We analyze the conversion for consoles of this title of metroidvania cut located in a future post apocalyptic and with a female, Hisako, of protagonist
There have been many doujin titles, a term applied to games made by small studios and fans of manganime in Japan, which in recent years have been overcoming the PC barrier to make the leap to consoles, being a clear example from this the Touhou series whose recent titles such as the cases of Gensou Rondo, Touhou Kabuto V or Azure Reflections, based on the characters of the popular Team Shanghai Alice series and with different game proposals, being the first two fighting games and the last one is a shoot'em up side scrolling.
Today comes the conversion for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch of the first work of Studio Nanafushi, Dead or School, a metroidvania cut title with touches of RPG in which the player will take its protagonist, Hisako, throughout several phases in the than fighting various types of enemies and bosses in a setting set in post-apocalyptic Japan.
The story of the game begins with a retrospective in which a mysterious virus has infected the population of Japan, turning many of its inhabitants into mutants. The humans decided to fight to face this threat by fighting against them using all the resources at their disposal, but they failed. To avoid annihilation, they decided to confine themselves to the depths of the earth, creating fortified areas where humans could continue their lives far from the threats that besieged the surface. 78 years have passed since then and the new generations of young people begin to yearn to see the outside world. Among these is Hisako, a young woman with red hair who, after saving her fellow refugees from a mutant ambush, decides to find a way to get out into the outside world. Supported by her grandmother, who gives her a school uniform, she will begin her journey that will take her to help different characters that will help her fulfill her goal, rescuing survivors and facing different creatures in hopes of giving freedom back to the human race, discovering in his path the reasons for the situation that led to the conflict.
The game is developed through several phases, each one related to a Tokyo metro stop, in which Hisako must explore the map to meet the objectives that will allow him to advance in the story, having to make his way through Hordes of different types of enemies that range from simple mutants to others with elemental qualities or high speed and other types of abominations while facing large bosses and power at the end of each level. In between you can investigate different points of interest that will mark both survivors to rescue, memories of the ancient world or hidden chests that will provide both money and additional materials and even higher level weapons.
Hisako will be able to equip three different types of weapons to fight, being able to change between them by pressing the buttons on the digital crosshead or alternating them with the L1 and R1 buttons. Firstly, there are the edged weapons that cover different types of swords, broadswords, axes and other edged weapons, which will vary in offensive power and whose main defect is in their wear, which when reaching zero will allow to continue using them but with a very reduced effectiveness. Next are the firearms, which include from machine guns to precision rifles, shotguns and several others that depend mainly on the ammunition they allow to carry, in addition to needing a reload time after emptying the magazine. Finally there are the launchers that include weapons that allow launching missiles or grenades and whose attack power is much higher but at the cost of very reduced ammunition and also needing a reload time for each unit. Throughout the game you can get weapons through the option to buy in the save menu, which offers the purchase of both these and accessories to equip but alternate products from time to time, defeating enemies or opening boxes, some of them may include parameter or skill enhancement skills that will make combat easier.
Through the Customize option in the save menu, reinforcement materials can be used, in exchange for a sum of game money, to improve the attack power of the weapons and their level, which can reach a maximum of ten. Modification materials can also be used to apply certain active abilities to the weapon that have certain advantages in combat, such as improving attack power, critics or invoking a combat drone as support. Both types of materials are obtained in combat from both enemies and chests. The accessories for each weapon can also be equipped in this menu, each carrying a maximum of two, and which will affect aspects such as attack power, ammunition (for firearms), durability (for cutting weapons), Health, Critical, Stamina and Speed, each being of a different level, affecting a specific quality, such as reload speed or increasing luck to find rare enemies, while also adding active skills when equipping them. In this regard, it is also worth noting taking into account the total weight that Hisako can carry, since the weapons and their respective accessories will have a certain weight that, if they exceed the maximum, will prevent attacks until the level is reduced.
When fighting Hisako he will be able to use the weaponry by pressing the triggers R2, for normal attacks, and L2, for powerful attacks, in turn spending part of the energy bar in the process, which reaching zero will prevent using movements attack until it recharges over time. For firearms and launchers it will be aimed through a reticle with a trajectory line, which can be deactivated in the options menu, and which is controlled with the right stick of the command, being able to aim in motion or in static posture, even having the option to aim lowered for greater precision. The options include as an alternative in this aspect the power to memorize the last aiming position is included to facilitate shooting. Other additional movements of Hisako include the sprinting power, pressing L1, and the dodge, with the circle button, the latter being of special importance since when performing this movement while an enemy makes a special attack, a moment of time slowdown can be activated , or bullet time, which will leave enemies at the mercy of attacks.
