Recent reviews by KRAUSER-SAMA

Old Broly: "I am the devil."

New Broly: *Screams*

I bought this for blushing Vegeta

Pros:
+RPG like level and equipment based system for combat
+Multiple special abilities gained through demons for varied ways to fight
+Enjoyable exploration and combat
+Expected, but nonetheless amazing soundtrack
+Cooking & Customization
+More free content on the way

Cons:
+/-Short playtime required to beat the main game alone
-While the game is polished to an incredible degree, there were a few bugs


+What is the game like?:

Bloodstained utilizes a lot of RPG elements such as leveling up and crafting consumables and equipment, as well as offering a number of side quests. Typically enemy will drop one of two things (maybe both sometimes), either a craftable material or a shard (more details on this later). With these craftable materials you can craft or upgrade your weaponry, armor, and/or accessories. There’s a wide array of things you can grab for your arsenal, especially if you’re a completionist, but the best part of all the weapons the game has to offer you is that you can adopt a variety of playstyles suited for each individual player’s method of preference, be it in quick slashes with a katana, midrange jabs with a spear, or being as far away as possible with your trusty firearm (obviously there are more options to select from than the 3 mentioned).

Now, as for “shards” as I mentioned earlier, these contain special abilities. Each enemy has their own unique ability that they provide via their shard. There are 5 main types of shard abilities (yes, 5 separate types, there’s a lot of enemies and abilities). Abilities are as follows: two castable abilities (one is set, the other is directional), can interact with the environment like removing obstacles, passive enhancements, and familiars (little helpers). Some shards can also grant unique abilities such as the standard double jump ability (boss shard), or other essential skills for progressing through the game.

Weapons and shards aside, a lot of the game's charm also comes from the accessories and customization options. You have a plethora of things you can change as to how your character looks, accessories may provide stat boosts but they’re also incredibly fashionable (very early on I was an elven pirate captain, elf ears and pirate hat equipped). You can also eventually meet with an NPC that can change other finer details of your character, such as hairstyle and hair/eye/skin/outfit color (though the amount of selectable colors is admittedly a bit underwhelming for me).

However, a metroidvania isn’t complete if the game itself didn’t both play and feel good, and I’m happy to say that Bloodstained hits all the right notes in that department. Always venturing into new territories and discovering hidden rooms and easter eggs is great, especially with how sizable the map is and all there is to find (I’ve been journeying fairly casually and have completed about a third of the map in about 5 hours). Combat is simple to describe as smooth and clean with it’s 3D sprites and attack animations (though they don’t overstay their welcome, as in lasting too long, making for relatively tight gameplay).

+Sound:

More just a quick note of praise, but the game is fully voiced and the soundtrack is simply breathtaking.

+Graphics:

If you prefer 2D sprites in your metroidvanias as I do, then don’t let Bloodstained use of 3D sprites keep you from getting this game. The game truly is a joy for fans of the genre and Bloodstained handles itself very well graphically speaking (smooth animations and high-quality models).

+/-Short:

Castlevania games, as well as other games in the same vein, have always tended to have a playtime in the realm of about 10 hours. This is of course in reference to a single playthrough, some people have already reported beating the main story in about 6 hours. If you’re only planning to play this for a single, short playthrough, then this game may not be for you. The short time you spend in the game may still be enjoyable, but you’re missing out on a lot if you’re not the sort to get map completion or the true ending, and as a result, may or may not feel as though you’ve gotten your money’s worth. So, just be aware of what you’re getting yourself into when considering this title.

-Bugs:

This is the only real con to speak of and quite honestly it’s not even a big one. I really only encountered a problem or two worth mentioning. The first being that item drops from demons occasionally couldn’t be picked up. It happened to me several times, but missing out on a drop every now and then is obviously not the end of the world. With that said, I don’t know what exactly was causing this to trigger the few times it did. My honest guess is that it might’ve been that the drop landed on a ledge, or overlapped with something else.

