode felt like the right time to stop on a happy note. So the game is slightly grindy but it really becomes a big deal if you try to unlock everything. If you only care about the gameplay/main campaign, then the grind feels very appropriate. It even feels less of a grind compared to the games of the past. The upgrades make you so OP and the campaign is not really long.
You can play the game with either the touch screen or controller. At first I thought touch screen was a nuisance because it made it harder to avoid damage compared to a controller. But it’s so much easier/quicker to attack with the touch screen, especially when you upgrade your lock on for more enemies. Stick with touch screen, it’s worth it.
Yu Suzuki really did it. If you’re fan of his games or those quirky Sega games, then there’s a high chance you’re going to like this.
I played on an iPad Pro 2020 12inch.