A decent run-based action game that lacks staying power.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/70931/yasha-legends-of-the-demon-blade-switch-review-mini
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is an action roguelite with three playable characters. Shigure wields a longer ninja sword; Sara attacks with a pair of shorter daggers; and Taketora alternates between a bow and his fists. There’s a unique storyline for each member of the trio with overlap among the characters and the world. Like with any run-based experience, the opening hours typically feel new and fresh before the potential monotony of starting over again and again sinks in. Fortunately, the three protagonists add welcome variety to the gameplay, but the lackluster story and slow progression can make it hard to keep pushing forward.
From the title screen, you start a new game and choose your character; this creates a dedicated save file for them. In other words, none of the progress you make in your Sara file will carry over to Taketora or Shigure. One reason why this is frustrating is because the buffs and stat increases you can unlock for the characters are the same–except for their weapons–and can be quite underwhelming at that. You’ll get to unlock new weapons after each run, or you can save up the same materials to power up weapons already added to your arsenal, but those improvements are equally miniscule. On the plus side, new weapons have some interesting traits to them, and you can enhance and alter those traits during each run.
The writing and presentation render the game’s narrative an afterthought, but this issue doesn’t negate the fact that the combat of Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is genuinely fun. It’s fast and gives good player feedback, with an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master parry system. Each character has a weak and strong attack that can be combo-ed together, in addition to a dash and a dash strike. Every third area involves a boss fight, after which you get to enter a village festival space where you can use accumulated gold to purchase items and upgrades. The loop can feel satisfying after you get to the more difficult stages, but the early segments of each run eventually feel like a waste of time.
As a pleasant distraction, Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade fits the bill with challenging boss fights and three characters that feel different enough to play as. While the slow progression and plain dialogue mean that you really need to enjoy the combat to see this roguelite through to the end, fans of quick-paced, action-focused games where you’ll need to start over again and again may find a more satisfying experience here. There wasn’t quite enough nuance or uniqueness to keep me coming back for more Legends of the Demon Blade, but I had a good time with what I played.
Topic: Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade (Switch) Review Mini (Read 34 times)