The second issue I ran into was one of the customization options, particularly the hair (option #2, long hair). Every time I made sharp turns, or other such movements, my character’s hair would go in outrageous 360s and just fly all over the place. I haven’t noticed anything else quite as disillusioning, but I definitely think it’s unfortunate that the long hair option won’t behave (hopefully to be fixed). Again, not game breaking, just a minor annoyance.


Castlevania, Igavania, Metroidvania, etc. If you like these games and/or genres, then it’s a wonder why you haven’t already started playing this amazing game. Despite the delays and skepticism Iga came through and has now made THE Kickstarter story (after so many other disappointments).

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Pros:
+Good Scifi Adventure story
+Utilizes a quick time event system to keep you on your toes
+Quirky characters
+Charming artstyle
+Multiple endings

Cons:
+/-A bit strong on having its more perverted moments
-Multiple dialogue options, but doesn’t offer too much of an effect on the story
-Minor translation errors here and there, frustrating but still easy to understand
-The VN crashed albeit rarely


+Story:
Our World is Ended (OWE for short from here on) features, without giving too much away, an interesting science fiction adventure story (closest well-known comparison being Steins;Gate considering how most visual novels tend to go the fantasy route) that tackles themes like deep diving virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence in a setting where the group of characters are creating a game. However, the game is much more focused on the quirky, though admittedly tropes, characters and their own development (character of focus shifts depending on who you wish to focus on). Development of said characters mostly being centered on their individual trials and problems, and how they go about facing them. There are several endings for the story depending on your decisions or how you did in the quick time events (although unlike most VNs, OWE has a vast majority of it’s story take place in the common route before decisions and endings become a factor).

+Gameplay:
Typically I would keep this section of the review exempt considering the general nature of VNs (Visual Novels), but OWE actually keeps you on your toes to some degree as there are quick time events where you need to choose a dialogue option. Unlike QTEs in more action oriented games, rather than losing HP due to a misinput, depending on the answer you select, it could change where the story is heading (of course if you’re looking to complete every route then you’ll inevitably try to test all of them). OWE doesn’t stick to just reading if you’re looking for a slightly more interactive experience as you’re reading although I could see this as a demerit depending on the person playing (granted these QTEs are relatively far spread out and give you a warning message that one is incoming).

+Graphics/Visuals:
Visually speaking the game is gorgeous in how everything is designed. The use of the VNs rather vibrant colors is a breath of fresh air and really sets itself apart from others in the same genre.

+/-Reading the mood:
You can honestly love or hate OWE for this but this is mostly due to OWE’s rather lighthearted nature so I don’t think it’s a factor to think too harshly on. Don’t get me wrong, the story was very enjoyable and certainly had its more serious moments. However, an incredibly large amount of the game had a focus of making some sort of perverted commentary when possible. Now I like fanservice as much as the next guy, but even I thought maybe these sorts of events were occurring a little too frequently. In the end I very much enjoyed my time reading through OWE, but the story was certainly less serious than I had anticipated and wish to give some warning to potential buyers. If you have absolutely zero problem with fanservice then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this choice, needless to say if you’re the opposite then you likely won’t enjoy the VN nearly as much. This point is relatively subjective, so anyone who would fall into the middle would be very hard to speak for. That said, I’d say that if you’re looking for a relatively enjoyable read then this is certainly a title to consider.

On a side note of how the game handles its dialogue, there are also many times where a lot of unnecessary detail is given to explain concepts. For example, something that could’ve been explained in 3 to 5 minutes could take up to 10 to 15 minutes. It honestly reached the point where I started skipping new text when the story didn’t really feel like it would go anywhere. So an additional point is the occasional issue of pacing, especially in the earlier parts of the game.

-Lack of Diverging Routes:
You gain a fair amount of dialogue options throughout the game, however, many of these options usually only differ in a few lines of dialogue as far as I could tell. Each character has their own specific ending which is pretty standard, but the fact that many of the decisions you make don’t seem to come with any sort of significant impact is a bit upsetting (this was especially the case when I found out for myself that this was the case). Many of the choices must be specific to go on to particular routes, but failing to choose the correct option doesn’t negatively affect you too much. For example, there aren’t really any bad endings you can get as a result, you can at least get the normal ending consistently with ease (mostly due to the fact that like 90% of the game stays on the common route before splitting as a result of your actions).

