Playing A Game Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae PC

I was naively hopeful that Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae would be like Killer Is Dead without all the bullshit. And while it does strip away Grasshopper's obtuse pretense, it also doesn't have the latter game's sense of purpose or progress... while simultaneously lacking its sensibility, as hard as that is to believe.

The tutorial is intriguing enough, with an arena-style demonstration of basic attacks and tactics. When the game properly starts, though, it's a bit of a surprise that... it's still in an arena. Enemies come in waves -- not in, like, a subtle way. "Wave 1." "Wave 2." The game doesn't dress this up at all; just sends out an escalating series of enemies in the same vaguely-circular level. And while there are ability upgrades, they don't flow with the game at all; there's just an upgrade menu, and skill points to spend on said upgrades.

Aesthetically, it's pretty good for a home-made title. The character models are really well done (regardless of one's feelings regarding panty-shots), and the visual effects are great. On the other hand, the soundtrack is barely an afterthought, and the overall level design - aforementioned vaguely-circular arenas - is uninspired.

At least I didn't get hours into Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae before discovering that I disliked it. So it has that on Killer Is Dead, I suppose.

Progress: Finished Stage 1

Rating: Bad