Recent reviews by Steve Bukini

This game makes you *feel* like a pawn for the sake of managed Democracy.

Risk of Rain Returns is the refined experience of what the original Risk of Rain was. It improves movement systems, expands upon the items and has a big visual upgrade compared to the old and outdated pixel art. However, a lot of the old has remained. The maps, enemies and unforgiving combat has stayed, which makes this a game that mostly appeals to the fans of the original and will push away newcomers. In my mind - a remaster of a game will keep the soul of what the game was and will refine the previously tedious systems and, in that regard, Risk of Rain Returns is a perfect remaster.

I must stress though, that this game is not for everyone. It will whoop your ass worse than the original did. For the people who have only experience RoR2 this game will feel alien and unsatisfying. If should be your first dip into the series - don't. Get Risk of Rain 2 instead. If you've only played Risk of Rain 2 - don't. Keep playing Risk of Rain 2 because it is a completely different game from RoRR. But for those who loved the original this game is a joy to relive. It feels familiar and welcoming, just as a remaster should. Well done, Hopoo.

I bought this game on a whim and I did not regret it. I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes a cyberpunk/samurai setting, One Finger Death Punch-esque gameplay and has a few bucks to spare.


You play as a lone swordsman on her last stand battle against waves upon waves of yakuza goons, while "lo-fi beats to kill cyberpunks to" play in the background. In this game you'll slash and dash through countless enemies until you can no longer go on. You will die. But you'll take hundreds of those bastards with you.


Akane features great music, amazing death animations, fluid (yet simple) combat and an incredibly fun time. Many enemies have very easily identifiable and noticeable attacks that can be dodged without messing up your groove. With it's 1-hit-kill gameplay, and goon waves that become bigger and more frequent as you play, the difficulty will start ramping up - but so will your ability to handle it.


However, no game is without flaw. Akane cannot move/attack diagonally. Now, i am not sure if this is a keyboard-only issue, but it does result in a few situations where an enemy can hit you while you miss.
The enemy AI can also be a bit odd, since it seems like there is a chance for the enemies to mimic your movement inputs. This will result in situations where an enemy you run towards will run away from you.
Some missions require you to reach a certain number of "Boldness", but there is no counter for it. You can never be certain what level of "boldness" you're at, which isn't convenient.
I also did not find the game's inputs (mostly for dash and adrenaline) to be preferable, but all of that is changeable to one's own preferences.
But, admittedly, these issues are incredibly minor and will not impact your experience much.


As a final note, should I compare this game to any other - it would have to be Katana Zero. Sure, this game does not have much in terms of story and there are other vast differences between the two. But this game helped scratch the itch that Katana Zero left in me. If you enjoyed Katana Zero, get this immediately.

With the "endless" content that the game offers, as well as plenty of difficult missions that unlock new, game-changing gear, Akane is an absolute steal for such a low price. You'd be doing yourself a disservice if you did not at least try it.

This game has got incredible art, wonderful soundtracks, exciting fast paced action and can be very challenging both on normal and hard difficulties. When you get the hang of enemy AI and the mechanics, you start to feel like a god. Loved the characters, the combat, the twists and turns. Would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Hotline Miami, Deadbolt and so on.
10/10, can't wait for the sequel.