In a niche genre that’s been getting a bit oversaturated I believe that Our World is Ended stands out as a rather strong pick, in recent time, despite some of its flaws. Recommended for any looking for a generally good VN to get into, though I’m inclined to say that this is better as a second or third VN rather than your first considering how the story flows.

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

Pros:
+Combo of FPS with roguelike elements makes for some fun gameplay and replayability
+Absolutely fantastic art style, truly feels as though you’re in a comic book
+Offers a fair amount of customization options in terms of your arsenal, as well as enemy variety as you progress
+/-Some semblance of a story, but mostly focuses on traveling to and obtaining certain objectives

Cons:
+/-Lack of ability to aim down sights
-Unable to change certain settings that could make the experience less nauseating (such as depth of field or motion blur)


+Gameplay:
This game is all about two things, combat and style. First, we’ll be looking at the gameplay for Void Bastards. Everything you do is centered around going to ships throughout space to gather needed materials. These materials will range anywhere from loot used to craft/upgrade weapons (or items that grant special bonuses like increased oxygen or a percent chance to save on fuel usage) to items simply to help you take the next step in your journey (namely food and fuel). Many times when you dock a ship, it will be occupied by certain enemies that your map will notify you of beforehand (enemy variety changes based on the “depth” you are at, deeper you are, the scarier they get).

Of course, if you have the fuel, you can choose to avoid docking altogether and simply move on to the next location if for example you feel the enemies at the previous location would’ve been too much for you to deal with. However, if you do decide to dock a ship, you can have a various amount of choices in the loadout you choose to depart with (the max number of weapons you can carry being 4). Although each weapon, are quite distinct from one another, so you’re not allowed to just go in with 4 shotguns. Examples being a standard gun as your primary, then selecting an explosive and some form of cc (like a stun). So you’re more than welcome to use a way of fighting that you’re most comfortable with based on what you have. However, fair caution, ammunition is a very valuable resource in this game, and the only way to obtain more is to find it (which isn’t always easy, though there are items you can craft to make it easier to find).

A large charm of this game lies in its roguelike elements and what transpires when your character inevitably dies. You see, each time you play as a character, they can come with special traits, and even develop beneficial mutations depending on how long you’ve been able to invest in a character. I’m unsure if the very first character you play (actually play, not intro character that’s destined to die) is also randomized, but in my case, I had a character that was a smoker. No big deal, right? Nope, I learned not too long after that my character had a horrible cough and alerted enemies to my presence. All is not lost though, there are characters that can start out positive right out the gate, and negative aspects like the cough I just mentioned are removable if you interact with certain stations. Each ship has there own stations, but not all ships will have one (though there are standard locations like the helm where you can always go to obtain a map of the ship and have indicators of where all the loot is displayed to you).

+Graphics/Visuals:
It is no exaggeration to say that this game is like shooting straight out of a comic book, a very nice touch for me is the white box around the screen to indicate that it is a panel in a comic. Not to mention to art style and design of everything, from the weapons to the various enemies and environments.

+/-Story:
The story is not a major focus for this (as far as I have seen), as someone who prefers a good narrative it’s unfortunate due to how interesting the “world” seems to be and can be developed with a real campaign. However, roguelikes don’t typically focus on the story to begin with, so it's something that can’t be helped. This section is mostly a warning for those hoping for more than gameplay with a little lore and going in with the wrong expectations.

+/-Right click =/= aiming:
Not the biggest negative in my book, but I truly find it incredibly strange that a first person shooter wouldn’t allow me to lock down my sights for what would feel like a more accurate shot. In Void Bastards the right-click is used to interact with objects (opening doors, looting items, etc., although the “e” key possesses the same function). This could be easily remedied by adding an option that allows you to lock down your sights if the player prefers. People who are more avid fans of the genre may find it somewhat displeasing that they can only rely on their reticle to do their shooting.

