Mononoke Slashdown | Simple Yet Complex Hack & Slash Ninja Action

FK Digital's "Mononoke Slashdown" is a game with a plot somewhat lost in translation. Through roughly translated English text, and an equally confusing intro we find that Kagemaru is our ninja hero, and that he's out to end some evil. That evil comes in the form of Mononoke, or demons. Through several chapters filled with several stages each Kagemaru is designated to take out the demonic armies with a sword, kunai, and a certain set of skills. It is through ninja like reflexes, and the tools of the trade that Kagemaru will either prevail or fail the challenges at hand. Given your guidance or lack thereof.

As Kagemaru you will face mobs of different enemy types that will test your ability to meet set challenges while finishing off all the foes of a given chapter. At your disposal is a trusty sword, a kunai for ranged attack, and skills tied to scrolls that will make how you maneuver just as important as the spammed combos, and projectiles you dish out. As you play through each stage within each named chapter you will find the base level completion requirement along with a bonus challenge to be fulfilled for extra coin. Coin that can be spent at the chapter menu shop to buy better equipment, scrolls, and treasures that will help you be better fit for the fights that lie ahead. Your equipment comes in the form of a katana, kunai, scrolls, treasures that add bonus perks, three pieces of armor, and scrolls that add special moves that incorporate the DPad or left thumbstick movements as well as face button presses. Equipment that can be swapped out at the chapter menu through an equipment menu listing.

The goal in each stage, minus the last boss stage at the end of the line, is to masterfully clear out the mobs of spawning demons with your weapons, and special moves. This includes minding your health, the time, and your method of attack. You have a health bar to mind as well as limited kunai to throw, and a special gauge that will allow you to perform a screen clearing attack when filled via combo attacks. As you deal damage without being hit the combo count will go up as will your gauge. This will effect your end score, and rewards along with the time completed, and other variables thrown in with the bonus challenges provided. It goes without saying that enemy clearing is the end goal above all else. Downed enemies will sometimes drop health items, and kunai refills as you fight on making survival more possible while also making it possible to make the most of your weapons and abilities as you build up your gauge to deliver the big attack. The stages you'll face are static in nature, and are limited to a small screen sized location. Making the fight to stay alive wholly dependent on how well you perform in the crowded situation.

The enemies you encounter in each stage, and final boss fight change according to chapter theme, but follow a similar pattern of types. You'll face mounted demons, creatures of varying sorts, weapon bearing foot soldiers, ranged attackers, and enemies that will require jump attacks to defeat. All enemies including the boss require a certain method of attack to deal with. The bosses themselves are usually big in size compared to the lesser enemies, and have their own set of moves, and attacks that must be read in order to avoid. There are several chapters to fight through as you face these demons, and several different bosses to boot. Each of which you can take on in easy or normal mode. Easy mode affords you health regen, and several abilities from the start while playing on normal affords you the opportunity to unlock the bonus modes through mode completion. As far as content goes the game itself is very short lived, and harbors some replay value in the sense that you have other modes to unlock.

Visually the game is a 2D anime inspired game that is both colorful, and flashy in a cartoonish sort of way. It has an Asian theme about it with Asian aesthetics. Even the soundtrack harbors an Asian inspiration. The enemies, and characters in the game have a sort of dwarfed look to them, and are miniaturized in scale. There's also special effects added to the attack animations, and skill animations that will pop-up making it seem more mechanics inclusive as you go about doing what you do. To me the game seems mildly inspired by "Muramasa The Demon Blades", but only slightly so.

The Verdict ...

For the lower cost budget priced game it is it's not a bad game. The combat is fun, and flashy, but does kind of wear out it's welcome a few stages into each chapter. Where the game really shines is in the boss battles, and unfortunately there's only a handful of those to fight against. I can't help, but feel that this game would have been much better with some extra content, and features. If it had been more along the lines of Muramasa, and not incorporated stages with boundaries it could have been so much more. As is though it's not horribly bad, and it's not fantastically good. That being said I'd give it a pass for the pricing, and for what you get. Just don't expect something big.