Koei Tecmo claims that there are over a hundred Mitama to find in Toukiden collecting them all takes quite some time. Healing Mitama, well, heal, and defensive Mitama make it easier to withstand a beating. Attack Mitama, for example, give players powers that hurt their foes, while support Mitama provide buffs that strengthen the whole team. Equipping different Mitama gives players different bonuses, while the type of Mitama determines the special abilities players can use during combat. Players can also enlist the aid of Mitama, the spirits of Japanese warriors killed by Oni. Because the controls are similar, it's easy to get the hang of every weapon, while the different end results mean there are a lot of combat techniques for players to master.
Every weapon has its own combos, which can be discovered by chaining together light and heavy attacks, and no two weapons have exactly the same moves.įor example, holding down the strong attack button while wielding dual swords causes the player's character to lunge forward doing the same thing with a naginata, a long-bladed sphere, performs a jumping uppercut that can be leveraged into a series of aerial attacks. However, just because weapons control the same way, doesn't mean that they're identical. Every weapon has the same controls: a set of light and heavy attacks, a defensive move, and a special move that consumes a chunk of the player's stamina meter. Toukiden gives players access to a huge arsenal, with weapons ranging from basic swords to a kusarigama (a sickle on a chain) to pairs of giant gloves that let players literally punch enemies to death. The only thing that's more fun than fighting a new type of Oni is mastering all of Toukiden: Kiwami's weapons.
These are monsters, after all, and they sure look like 'em. The giant Oni are just as grotesque as they are huge, and when an Oni finally falls, it's incredibly satisfying. When fighting big Oni, players must hack off its limbs to expose weak spots, while memorizing its attack patterns and dodging when appropriate. Players will face two types of Oni: the regular kind, who travel in packs and can be dispatched with a couple of swings of a Slayer's weapon, and "giant Oni," which are huge boss-like monsters that require time and effort to bring down. There are a few different types of missions - sometimes, Slayers have to hunt a specific type of Oni, while other times they just have to clear all the enemies from an area - but they all boil down to the same thing: just kill everything. Like Monster Hunter, Toukiden follows a very specific pattern: players kill Oni and harvest their body parts, take the spoils back to town, use the loot to build stronger weapons and armor, and then take that gear onto the battlefield to hunt stronger monsters. That's a formidabale task, and thankfully, players won't have to go at it alone: up to three other party members (either real people via the PlayStation Network or computer-controlled sidekicks) can join the Slayer on his (or her) hunts.Īnd the hunts are what Toukiden is all about.
In Toukiden, players assume the role of a Slayer, a soldier who protects Japan from Oni, evil spirits who prowl the land and prey on the innocent. It helps that, while derivative, Toukiden: Kiwami is also pretty fun. After all, Capcom's popular beast-hunting franchise has yet to make its way to the PlayStation 4, and in the absence of the original, a well-intentioned imitation is more than welcome. Let's get this out of the way first: Toukiden: Kiwami is an awful lot like Monster Hunter, and there's nothing wrong with that.