-Motion Sickness:
Now, here’s my biggest issue for me with this game. I tend to be prone to motion sickness in some games. Granted, not everyone has that issue, but I know I’m not alone when I say that I often need to toy with settings such as motion blur or depth of field to make my gaming experience more comfortable. Unfortunately, Void Bastards doesn’t offer these types of settings to be changed within the game. Of course, this can also be remedied by adding such an option to the settings. If you don’t struggle with such things, to begin with, then you can essentially disregard this final point, but if you do then I would advise caution. I mostly had to limit myself to occasional ~30 minute sessions before starting to feel nauseous (depending on the person, of course, you could last much shorter or longer per session than I did).

UPDATE: There is a FOV slider in the options, I'll update with my experience at a later time (currently late for me).

UPDATE 2: Changing FOV from 60 to 90 significantly improved my experience with the game. I will, however, leave the point above intact as the options I mentioned are still unavailable and could act as the determining factor for whether or not they decide to buy the game.


No doubt there are a few issues on the more technical side of things where it’s lacking some options in its settings, but if you’re looking for an FPS to sink some time into, then I strongly recommend picking up Void Bastards.

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

Follow our curator page, SirAlexander's Review Club if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Pros:
+Satisfying Hack and Slash Combat
+Particularly great for Fate fans with it’s large roster of playable characters
+A decent story to keep you playing
+Mission design that keeps the game from getting too stale

Cons:
+/-Controller recognition complications
-Constant Interruptions whilst playing
-Technical issues where lag consistently occurred
-Basic enemies aren’t any sort of threat


+Gameplay:
As a hack and slash game, how the combat feels should be Extella Link’s main concern, and I’m happy to say that the game does so very well. Each attack performed has a strong impact, and comes off as incredibly satisfying when finishing a combo and blowing multiple enemies away. You are very much a “one man army” so to speak, but on higher difficulties enemies can become bigger threats that deal much higher amounts of damage if you’re not careful. So depending on how you like your battles fought, you can choose between running everything over vs having to think before you act (although the hardest difficulty is locked until you’ve viewed all 3 endings of the game).

+Characters:
The Fate series is an incredibly large franchise at this point with multiple shows and games featuring a multitude of different characters, and many fan favorites converge here in Fate Extella Link (*cough* Astolfo *cough*). Of course, that’s not to say that you need to know who some of these characters really are from their original games, but it’s something that certainly adds to the experience. One of the ways that the game helps you from feeling everything is too monotonous is by offering these different characters with their own differing special abilities and using the “money is power” system. Not every character is available to you upon starting the game, and as you progress through the story the character you play as will level up accordingly. However, when you get a new character they always start at 1. The game lets you use these characters immediately by allowing you to spend a certain amount of in-game money (which isn’t hard to earn) to level them up to the equivalent of your highest level character.

+Story:
The story is arguably something that doesn’t need to be weighed significantly considering the nature of the game, but Fate as a franchise always likes to try to make the events to be intriguing. With that said, I found the story to be decent at best. While it claims to be a sequel to Extella, the pick off from where Extella left off (providing more insight on the character Altera) was admittedly weak in my opinion. Altera isn’t completely unrelated in this title, but she more or less takes a backseat while the new servant takes the spotlight, so do keep that in mind when considering the game.

+Mission Design:
Aside from the plethora of characters available to the player, another way the game keeps itself fresh is by changing up the rhythm of the game. More specifically, you may still end up having to kill everything in sight, but there are a lot more obstacles that will get in your way. My favorite one being jammers interfering with your vision of the map. The map when unimpeded gives an easy to understand situation of the battlefield and makes navigating towards your destination simple. However, jammers cover up a large portion of the map preventing you from knowing what’s happening where, and you then have to locate and destroy the jammers by exploring unseen territories as a result. Other such obstacles that can give you a game over if not handled appropriately exist as well, and it’s not something that occurs often to the point that the obstacles themselves seem to be repeating in an annoying fashion.

