Mahokenshi Reviews
Mahokenshi is a fun deck-building tactics game that prioritises smart gameplay. Coming up with winning strategies and experimenting on the battlefield is enjoyable, and finding card synergies gives you a real feeling of accomplishment. Great care was taken with the visuals and audio to deliver an experience that really immerses you in the welfare of the Celestial Islands. Unfortunately, the characters aren't properly balanced and there's a clear favourite in terms of strategy, with not enough in-built incentives to explore the other characters. But if you are alright with a short adventure and are willing to complete every objective you see, you will have a good time with Mahokenshi while it lasts.
If you found Slay the Spire's oppressiveness off-putting, Mahokenshi's easier and dressed up in a pretty kimono.
Mahokenshi has some good moments of spontaneous creativity, but this Japanese mythology-themed deckbuilder is more gruelling than it is great.
Mahokenshi adding a movement element to the deck-building genre is a stroke of brilliance that’s only matched by the clever way its mission structure requires you to constantly adapt your playstyle. It’s just a pity that the experience ends so quickly because it’s one that I definitely want to have more of.
Mahokenshi will test every logical and strategic bone in your body. A mix of deck builders and board games, Mahokenshi pushes the player to try different strategies, and the game is not shy about smacking down your pitiful attempts until you get it right. Come prepared for a unique experience, and put on your toughest armor, and you may get hours of enjoyment from this one. Just don't take it personally when you find yourself face down in the mud.
Mahokenshi challenges both newcomers and seasoned players alike.
While Mahokenshi definitely reminds me of Castle Morihisa, its pacing and balance is a bit better than that unfortunate adventure. Keep in mind this is very much still a challenging and sometimes brutal game, and you’ll have to grind quite a bit to get through every mission. That said, it’s a game with a creative premise, attractive artwork, and many ways to strategize. If you’re at all a fan of deckbuilders and don’t mind some occasional difficulty spikes, I’d definitely check Mahokenshi out.
Mahokenshi has no “endless” mode or anything of the like, and completing each mission and related side objective grants the game a decided and achievable end-state. One would expect that, with good sales, additional quests and modes (and mods) may eventually be added, all of which would inject some more needed bang for its buck. As it stands, Mahokenshi is still a great, session-based deckbuilder, and worth wading through its few snags.
Mahokenshi is a surprisingly good adventure strategy deck builder. The gameplay systems are simple and easy to understand, yet still provide a significant amount of challenge. The narrative is a bit of a disappointment, providing you with merely a very short blurb before throwing you into each level. However, this can largely be overlooked, because the gameplay is honestly quite addictive at times. The board game style level design is really charming, and works perfectly for Mahokenshi. Overall, it is a good game that is worth giving a go, even for just a few hours.
A beautiful, stylized world that really hits on the mythology and hooks you in.
Mahokenshi has a cool concept and plenty of high moments. It lacks that special something to separate a good deck builder from a great deck builder. It's too slow, too repetitive, and a touch too easy. Even taking that into account, you'll still get hours of gameplay out of the loop, and if that works for you, it's easy to see it becoming a niche favorite. With the deck builder market so crowded, Mahokenshi doesn't stand out as much as it should, but it's still a well-made game.
Mahokenshi offers well executed tactical card battles, but it's a bit of a shame that the game is a bit light on content and only offers one campaign.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
While I wouldn’t use the word “perfect,” Mahokenshi offered a truly fun experience that far exceeded any expectations I could have had. It has restored my faith that there is room for innovation in its genre. This game is fun, not too easy or too hard (nor too long or too short), offers a compelling world for its gameplay, and overall is something I feel quite comfortable recommending to anyone and everyone who likes mixing cards with video games, but it also has potential for people outside of this genre as well. Check it out!
A game structured by collecting the major features of popular genres such as TRPG and deck buildings. While each stage is a little bit too long and the deck building feature has a room for development, the game offers a unique experience that is differentiated in similar genres.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Mahokenshi is an innovative mix of genres - deckbuilding, X4 and RPG - which offers a good challenge and several hours of fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, Mahokenshi is a great deck building strategy game with easy to grasp gameplay, decent enough plot and beautiful artworks. The cards are varied enough to keep the ball rolling―the more time you spend on the map, the more powerful cards you get with challenging enemies. I would see, Mahokenshi might be a good stress inducer rather than a buster, as you’ll have to think carefully at every step. That said, prepare to die a lot!
It's an uncomfortable and paradoxical feeling, in my case (I like that it's a closed game, but I'd also like it to be infinite), but I have a feeling it's also a good sign: I won't be uninstalling Slay the Spire, that's for sure, but I can imagine playing Mahokenshi until Steam's hour counter reaches three figures as soon as the context is right.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Mahokenshi is a fun game. It contains a healthy amount of tabletop strategy, an addictive deck-building component, and a dash of RPG elements to keep some motivation going. Its gameplay is challenging and brutal at times but in the end, it works more than it doesn’t.
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.