Poison Control Reviews
Poison Control rarely goes beyond the cheap laughs to be had from its story.
When it comes down to it, Poison Control fails to do anything interesting in any manner. There's nothing about the game that is outright broken, but there is just no substance to anything at all. A forgettable nothing story, forgettable gameplay, tedious maps, all lead to an experience that is an easy skip.
I have a love-hate relationship with Poison Control. There is a gem of a game here, but it’s marred by a subpar story, design/gameplay issues, and the less I say about the technical problems, the better! It’s such a shame because the game’s art style, music, and the stories of the girls within the Belles’ Hells are genuinely excellent! I don’t see myself playing this again, but I’m sure that some of you can find some enjoyment out of it. I certainly did, but it came with some huge hurdles to overcome!
All implementations made in the general composition of Poison Control were hampered due to a low technical efficiency in the execution, resulting in a product beyond mediocre. From a certain point of view, it is certainly a unique game, but that is not enough to make it minimally good.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ultimately, Poison Control is a let-down of how good it could have been. Utterly lacking in the cohesive element, some parts absolutely stand out, where so many others fall far short. The shooting is serviceable, the 'cleaning' gets old fast, and the story doesn't really go anywhere. Poisonette and the main character have a great dynamic, which serves to only show how short other aspects really fell short.
Poison Control's story is cliché-filled but fun, and the tongue-in-cheek dialogue carries the game far further than its gameplay could manage alone. The writing can only make up for shallow game mechanics to a point, though, and ultimately shallow gameplay is what lets this game down. Visual novel fans will likely find more to enjoy here, but there's simply not enough gameplay depth or variety for fans of shooters.
Poison Control has some of my favourite art and character designs from any game this year, but that isn't anywhere near enough to carry the entire experience. The dual-character combat system is a fresh and stylish idea, but it isn't executed very well. Clunky movement and repetitive combat end up holding back this otherwise stylish and unique new game from Nippon Ichi Software.
Poison Control may offer a fun and interesting story but mishandles certain aspects all while lackluster shooting mechanics prevent it from standing out in any way.
There is no doubt that Poison Control came out of some good ideas, but unfortunately they result in a game that manages to be average (or worse) in all its aspects, and not even a promising story can hold back the production. In the end, it is strong colors, repetitive mechanics and that's it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If Poison Control smoothed out its combat and performance issues while adding more interesting complexity to its gameplay then it could be quite a fun quirky little game. As it is, it's certainly charming but definitely difficult to recommend.
Poison Control is one of these games, as the anime-inspired story and musical accompaniment are well worth being held in high regard. Those can only take a game so far, however, and are brought down by the clunky gameplay and copy-and-paste visuals accompanying them.
On the surface Poison Control looks to be cut from the same cloth as Persona, brimming with cute characters, witty script and changing hearts. But under the poison mires you need to clear and the poor shooting, the gameplay lacks polish and chokes on repetition, and the story often descends into caricature and mishandles a sexual assault. Its style is really only skin deep.
Poison Control feels like the sort of game where lots of different elements are tossed together in a way that hopefully comes together and makes sense. Some parts are fine. Eliminating poison can make you think, though it can sometimes get to be a bit of a chore.
Poison Control shows how good ideas and a huge potential can be ruined by bad gameplay decisions and broken structure, and even though some parts of the game like story and writing will keep you eager to carry on, eventually the final package fails to deliver.
Review in Persian | Read full review
But, the game is what it is. I think some people will really enjoy Poison Control, but you already know who you are. The rest of you will likely find it a bit dull and potentially off-putting.
Poison Control will not be to everybody’s tastes, but its strange mix of combat and poison neutralisation antics does at least make it unique. Also, while its gameplay does suffer due to repetition, the somewhat bite-sized nature of its dungeons means it can be offset by playing little but often. Ultimately, no element of Poison Control particularly stands out as impressive, but it also does little to actively put players off getting a controller in their hands and cleansing a hell or two.
A quick run and game game with little roaming and lots of exposition.
It’s time to raise Hell and clean up some demonic mess in Poison Control, the latest action RPG from Nippon Ichi Software. Featuring a unique dual-body mechanic and many, many suggestive themes, this is a title that surprisingly doesn’t come with a vinyl figurine.
In the end, it is a slick looking, great sounding little game that is never overly offensive with its issues, but still has a decent amount of them. The gameplay revolves around a simple mechanic that players will see the majority of before getting halfway through it, but it was never something that I didn’t like playing. It is most certainly unconventional, and I think that’s what gave it enough charm to keep me playing. It’s a strange one to recommend, but I still recommend it if this sounds like something up your alley.
The gameplay is bland, but that doesn't stop Poison Control from being a compelling game. The fun characters and unique aesthetic makes this a story that visual novel fans will want to stick with.