+/-Controller:
If you don’t intend to use a controller for the game then feel free to skip this point. Basically, when I started Fate Extella Link for the first time, none of the controller inputs were as they should be, prompts like A and B were shown as numbers instead, and buttons like dash were attached to my controllers start button (ridiculous I know). Probably the first time I’ve encountered such a thing from an XSEED port, but this is fixed by turning off controller recognition in steam’s big picture mode. Why? I have no idea, but so long as you do so, you shouldn’t encounter the issue.

-Let me play the game:
So. Many. Interruptions. As I said earlier, any given stage has there share of obstacles, many of which are introduced as you progress through the stage. Well, when these obstacles appear, you are taken out of combat to view a cutscene to highlight that these obstacles are now present. It’s not too bad at first, but it gets old fast when you’re just trying to destroy enemies and have to look at a cutscene you’ve already seen.

-Frame Drops:
Fate Extella Link suffers from some technical issues as well, particulars are unknown, but I had many times where my frames would drop when performing certain attacks. These drops don’t seem random either as some moves seemed to recreate the issue rather consistently. This isn’t the case for all the characters (at least I don’t believe so), but is something to think about. The frame drops at most are by a full second, perhaps even less, but was something I couldn’t ignore after a certain point since it occurred a fair amount of times.

-Nonexistent Smallfry:
You really only need to distinguish two kinds of enemies, those with health bars and those without. To call the enemies without health bars “weak” is an incredible overstatement. At least on normal difficulty, the “grunts” shall we say do nothing but stand there. I completely understand that this is a game where you single-handedly destroy thousands, but if I decide to simply stand around in the middle of a mob, they should at least look like they’re going to attempt to hurt me.

In terms of hack and slash (or musou, if you’re familiar with the term) games, Fate Extella Link earns its keep as a part of the genre fairly well. If you’re familiar with the Fate franchise then you’ll find this title particularly enjoyable. Not an outright requirement, but definitely a plus.

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Pros:
+You don’t need to be a Touhou fan to enjoy this, it’s a genuinely good Metroidvania
+Ability to manipulate time and throw knives (Is that a JoJo reference?)!
+Plays incredibly well (Controller Recommended)
+Fair amount of enemy and weapon variety
+Great OST and SFX
+Beautiful Pixel Art
+More content coming

Cons:
-Weak story
-Relatively short


+Gameplay:
As a Metroidvania, Touhou Luna Nights does essentially everything right. Offers variety in both the different maps which feature unique enemies and new power-ups along the way. There is also a fair share of hidden areas as well as locations that will be inaccessible to you early without certain power-ups (such as the standard double jump). Combat with bosses, in particular, can get somewhat fast-paced but aren’t too difficult. They provide a fair challenge, but not too many tries (personally at least). Even in the hairiest of situations, the game’s unique mechanic of slowing down or even stopping time can give you a hand. The abilities have their restrictions such as a timer and MP, but for the most part, is well balanced if not a bit powerful.

+Sound:
SFX are on point, and while I may not know all that much about the Touhou series, I do very much enjoy the soundtrack. I recognized a few though they had a nice personal touch added to it for the purposes of the game and really set the mood for each location I entered.

+Graphics/Visuals:
Personally, I am a big fan of pixel art, and Touhou Luna Nights does a great job of it. The sprites and world have clear attention to detail.

+Updates Incoming:
The game is admittedly on the shorter side, but there is more to come that is foreshadowed towards the end of the game (and by the devs themselves). Depending on the update(s) it could remedy the con on time.

-Story:
As someone who very much enjoys his game narratives, it’s unfortunate there wasn’t much to dig into with this one. This is however remedied by the enjoyable gameplay and exploration towards bosses. If you go in with the mindset of just having a fun time, you’ll do just fine.

-Game Length:
As you can tell by my own game time, and the many others among the review sections, you’re probably looking at around 5 hours of gameplay for a single playthrough. It’s admittedly much shorter than I would’ve liked, but the entirety of those few hours was enjoyable all the way through. So, while the game isn’t as long as one might prefer, don’t let that discourage you from experiencing this gem of a game.

