Onikira: Demon Killer [Game Review]
Game: Onikira: Demon Killer
Genre: 2D Hack'n'slash
Developer: Digital Furnace Games
Publisher: Merge Games, Headup Games
Copy supplied by publisher
Onikira: Demon Killer is a side-scrolling hack'n'slash developed by Digital Furnace Games and published by Merge Games and Headup Games. While the game is in Early Access, this is the review of the final product that will be released the 27th of August.
STORY
The story is your typical "feudal japan fantasy" featured in so many movies: demons come to the earth, someone with magic slays the demons, they come back stronger than ever centuries later, the player starts a journey to slay them.
To be fair, there is very little story in the game, told through animated cutscenes or small dialogues during the game. It is very basic, but lacks anything to make you care about your quest. But lets be honest: you are here to kill demons in cool ways.
GRAPHICS
The game looks gorgeous: the hand-drawn sprites are very polished and the animations are fluid. But the real star is the background: god rays, cities burning to the ground, beautiful trees and gigantic demons are just some of the things that really made my jaw drop while playing this game. Fans of this art style will have a lot to stare at.
GAMEPLAY
The game is a mixture between Devil May Cry and Guacamelee: you have a style system which rewards you for beating enemies using various combos and weapons, and sometimes you will fight enemies that require you to destroy their shield with a certain weapon in order to defeat them. There are also some fairly easy platforming sections, that usually lead to secrets and hidden upgrades.
In the years I grew tired of hack'n'slash games, but Onikira felt fresh to me: maybe it was the use of 2D, maybe it was the art style, maybe it was the setting, but I rarely got tired while slaying demons through the 7 levels of the game. If you are a fan of the genre, there is enough variety here to satisfy your hunger for non-stop action.
CHALLENGE
The game isn't all that hard: your only way to avoid getting hit is dodging, but sometimes that is not all that easy because of the huge number of enemies on the screen that make it impossible to see who's doing what. That wouldn't be a problem if the health that the enemies dropped didn't heal you. Also, some of the bosses are so big and slow that they are easier to beat than a group of standard demons. The really challenging part is the Combat Arena: multiple levels a-la God of War challenges that require all your skills and reflexes, resulting in some very frustrating rage quits.
SOUND
Both the sound effects and the soundtrack do their job: nothing memorable. The soundtrack will easily appeal to fans of japanese movies.
REPLAYABILITY
There are a total of 7 levels (each between 30 to 40 minutes long), plus Combat Arena, hidden secrets and 45 Steam achievements make for a game that, if enjoyed, will make you stay for more content.
Overall, fans of hack'n'slash and action will have a blast playing this game. However, if you are looking for a game with variety or more depth, you won't be satisfied.
Story: 6
Graphics: 8.5
Gameplay: 8
Challenge: 7.5
Sound: 7
Replayability: 7.5
ENJOYMENT: 7.5
FRUSTRATION: 6
