Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Reviews
In an intriguing mix of different gameplay mechanics, that entwines visual novels and shoot'em up, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a pretty unique experience, that captivates you with its story and makes you stay with its ability to keep things interesting and engaging.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A good mix of investigative visual novel and shoot 'em up, with a captivating story able to capture until the very end.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While a murder mystery survival scenario may not be the most unique concept ever made, Yurukill manages to twist things on its head by going all in to make one of the most unique Visual Novel experiences.
The only issue we had with Yurukill was that it never felt like it went far enough. It's a compelling tale and it moves at a brisk pace, but it lacks the malicious edge of a Danganronpa or the brain-breaking narrative of a Zero Escape. By the time it's all said and done, we'd enjoyed our time with it, but we were a mite disappointed that it didn't push us harder.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games combines puzzle solving with bullet hell action to create a unique gaming experience. Its dark premise is handled with humor and an engrossing mystery that'll push you quickly to a rewarding end, and various difficulty settings will make sure fans of both genres can get there.
Despite our relative indifference toward the shmup sections and our frustration with some of the puzzles, by the time we cleared each team's attraction and really got to know the eccentric cast before the intense final chapters, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games had thoroughly hooked us. Individually, the puzzle-solving and shooter elements aren't anything particularly special, but they come together with some ridiculous characters to form a game greater than the sum of its parts. We'd go so far as to say we like pickles on ice cream now, and – while you might think us as crazy as Binko – we think you might, too.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games can't quite find the right narrative justification for its intriguing gameplay hooks.
Initially engaging, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games brings its conclusion far too soon, without taking advantage of its interesting cast and premise. The sum of its parts is worth it, but if you are a fan either of mystery games or shmup, the game doesn't sustain itself.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall I had a fantastic time with Yurukill: The Calumniation Games. I loved the story, characters, art style, music and the gameplay is some of the best I’ve experienced in a long time. I feel like fans of either of these genres would have a ton a fun with this game. The shmup sections are pretty challenging but there is an easy setting for folks like me that suck at them greatly. You can adjust this to your liking and take them on in higher settings in the challenge mode that features online leaderboards. It took me about 13 hours to complete the story here, but I feel like there is a bit of replay value here just taking on various shooting in the unlocked mode. This one is easy to recommend at that $39.99 price tag and will likely be one of the best and most unique titles released this year.
It’s by no means a bad game, but Yurukill just never manages to hit the same heights as its contemporaries. There’s solid groundwork here for a sequel, it has its unique selling point in the shmup sections, and the puzzles are mostly fun. I wanted to love it, but its story didn’t come together in a satisfying way and too many mechanics felt half-baked or redundant.
A bit more time in the editing room would be a worthwhile prison sentence for Binko and the rest of the cast. While there's not much in the way of unlockable content, you can replay any shooter stage you've cleared in the story and earn your place on the online leaderboards. Without a doubt, Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a much more bold and ambitious title than World's End Club, also from IzanagiGames, and I look forward to whatever dark tale they choose to weave next.
Combining such different things seems like a bad idea, but Yurukill manages to convince us that his mix of genres fits perfectly. But the best thing is that it manages to stand out in all aspects, which means that we are facing a great novel visual ... and a fantastic shoot 'em up.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games does a fantastic job of marrying a dark murder mystery with a rewarding shoot 'em up. IzanagiGames has managed to get the formula just right and I hope they invest in the series with a sequel that has an even larger scope.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games contains an addictive blend of escape room escapades and fast-paced bullet-hell segments that will keep players eagerly awaiting the next corner. The story and character presentation are great too, with only a few technical flaws that get in the way of an otherwise spectacular theme park ride.
Just as the “Yurukill” in the title Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a portmanteau of the Japanese “Yurusu” (to pardon or forgive) and the English “Kill,” the game itself is a combo of two seemingly incompatible genres. It is a puzzle-solving adventure and a flashy scrolling shooter. The result works far better than one might think at first.
Yurukill: The Calumnation Games has a decent storyline, and is a solid time, but for the price point, there are far better options.
The crazy title developed by Izanagi Games mixes three completely different genres, giving life to a work of sure impact for creativity and ambition, but not really unforgettable due to the ups and downs that characterize the various sections of gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is an excellent pick for shoot'em up fans, and even more for succeeding at mixing the genre with others, such as visual novel for the adventure bits and escape-the-room for various puzzles and riddles. Everything fits perfectly with the story and the atmosphere, including the art and soundtrack, which are well made, not to mention the presence of big names of the Japanese dub that enact the eccentric characters. Unfortunately the performance on Switch hinders a lot of the game potential and many issues in the hybrid console port compromise the experience. As such, if possible, the PC or PlayStation versions may be better unless portability is a decisive factor in the choice.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review