The game is short and offers a story with minimal depth, but in its place, all the time and resources have clearly gone into the rest of the game. Combat is both fast-paced and utilizes unique mechanics to make for an incredibly fun experience. Every visual and sound line up perfectly with the tight controls of the game. Finally, even if the two cons may be an issue with you, there is more content coming for the game, so definitely keep an eye out for when it arrives. There aren’t too many details on what it could be, but my best guess would be a gauntlet where you face all the bosses, or possibly a new area to explore.

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

Pros:
+A very active community (Season 2 just started!)
+Easy to learn and fun to play even if you’re unfamiliar with fighting games
+A fairly good story considering the history of DBZ titles in the past (usually rehashes of the existing story)
+Visually the best representation the series has ever gotten in a game
+Voice acting available in both languages, great soundtrack with some songs from the show as well (dlc)

Cons:
-Corner carrying is far too easy in the game
-Super dash is a core mechanic that’s a bit unbalanced due to difficulty reacting to it
-Player communication needs improvement


+Online:
The best time to play a fighting game is to do so when the community is thriving, and Fighterz has been going strong since release. With the new year season 2 was confirmed and has officially started only a few days ago (with the release of new dlc characters Jiren and Videl). The game is constantly being updated with balance patches as well.

+Gameplay
If you’re not too familiar with fighting games or have had trouble pulling off combos in the past then you needn’t worry with this title. I have never played a fighting game that was so beginner friendly. Four key attack buttons are utilized: light, medium, heavy, and special (energy blasts and such). However, the game uses an auto combo system, where if all you do is spam light or medium then you’ll pull off specific combos. Needless to say that this is still only a starting point, as you develop you start making use of the auto combos less and less. There are of course other things involved in the combat such as summoning assists, switching fighters, superdash, etc. But with time you’ll definitely get used to it. There’s nothing truly overcomplicated to do in the game, but there are definitely characters that require a lot more dedication than others.

+Story:
Usually, the Dragon Ball series games have typically reused the existing canon for it’s story mode, but that isn’t the case here. The game introduces a new character to the world, Android 21, and follow the journey of the franchises most well-known characters as they set off on this new venture involving this new android. The story mode features 3 different playthroughs that offer different perspectives and endings. I won’t delve too far into the details as I’m sure there are those who would rather find out for themselves. It’s essentially divided into Hero Arc, Villain Arc, and Android Arc. Some people may prefer reliving through the same moments but I’m personally tired of it, and so see this as a great plus. I will admit though, I didn’t enjoy playing through it all that much, but some of the character interactions were definitely a nice touch, most of the combat is, in my opinion, rather monotonous. However, it did make for some good practice.

+Sound:
Nothing to really scream about in this section, but if you watched the show like I did then you can probably appreciate hearing the voices of your favorite characters. Music from the anime is available but that’s mostly dlc (not included with the season pass), but the soundtrack works well on it’s own in the base game.

+Graphics/Visuals:
There’s been a lot of DBZ games, many giving different takes like a 3D arena fighting game, or closer to an ARPG. However, FighterZ sticks to the traditional 2D fighting format and uses some incredibly smooth and high-quality visuals. The thing that makes this game so good though is that the movesets of the characters involve the same attacks shown in the actual series. Not to mention how impactful your world-shattering attacks feel. Fighterz is probably the first game to really show of the charm of the franchise and does so with justice.

-Corner Carry:
Corner carrying, if you don’t know, refers to “carrying” or pushing your enemy into the corner of the screen and limiting their options as you wail on them. Now this in itself isn’t a bad thing, many games have the player who is in the corner at a disadvantage. If you end up in that situation in a game of skill you can’t really blame anyone but yourself. However, in Fighterz, it’s far too easy to do so, 1 or 2 combos could instantly push your opponent into the corner from mid screen. Something that could use a tweak, though there are options to escape (though they usually require meter).

-Super Dash:
One mechanic in the game is the super dash, which homes in our your opponent and you fly towards them. While I like the mechanic and keeps the game going at a fast pace, the super dash is a bit too fast to react to. There are moves that beat the Super Dash, like a down heavy, but to land one you either have to expect it, or they dash from the other side of the screen (giving them enough time to react). I think this could be fixed if only the startup animation for the dash lasted half a second longer, making the ability a bit more “fair” in a sense.

