I desperately want to love this game, and I do-- but it's a messy, complicated love.
Overall, I think everyone should check this game out if it interests them. The charm factor is off the hook, and I love this game for that alone. But this game isn't perfect, there's some definite flaws; ones that have given me frustration and rage throughout my playthrough. I'll provide my pros and cons, starting with the cons. I'll stick with 2 for each to keep things simple, but I still implore you to check the game out for yourself and develop your own opinion. I can tell this game has a lot of love put into it, so I don't want this review to act as a definite summarization-- this game is beautiful and deserving of your time.
___ THE CONS ___
1) Difficulty
Something about this game's difficulty ranges from challenging, but fair... to just outright bull$@!#. The levels are procedurally generated which I feel is this game's biggest caveat. You have to focus on so many different things in this game, it feels like a sick joke that the levels are entirely unpredictable. There have been situations where I've gone through an entire fight without a single healing item, and other fights where I'm constantly being healed. The platforming is tricky enough without the levels constantly changing on you. It reaches "controller throwing" levels of frustration because you just don't feel like it's your fault.
There's also something just outright difficult about the way these bosses work. As of typing this review, I'm stuck on "Yama, the God of Death", which is the 5th Kaiju you fight. Now, I haven't gotten close to beating Yama once in my two hours trying their stage. I've definitely died over 100 times, and it's just hard to understand what I'm doing wrong. The level changes each time-- so it's not like I can just continue playing until I understand the level layout. As mentioned before, you have so many different things to focus on, which in turn makes these fights even more stressful. Every Kaiju has their own unique projectiles that they're sure to fill the screen with. You counter with your own projectiles of course, but not all projectiles were made equal. Some Kaiju will shrug off a projectile that works better for another Kaiju. You have to find out what works best while also avoiding instant death pits, the hundreds of bullets flying your way, and the Kaiju who is more than happy to delete your character if you come too close.
It's not like I don't enjoy a challenge, but I feel like there's a reason why as of this review, 0% of players have the achievement for defeating Yama. Maybe this game needs a difficulty slider to go along with its procedural generation... but I just think it needs to be easier in general.
2) Game feedback/presentation
I'll keep this short and sweet, this game is kind of hard to figure out... at first. Everything seems self explanatory, but I feel as if this game could use a bit more feedback to help the player understand what they're doing right or wrong. Maybe some game tips, a tutorial, or even basic things such as distinct, clear sound effects in cutscenes as well as the gameplay to help the player understand what's going on. Obviously you can see the Kaiju's healthbar decrease and know you're doing damage... but I feel it'd be a lot better if we could also have some indication on what works best against each Kaiju, what a Kaiju's "vulnerable" spot is, and just some feedback in cutscenes to add a bit of kick to the overall presentation.
And now...
___ THE PROS ___
1) Gameplay
Okay, I know what you're thinking. You complained about the difficulty being completely asinine, going so far as to say it's rage inducing... so how is the gameplay a pro? Well, while I do think the difficulty is a bit bonkers, I just can't stop playing, even when the game is coming off as total bull$%@#. Here's why.
This is a 2D platformer shoot 'em up, where you have to effectively utilize your kite to shoot, as well as move. I don't know how this idea came into fruition, and I'm just as dumbfounded at how it works so well. You have to manage two health bars: one for your little dude, and the other for the kite. You have to manage what projectile you're throwing, as well as ensuring your kite is always at an optimal position for a precise jump. It's absolute insanity when you start playing, but I just find it so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ fun. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm screaming at my monitor. I've called my little dude some very mean-spirited things, I've thrown more insults at the Kaijus than I like to admit... but I keep coming back despite my frustrations because at its very core, this is a game that I feel should've been a mess, but isn't. I just love how this game feels, and though it's quite tricky to understand how the game physics work with your kite, give it some time, and you'll be flying in no time.
2) The writing/kaiju/art design
Now look, clearly I haven't beaten the game yet. Maybe there's more to be said on this, and I'll definitely provide some edit notes whenever I do beat the game if there is more to be said. But from what I've experienced so far, this writing is so damn charming. I mean, I don't expect anyone to purchase this game for the writing alone, but I feel it definitely adds to this game's "messy brilliance", for lack of a better term. It's very tounge-and-cheek, but that's what makes it great. It has gotten genuine laughs out of me which is no small feat, I assure you.
And if I don't mention the Kaiju design I'll never forgive myself. These Kaiju are just oozing charm. I love looking at them, I love their animation, I love the art design in general. This is a game that, aesthetically, hits every checkmark in my opinion. If you're looking at screenshots thinking this game looks interesting, then you owe it to yourself to buy it.
Perhaps you've caught on to something... my pros and cons are on basically the same categories. Gameplay and presentation. How can they be both good and bad? Well... the easy answer is "see for yourself". The long answer is buried deep in this review, but I'll try my best to sum it all up here. This game is flawed at its core; gameplay and presentation are the core aspects of a game. So maybe you're a math person and you think this means the game is just a 5/10. That's not the case. I think putting a numerical score for this game is a disservice.
All in all, this game has made me a fan of the developer PWCA and I'm more than willing to support their future games. I feel this game isn't perfect, but it's one that almost nails what it was going for. With some tweaks to its difficulty, and some additional sound effects, songs, maybe even voice acting, this game will be a definite must-buy. While I feel this game IS a must-buy, I will say that only goes for the person who is already interested. If you've found this game and are thinking about getting it, definitely do so. If you don't really have much interest in this game and this review didn't do that any favors, I don't blame you for giving it a pass.
I applaud PWCA for what they've done here, this feels like a lovely, joyous game that I just wish I could beat. I hope there's encouragement to fix this game up and move onto the next project, as I'd love to give this game a second go if it ever gets tweaked.
Though it has left me with a broken keyboard (I blame Fashisuto) and a lingering sense of defeat... I don't regret any minute that I spent on this game. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat, and you can bet I'll continue playing this game for as long as I feel like it.
