Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review “Guilty…or innocent?”

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“Guilty…or innocent?”

Game Info:

• System: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC
• Publisher: Nippon Ichi Software
• Developer: IzanagiGames, G.rev Ltd, ESQUADRA Inc
• Release Date: July 8th, 2022

• Price:$39.99
• Rating:T for Teen
• Genre: Visual Novel, Shoot ‘em up
• Players:1
• Official Website: https://yurukill.com/en/

There are times where some games can’t be defined as easily as Call of Duty or Final Fantasy Online. Some games out there have an identity crisis and that isn’t always a detriment. When a game tries to be multiple genres, it can fail miserably as they either don’t pull off one or more of the genres successfully. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is the latest title to undertake a multitude of genres and…for the most part, it works quite well. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games, written by Homura Kawamoto known for Kakegurui, is a one-part visual novel and one-part shoot ‘em up/bullet hell and while that may sound extremely strange on paper, we here at Honey’s Anime are here to tell you these genres work surprisingly well. Here’s why you should be thinking of undertaking the Yurukill world in our full review of Yurukill: The Calumniation Games for the Nintendo Switch!

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Danganronpa, Phoenix Wright, and Ikaruga?!?!

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a rather bizarre game. Players assume the role of prisoners and executioners. The prisoners are various people who have been thrown in jail under what they claim are false pretenses. Meanwhile, the executioners are those who have been wronged by the prisoners’ actions and thus, have a reason to hate them. Players assume these various characters in the world of Yurukill Land, a strange amusement park that feels like it was ripped from the world of Danganronpa. You’ll have to go through various “amusement park” rides which are where the visual novel/Phoenix Wright elements come into play. You’ll have to solve various puzzles, investigate rooms and sometimes avoid a quick death from your executioner by convincing them not to kill you. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games blends these elements quite well to tell a really dark but interesting narrative, but there’s another element that makes this game extremely special and quite challenging!

Welcome to Bullet Hell 101

A major genre to Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is the bullet hell/shoot ‘em up gameplay. At certain intervals of the story, players will enter aerial devices where they must have “mind battles” and try to survive death. The executioners aren’t in danger during these segments but the prisoners can die and must avoid obstacles as well as enter various mind-themed battles where players must answer trivia, related to the particular group you’re controlling, to avoid losing lives. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games can be quite challenging during these segments and even on normal you might find yourself having to restart a section. Still, these bullet hell segments are where Yurukill: The Calumniation Games shines as the various arenas both look and sound fantastic!

Kind of Obscure Puzzles

There is one gripe that taunted us consistently during our time with Yurukill: The Calumniation Games. The puzzles in the various rooms can sometimes be EXTREMELY simple and other times head tilting difficult. Luckily, there is an easy info button that can be utilized with no consequence but hitting this button three times basically gives you the answer. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games’ puzzles are quite weird and we really think they could have been tweaked a bit to be more understandable and simpler.

This Prisoner is Better Than the Other

While this isn’t an issue with Yurukill: The Calumniation Games we did notice that in a game filled with various people and having you take control of them, some are just downright more interesting than the others. Main prisoner Sengoku Shunju, convicted of mass murder, is your typical anime-like protagonist as he makes jokes despite his very deadly situation and is someone who is righteous and kind. Meanwhile, twins Futa and Raita Yamada are literal yin and yang entities with Futa being the tough delinquent and Raita embracing the calm but cool smart guy demeanor. Some of these characters’ stories and tales just flow with thought-provoking storytelling while others can fall a bit flat. We won’t spoil the entire cast and their strengths/weaknesses but we do feel some of them just missed the mark to be truly incredible characters.

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Final Thoughts

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a bizarre game that feels like it tries to go for a multitude of gaming genres and hits all of them right on the mark. Yes, the puzzles aren’t the best, and stories can be hit and miss but never did we get bored when diving into the next tale and next piece of bullet hell glory! Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a terrific title that will appeal to many gamers and even if you only like one element over the next, the game does well at keeping all players happy and engaged. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games just released but have you nabbed your copy yet? Comment below if our review has piqued your interest! Keep stuck to our bullet-hell-loving hive here at Honey’s Anime for even more game reviews and all things anime themed!

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