-Communication:
Something that really irks me on PC for this game is that you can’t message other players, particularly those you fight with. Can’t add them either. This function exists on consoles… please add this function. Sure some people aren’t the nicest, but I’ve had a few great matches with strangers that I would’ve liked to have a few words with. You can use predetermined stamps/lines but those aren’t really saying much in the long run.


Fighterz has its share of flaws like any other game, but what really matters is how enjoyable it is. And Fighterz gives that experience in spades. Definitely, those who are looking for more of an online experience than a single player one. If you’re interested in getting into a fighting game or simply like the Dragonball series then I strongly recommend this game with how easy it is to pick up.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Follow our curator page, OCG-Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Pros:
+Minigames (like Hangman’s Gambit) during trials have been improved upon
+Good story with a “special” ending that continues the series
+Fair English voice acting
+Cool postgame content to lengthen game life

Cons:
+/- Interesting, but controversial ending (your experience can either be great or bad depending on how you take it)


+Gameplay:
If you’re familiar with the Danganronpa series then there isn’t especially much to go into here. But just to give it a quick overview, Danganronpa tells its story through the visual novel format with the inclusion of more interactive elements that involve point and click to solve interesting murder cases.

V3 improves upon a couple of faults from previous games (though not completely) while also adding a few new elements as well. I’m looking at Hangman’s Gambit, in particular, no more do the colliding of letters cause explosions to occur! Definitely, the most notable improvement among the games played during a trial. For those unaware, a variety of mini-games (puzzles, driving simulator, rhythm games, etc) are played throughout a trial to advance through arguments and debates. Definitely, a good series to go into for visual novels, but also want more interactivity than selecting certain options when decisions need to be made.

+Story:
The story is the same as always in terms of setting, 16 High School students with ultimate talents forced to participate in a killing game. The kicker is, of course, the ending and how everything falls into place and reaches its conclusion. To avoid spoilers I will refrain from going in too deep but I would say that the ending of V3 is on the unexpected level Danganronpa games have previously been at, if not more so.

+Sound:
As always, a nice soundtrack and cast of voices for the unique line of characters in the series. I personally played in the English dub but you’re more than welcome to play the game in Japanese if you wish.

+Postgame:
The main story can run you anywhere from 30 - 50 hours depending on reading speed, the difficulty of trials, and use of time for other activities. I admittedly skimmed a few parts here and there and ended with a time closer to the shorter end of the spectrum. With that said, beating the main game doesn’t mean the end for Danganronpa V3. Once you’ve beaten it once, a few new things are unlocked as a result. Most notably new games that are set outside the world of V3’s main plot.

The postgame gives you the ability to play through a board game where you play as your favorite Ultimate (even Ultimates from earlier games, though they need to be unlocked). Through this board game, you level up your Ultimate(s) so that you can use them in a sort of tabletop RPG where you need to defeat enemies in a dungeon crawling fashion (though the overall aesthetic remains as a game board). If you’re especially into it you could easily double your playtime with the game. I found it interesting and liked the concept but it didn’t grab me to the point that I was really willing to do so. So, your mileage may vary on this point.

+/-Ending (NO SPOILERS):
This is not a negative point per se but warrants attention to it in some regard. I had played the game completely blind and was met with the ending in an unexpected manner. After beating the game I looked a bit more into it to see how other fans of the series felt about the game. Lo and behold I discovered that there is some serious friction between the ending and the fans. A fair amount of people were rubbed the wrong way with how the game ended (and I can understand why). Personally, I took the ending more positively, but I know not everyone will see eye to eye with that. Point I’m trying to get at here is to simply play the game with an open mind and play the game at your own leisure if you’re looking to get into another killing game.


This is more of a series recommendation than a recommendation for V3 alone, for the sake of the story, knowing what happened in previous games will be crucial. If you’re not into Visual Novels then I believe there’s still a chance you’ll like the game considering how much more interactive it is with its gameplay compared to most others in the genre. If you’re already a fan of the series then by all means, play it as you see fit, I only ask that you heed the warning that the ending may or may not be sour for you.

