see enemies, attack enemies....rinse and repeat, over and over and over...
You know how it goes, well how it seems to go in some Japanese Manga/Anime tales, two friends, (in this case female) pal up, learn all sorts of cool martial arts skills and how to handle a sword.
All is fine until one of them gets their hands on a possessed blade, relishes the power it gives her and over time, corrupts her.
So with a tear in her eye and a wish (albeit a forlorn one) that maybe, just maybe, they can settle their differences peacefully....yeah you know that ain't gonna work now don't you?
Mitsurugi is the heroine and the villain of the peace, Suzuka is her former friend. Over 5 stages, she will challenge you herself or with a boss fight, but not after she has sent wave after wave of minions (and we are not talking cute little one eyed, yellow ones either) to make your job difficult and just to make life hellish to say the least.
Fortunately our schoolgirl uniform clad heroine is pretty handy with a blade and with her fists and feet (what is it with the Japanese and heroines in school uniform anyway?) and dutifully goes about the task of knocking seventeen shades of you know what out of these enemies. You'll soon be stringing together multi hit combos, despatching foes and generally earning tokens to upgrade attacks, defence and techniques and in time, add to the costume and unlock other items.
Does all this sound pretty basic? Yes it does and it is. Is it fun? Well....
Farming time.
When you hear about gamers 'farming' a zone you know what they mean. Battle in one area, retreat and come back too it later to amass more money etc etc. Well it feels like you are doing just that but that's because to be frank, there is so little variety in the gameplay across the levels that that is exactly what I felt like I was doing.
I felt that I wasn't only just farming the level though, but farming the entire game. Even if you die, you can spend money you have earned and then hit the continue option on the screen, and try and try and clear the level again. Now that sounds pretty fair and I suppose it is, but then all of a sudden you'll meet a boss and if you are not to busy trying to dodge attacks, you may well be struggling to get an attack in that actually does some damage. The prime example is the fourth boss in. After beating your former friend for the first time, you are suddenly confronted by this hulking brute, who wields two impossibly sized blades and to say he is hard to hit and presents a steep learning curve is an understatement!
Be Thankful...
That this game is relatively short. 5 levels is all you get and to be honest it's about all this reviewer could or would want to take of this. It may well appeal to some of you out there, and if it does, go ahead, get it and enjoy it for what it is.
In my opinion this is a hack and slasher in the Devil May Cry or Bayonetta style but isn't anywhere near as well presented or as much fun.
The action comes thick and fast....
But so too does the frustration level and I'll be honest again (we know, the truth can hurt but heck if we are not honest about the games we review then we are not doing anyone any favours) the boredom. Wave after wave of enemies that you kick, slash and hack to small pieces until the cows come home and leave to be milked and come back again, does not, a fun experience make.
True you are not forced into a static arena. You can move about the stages in any direction you want and their is an invisible wall to stop you or your enemies from falling off the edge of the arena.
That's a shame to be honest, the thought that you could juggle an opponent into the air and then over the edge into the abyss kind of appeals.
So whilst you have the ability to run around completely at will is OK, the lack of ANY kind of target lock soon becomes a major pain in the a -sorry posterior. And then there's the hack and slash, kill enemies, dodge or block and then rinse and repeat....it's like playing a horde mode in a shooter like Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare but nowhere near as much fun or as well executed.
Music
Generic rock music performed by generic soft metal band number whatever. Suits the game but does not linger in the memory.
Physics.
Probably the best feature of the game, enemies react to being juggled quite well but seriously they are nothing outstanding but sadly are one of it's selling points.....
Controls
Mash button X 4 times, hit Y a couple of times and maybe a shoulder button and you will find you can perform a pretty devastating combo. Yes it is easy to learn combos, and the controls are responsive so that's another plus in it's favour.
Tactics
The tactical side is perhaps the most interesting. Attacking with a blade empties the sword gauge, so hitting things with your fists or feet refills it. So you will have to work out the timing of sword attacks, punches and when it's best to dodge and block. Fortunately you will know when to go for the kill as enemies becomes frozen in place, spurting virtual blood for a few seconds, so get in there and finish them off but watch out for flanking or rear attacks.
Summary
It's action packed granted, but it's lack of dept will soon become apparent. Usually when we review titles we try and delve pretty deep into a game, or as was the case for Layers of Evil maybe try and complete at least one go through it from start to end. I'll be honest, I didn't get that far into this and I didn't want to go any further.
Recommended for those of you who like this kind of thing, but if you want an action packed game that is more visually striking, more engaging and well to be honest more fun, then you'll need to look elsewhere.
I'll end by saying thank you to X Box for sending the code, even though, sadly, this wasn't to my own individual taste. Someone out there will like and even enjoy this title, and if you do then good on you.