Another important aspect is the option of the skill tree, Skill Tree in the game. Through the battles Hisako will gain experience that will allow him to level up and improve his parameters, which include the level of life, energy bar, total weight, etc., while earning skill points and investing in this option. In total there will be three trees available each one referring to a specific type of weapon with different abilities with one or more boxes to mark. These skills range from obtaining new movements to improving Hisako's combat capabilities and parameters, achieving with each point spent improving his combat performance or his percentage of effectiveness. Finally, by maximizing certain skills, new ones can be unlocked.
Each phase is made up of different rooms that will have to be explored following the map that will be available in the upper right part of the screen, which marks both the accesses to each room and the main objectives, demarcated with an exclamation icon, or the points of saved among others. Apart from fighting against different mutations and other beings that will make an appearance on a recurring basis, Hisako will have to advance using his skills ranging from jumping platforms, running at high speed to avoid obstacles or even having to defeat hordes of enemies to to be able to unblock the passage to a key. It should be noted that in the search for souvenirs and survivors it will offer a different style since sometimes it will be necessary to overcome some small puzzle-style phases or others that will require some skill to maneuver Hisako in different challenges, including some curious point such as overcoming several battles in an arcade fighting game. Finally, if Hisako is defeated in a phase, the finished game screen will appear but you will be able to fight again starting from the initial save point, where you can use the option to teleport to any of the other points you have unlocked, but losing part of the total money earned.
At the end of each phase, the plot will continue through novel visual cut sequences after which the control will control Hisako on the train with which he will be able to move through the different phases of the game. Here you will have access to speak with the rescued characters throughout the game, be able to see the souvenirs found, speak with Yurika to reset the skill tree or save the game, as well as access the map to return to the previous phases or directly continue the match. The option to fight in the virtual reality simulator is also offered to be able to face the bosses again in different battles, some of which will allow you to obtain additional rewards, such as skill points, increased life points or money, among others.
In the playable aspect it can be said that the title is simply entertaining. Its combat system is simple but effective, standing out for the possibility of alternating weapons in the middle of combat to face different situations and varied enemies, including different types of mutants, monsters and various bosses. At certain times it can be somewhat tedious that when advancing there are combats in several stages, demarcated by bars that delimit the number of enemies to defeat to overcome them, but it is compensated in the long run with a varied development through the parts of the phases of platforming and other challenges along the Hisako path. Each phase offers different designs and styles, some of them including some real places like the Nippon Budokan, with a different name, or the streets of Akihabara, although with devastated and abandoned designs. Regarding the plot, it can be said that it is the typical story that would be read in a manga series without too many pretensions.
As for graphics, the style of the game mixes 3D scenarios together with some models of the same type for some monsters and bosses with others of 2D cut of puppet style, such as Hisako and some enemy mutants. The designs presented by each part are showy, although perhaps the 3D modeling and locations are small enough. On the other hand, the game develops conversational sequences of novel visual style with illustrations of characters with different expressions depending on the occasion.
Regarding the sound section, the game has a soundtrack with pieces of different styles, from themes with rocky touches to others of a more techno style and some that exudes a certain epic air. In general, they do not stand out in excess, but there are some of them that are interesting to hear during the game. The dubbing of the game barely includes a few voices at the beginning of the game that are later reduced to Hisako's expressions during the game for certain moments such as reloading the weapon or taking damage, all of them in Japanese language.
CONCLUSION
Dead or School does not present an outstanding technical section or a gameplay that breaks the mold, but in practice it is a title that more than fulfills its purpose of offering an entertaining proposal in the genre of the metroidvania. Its combat system is effective both for the possibilities presented by each weapon and its combination with Hisako's movements to exploit the weak points of the enemies, while the inclusion of parts of platform and others that require combining skills offer something variety, although its plot is generic and without much interest in development. Among its flaws is the language of the texts and that at certain times it can be somewhat repetitive when moving forward.
THE BEST
- The combat system and the options provided by switching between the three types of weapons at all times.
- The development offers platforming and skill parts that bring a point of variety.
WORST
- Texts only in English.
- It can become repetitive at certain times.
Well
It meets the expectations of what is a good game, it has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it lacks elements that could have taken it to higher levels.