Pros:
+Simple story that sets a nice premise for the game
+Isometric dungeon crawling deck builder with hack and slash combat
+High replayability with variety of card combinations possible
+Interesting art direction using paper cutouts

Cons:
+/-Fair warning, artstyle might not work with everyone even if you enjoy the used genres
-Can get monotonous for some depending on how you play



+Story:
The story of Book of Demons is fairly simple, you’re a hero/adventurer returning to your old village and there’s trouble brewing underneath, a demon! You need to go down and take it out before your village is the one to bite the dust. Not particularly new, but the story isn’t meant to be the main catch of this game all things considered (though you run into some nice lil’ bits as you go along). However, many might not know this, but the “Book of Demons” is only one book of a series that the devs intend to create. The first of seven, I’m not too sure where they’ll be going with it, but if that sort of stuff interests you then you may want to keep your eye out for future releases like I am.

+Gameplay:
Okay, it might be best to first describe how exactly you even play since it’s a bit hard to tell from gameplay footage in my opinion. Suffice it to say that you could play this game one-handed if you wished, everything revolves around the left mouse click, attacks, item use, movement, etc. Personally, I use WASD to move, but knowing this could be a plus for some.

The game revolves around a few things, but the main thing is the deck building aspect. Some familiar with the genre will understand this likely implies that you obtain cards to use in a deck as you progress through the game, and you’re absolutely right! The cards come in three particular varieties of note for combat, artifact cards (equipped items that grant certain bonuses such as chance to block, unimpeded by webs, give attacks fire element, etc.), item cards (potions and the like), and spell cards (cooldown abilities like an AoE attack that consume mana).

You will be very limited in what you can use from your deck of cards, starting with 3 and having to pay and unlock slots for a grand total of 9 cards. How you wish to fight can drastically change how you advance through a dungeon, and so makes the game very replayable (whether it be a whole run or certain levels) since there’s a huge number of card combinations to use. You could be very focused on spell use with mana regeneration or go the opposite and focus on your physical combat abilities for example. The game also offers a roguelike mode, multiple difficulties, and three character types (warrior, rogue, mage) each with their own strengths to capitalize on.

+Graphics/Visuals:
Book of Demons has a rather unique take on how their game looks, especially considering their already interesting combination of genres. Paper cutouts moving the way they do in most video games isn’t usually my thing, but I really appreciated that Thing Trunk went in their own direction with their vision for the game.

+/-Art is a big factor:
As I said, paper cutouts are not usually my play area, and I’m sure there are many out there that are the same. Adjusting myself to how the game looked and felt took a bit longer than it normally does, and the game managed to grow on me. I would say that the two hour refund period is enough to tell you whether or not it’s something you’d enjoy. The game is quite enjoyable, but just a heads up that even if you’re a fan of the used genres, the paper cutouts may or may not change that for you. It’s at least worth a shot though, so don’t feel too put off by my words on it.

-Monotonous:
Some builds you may prefer can make the game feel a bit too much of the same, at least that was the case for me. Particularly with my run as a warrior, I focused a lot on artifact cards that gave me additional slash damage and chance to recover HP, among other things. I enjoy my hack and slash games, but the build I went was a bit too much hacking, not enough slashing if you catch my drift. Of course this is easily remedied through playing other characters or experimenting with card combinations, I’m just saying, not everything will go as well as you hope with your playstyle (I can’t imagine being a warrior and relying on my mana, sue me) and some builds are just plain much better than others (depends on goal of winning vs fun, which you can easily have both of). If you have an open and experimental mindset you should be fine though.



The game is a good deal of fun, the art is nice but also acts as a double-edged sword, but if you can get past that then you’ve got a great experience on your hands. The story is a bit on the weak side, but Book of Demons easily makes up for it in its gameplay and replayability. So, if you value your bang for your buck then this is definitely a title to consider.

P.S. Yay, out of early access!

This product was reviewed with a key provided by the Developers/Publishers.

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