Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Nintendo Switch Review

Yurukill: The Calumniation Video games is the brand new loopy mashup recreation of the shoot ’em up, visible novel, and puzzle-solving genres that takes inspiration from video games just like the Zero Escape and Danganronpa sequence, and like these video games, it additionally options an enchanting premise. 

An Unfair Verdict

The sport introduces gamers to eleven characters who’re cut up into two teams. The Prisoners primarily comprise actual prisoners who’ve allegedly been accused of crimes they didn’t commit. The executioners are abnormal people who function overseers to their companion prisoners and might kill them each time they want. Each teams making 5 groups are taken to the mysterious Yurukill Land to compete within the Yurukill Video games, a mix of harmful puzzles and a literal shoot ’em up recreation, the place the profitable workforce may have the prisoner granted amnesty, and the Executioner is granted no matter want they select.

A Good Hook

Proper off the bat, the sport succeeds at making a robust impression on the participant via its attention-grabbing idea that’s executed nicely for a lot of the recreation. The story additionally surprisingly tackles intense however necessary themes such because the affect of false accusations and the way it destroys lives, in addition to, oddly sufficient, highlighting Japan’s considerably flawed judicial system that has an over 90 % imprisonment price after being charged. The sport additionally sports activities a number of attention-grabbing and peculiar mysteries so nicely that it’ll depart the participant pushing via to the top to unravel all of them. The narrative can be enormously supported by the endearing solid of characters, who’ve distinct personalities that, whereas nonetheless admittedly tropey, stand out and produce a great little bit of depth and leisure to the sport. 

The one challenge I had with the plot, nevertheless, is that whereas it builds itself to be a grim and lifelike portrayal of real-life occasions (so far as it could possibly with the style, that’s), it nonetheless felt prefer it pulled its punches at particular moments. Which felt prefer it defeated among the factors it was making an attempt to make  within the first place. Moreover, whereas we’re informed the Yurukill Video games is a contest, this side of the plot will get shortly disregarded initially and isn’t defined as the main focus is as a substitute given to the characters and their tales.

Visuals & Gameplay

A really noticeable side of the sport is its intensely vibrant and colourful aesthetic and detailed fashions. Each character that pops up on display screen has a vibrant and colourful body on their character fashions akin to Christmas lights. As well as, the character fashions have an uncanny mix of anime and lifelike stylings. Whereas I initially discovered these visible parts to be a bit odd, they admittedly add to the sport’s distinctive aesthetic.  

By way of gameplay, the sport is cut up between two distinct classes blended with its visible novel parts. The primary is the homicide thriller puzzle-solving part which duties gamers to seek out clues littered round every of Yurukill’s “points of interest” in an effort to progress to the top. The second is the shoot ’em up part, which happens after fixing the attraction’s puzzles and clearing a trial-like Q&A piece (that’s not really necessary). The sport’s puzzles are participating and artistic, and whereas some are a head-scratcher, most are a bit too simple, particularly with the three clues you get with every puzzle all the time glowing in your face with no penalty for utilizing them. The problem sections lie within the shoot ’em up components, which relying in your chosen problem choice, and what number of questions you’ve answered proper (which supplies you additional lives), generally is a breeze or be actually difficult. Nonetheless, the gameplay the shoot ’em up components present is satisfying and dynamic, albeit a bit dramatic.

Closing Ideas

Nonetheless, the sport has a number of gameplay negatives you possibly can’t ignore. The primary is that regardless of having a number of impactful and dramatic scenes, these scenes not often have any visible illustration, which makes them really feel flatter than they need to have. Moreover, there are bizarre load instances when mentioning the dialogue log the place they’re in any other case absent. Lastly, the sport has no skip button, which is mainly a criminal offense for any visible novel, which makes enjoying via the sport a slog when exploring a number of choices and dialogue decisions.

Total, whereas there are a number of underwhelming facets in Yurukill: The Calumniation Video games, the homicide thriller character-driven narrative is executed exceedingly nicely for essentially the most half, and the puzzles and shoot ’em-up gameplay is an thrilling mashup. 

Are you a fan of visible novels? DO you take pleasure in homicide? Let BagoGames know your ideas within the feedback part under