Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae
Overview -
'Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae' first released back at the Japanese Comic Market 84 in 2013 before it rapidly gained attention outside of that somewhat tiny launch and ended up getting picked up for an English version on Steam. The game puts players in the role of Misa, in search of a demon sword, and faced with a sliceable horde of enemies. Now 'Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae' is finally hitting consoles, bringing the indie action hit to a brand new audience.
Video Review
Characters animate well enough, but ultimately, there is a tiny variety of enemies in arenas that have few distigushing features. Bosses have interesting enough designs, but it's not a pretty game to look at.
Audio Review
The soundtrack features the kind of J-Rock that is immediately forgettable after playing, but that fits the tempo of the game very well. It's silly, frivolous stuff that works perfectly in context. Sound design sadly goes unnoticed for the most part, though it does add an extra layer of satisfaction when you sheathe your sword. Japanese voicework nicely compliments the minimal cutscenes, but never really factors in anywhere else.
Final Thoughts
'Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae' lives and dies by its combat. There's nothing else here, and I don't say that to be snarky. There's a story that barely exists (maybe two minutes of total cutscene time), but outside of that, it's all action. Thankfully, 'Mitsurugi' overcomes the low budget to deliver excellent mechanics that are capable of standing entirely on their own. I wish there was a little more to it all, but this serves as a nice action game that should easily satisfy genre diehards.
