When you start a mission, you’ll see a purple cloud marking your first battle point. This map format does lead to one minor complaint, however missions can sometimes feel repetitive, with the game’s only variety being found in the yokai that appear during battles. Once everything in a section is completed it will turn gold on your map with a red “Complete!” stamp, letting you know there’s nothing left to find. Each map is divided into sections, with each section featuring a certain number of battles to fight and treasure to find. You’ll have the opportunity to take in the sights, too, as the game encourages checking every nook and cranny for items and loot.
Each area jumps off the screen with color and beauty, and even darker stages feature personality, with blue waves crashing in the background or swelling dark clouds blocking your path in the distance. World of Demons looks wonderful, with every stage looking like it was taken straight from a ukiyo-e wood print (most reminiscent of a game like Okami). This works to a point, but the camera is easily the most frustrating part of what is otherwise a solid game. An auto-targeting system tries to counter this by zeroing in whichever enemy you’re attacking. This makes the camera awkward and confusing both in and out of battle. The problem with this is the camera half of the screen is obstructed by the rest of the touch controls, giving you only half the amount of screen for camera movement that you have for moving Onimaru. The left half of the screen controls character movement, while the right controls camera movement. As World of Demons uses a touchscreen control scheme, character movement and camera movement are assigned to the screen itself. It’s not a perfect translation however, as I found one major annoyance during my run with the game: the camera. It’s fast and it’s frantic, but most importantly, it’s a lot of fun, emulating that signature Platinum Games style impressively well. Boss fights in particular require this approach, as you need to gauge when you can switch from quick sword strikes to the more powerful blows while also using yokai to inflict more damage. Mixing Onimaru’s sword attacks in with the supporting yokai gives you plenty of options in combat, encouraging strategizing before every enemy. You’ll never know which yokai you’ll encounter in a mission, but the rock-paper-scissors element mitigates any detriments caused by that instability. Paying attention to each enemy’s health bar and attacking with corresponding yokai adds a layer of complexity to each battle that feels natural and fun, making the yokai more than just glorified summons. Other yokai defeated during the chapter are added to a “deck” and disappear after one use.Īllowing you to have two yokai you can always depend on, while also adding more throughout a mission, creates a dynamic battle system that really shines. Defeating a yokai adds it to your collection, and before each chapter you’ll be able to equip two yokai for the following mission. Each yokai is assigned a color (red, blue, or green), with each color having strengths and weaknesses over the other in a rock-paper-scissors system. The yokai Onimaru battle comes in all shapes and sizes, from small bean farmers to massive pink blobs, each with its own attack abilities. Holding down the button will slow attacks down, making strikes more powerful but making you vulnerable to enemy counterattacks. Consecutive presses on the attack button will result in stylish combos, with better rewards given for higher combos at the end of a skirmish. Onimaru himself controls exactly like a Platinum Games protagonist, deftly running around stages while slashing with his massive katana. Our hero is building an army of his own, however, as every enemy he defeats will join him in the fight against the game’s main antagonist, the demon king Shuten Doji. World of Demons follows Onimaru, a lone samurai fighting against an army of vicious demons called yokai.
There are some issues lying underneath–mostly in the camera system–but those problems aren’t enough to derail this otherwise solid action experience. That successful Platinum formula translates well to iOS devices, with simple touch controls and quick action that looks and feels great on the smaller screen. World of Demons brings that signature style to Apple Arcade, giving you control of a samurai named Onimaru and thrusting you into, well, a world of demons. Developer Platinum Games’ style is instantly recognizable–flashy, fast-paced action that oozes with personality and flair.
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