Despite the use of cards, I rarely felt like I only won or lost a mission because of random factors. The game is quite challenging, but never feels unfair, and a change in strategy is often all that is needed. The only downside here is you’ll likely end up replaying a fair few missions to grind EXP, but it does not take very long to reach the max level with each, so it’s not that much of a problem.Īll of the gameplay systems come together well and create a satisfying experience. The equipment in particular can be used with any character, so there is incentive to play all of the Mahokenshi to increase your strategic options. These mechanics unlock access to additional cards that will appear in the missions and special equipment and talismans which offer game altering effects. The Mahokenshi level up with each played mission (whether you win or not) and earn points used to upgrade a non-character-specific skill tree. Another, Sota, has access to numerous cards increasing his mobility, creating free one-time-use cards to deal a flurry of hits, and cards which avoid detection or inflict poison.Įach character may be better suited to one mission or another, but with more than one approach you can take with each, you can lean on the one that you like. For example, Kaito, the tank mentioned before, can obtain many different cards which increase his defense, force enemies to come to him, and deal damage in an area. There are just the right number of effects and variables, and each of the Mahokenshi are defined by the sorts of effects that appear on them. By carefully choosing new cards and eliminating the less useful ones, you end up with a hand each turn that may only be slightly random and your turns will play out the way you plan much more easily. You can be given them through quests, buy them at villages, and you can also destroy unwanted cards or upgrade favorites, giving you far more control than you would expect from a card-based game. You start with a handful of basic cards and acquire more as you play each mission, depending on the character you selected. The interesting thing about the cards in this game is that your “deck” is built during the mission. The other key difference is in each mission you choose one of up to four Mahokenshi, each from a different house and with a different play style- for example, one may rely on stealth and lots of quick, free attacks, and another may be very tanky and gain strength when surrounded by enemies. You have a certain amount of energy to spend each turn to move, perform actions by playing cards, or a combination of both. Four HousesĪt the most basic level, the core turn-based gameplay strongly reminded me of the Fire Emblem franchise, just if you had cards instead of an inventory of items. The world it creates (which appears to be loosely based on the Takamagahara, or High Plane of Heaven in Japanese mythology) is interesting and one of the things that beckoned me to play. It’s not a visual novel-level story experience, but everything makes sense, has a natural progression, and has just enough substance to help drive the gameplay and make you want to keep going even in the face of roadblocks. The plot is straightforward, but well put together. You must destroy these demons and put an end to the cultists summoning them. What follows is a chase after dark cultists across the islands summoning demons known as oni to sow chaos. Based on rumors weaving through villages of dark magic and destroyed villages in the most remote islands, the Mahokenshi are sent to investigate. You control one of the eponymous Mahokenshi, legendary samurai tasked with protecting the inhabitants of the Celestial Islands, a series of islands floating in the sky filed with numerous villages and connected by portals. Mahokenshi, developed by Game Source Studio and published by Iceberg Interactive for PC via Steam ($24.99), with its Japanese demons and cultists waiting to be slain, almost seemed to whisper in my ear and say “Play me.” So I did. Today’s game fell into that category for me, but the Japanese mythology/samurai theme piqued my interest, so I decided, “All right, let’s give this a go.” One such concept that tends to turn me off is the “card battler.” I tend not to have a lot of interest in these due to their typically inherent randomness, and there are TONS of games that use card playing mechanics these days, making it hard for any of them to stand out. I don’t specifically look at or choose them with any expectation that they are going to be good (or bad), but I do notice when a particular game is trying to stand out with a particular feature or concept to get my attention. As a game reviewer, I often have a number of coverage offers in my inbox.
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