Devil Slayer - Raksasi | PS4 Review

Devil Slayer Raksasi is one of those surprise hits console players will have likely never seen coming. I personally never heard of it until my go to sources mentioned it was releasing this week. It was previously released on Steam, but has now been ported to both the Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 consoles. What the game is, is a blend of Dark Souls style combat, The Binding of Isaac dungeon crawling, and Asian mythology with lore that unfolds in a similar fashion as to Soulsborne titles. It sees you taking on the role of several different characters that are continuously reincarnated to take on the Keybearer. Each character wields their own unique weapon making them more akin to classes, and also has a unique back story that ties in with their place in the historical timeline presented in the tale. 

The adventure begins with a slightly animated comic book style recollection of events leading to the death of Byleth. The first character you will be controlling as you try to best the bosses, and minions that stand between you and the Keybearer. Guided by a witch, and supported by a host of several different vendors you are tasked with traversing the trials, and randomized rooms that are occupied by formidable foes and fiends. Armed with a weapon, a skill, and the ability to teleport to rooms previously mentioned you must beat the odds, and show those that have reincarnated you that you are indeed the chosen one.

Characters that you play as each have a different starter weapon with two attack options. A lighter attack, and a stronger chargeable attack that doubles as a guard and parry. That and a dodge option that doubles as a sprinting option when held down. Both of which are tied to a stamina meter that refills when not in use. Along with this each character has a special skill that uses a MP meter to activate. These skills include things like life leech, and rage among other things. Enhancing the characters' otherwise more standard combat capabilities. Also in their toolkit is a teleport option for moving more quickly through the dungeons as well as an item that can be set to a quick select button for ease of use.

As you go from room to room the end goal is to ultimately clear the enemies therein to gain access to the adjacent rooms, and finally an end boss. The rooms are setup very much like the Binding of Isaac in that they include locked rooms with special items, and various vendor opportunities. That and a boss fight located somewhere on a gridded map that is displayed with key details at the top of the screen. Killing the lesser enemies will sometimes reward you with smaller chests that contain various currencies, keys, relics, and items. Using these collected items, and relics will improve your chances of survival, and sometimes gift you resurrections for another go at a more difficult area. Weapons can also be exchanged in certain special rooms for a stronger weapon with tacked on abilities. Further enhanced for dark gold by the resident blacksmith.

Along the way, and in each playthrough, you'll be collecting the souls of the creatures, devils, and armed men who stand in your way. You'll also be finding journal entries with lore, and helpful hints. After completing one stage out of the several stage affair you will visit a collective of in between vendors that offer special services in exchange for the collected souls, and currencies. This includes familiars that act as support as well as new skills, and special relics. Upon death in any playthrough you will be reincarnated at the local hub area where you can choose which character you play as, as well as visit vendors that offer training opportunities, an all inclusive bestiary of in-game features, and even a vendor that will change the difficulty setting for you. In the way of difficulties you have an easy mode with advantages or debuffs, and a normal difficulty without that help. Outside of that there also exists a Free mode where cheats are available to make your playthrough more casual. Of course it comes with it's downsides in that some features are inaccessible there.

The Presentation ...

Visually 'Devil Slayer - Raksasi' is a fully top down experience accented by portraits of characters in dialogue boxes, and environments with an Asian flair. There's plenty of blood effects, and other visual enhancements included within the combat heavy adventure that tie in with the variety of ailments enemies, and the protagonist can inflict upon each other. The color palette is what your expect from such a mythological tale, and the characters and creatures all equally as lively, and detailed as the world they find themselves in. In the way of sound the gameplay is accented by music fitting of the feudal era that the game encompasses with a modern touch. It is an overall pleasant combination that makes the grueling playthroughs much more enjoyable.

The Verdict ...

As I said early on this is a surprise hit. It mashes together seamlessly two types of game experiences that are a hit among gaming fans. It is mostly a Binding of Isaac inspired roguelike with Soulsborne-like combat and lore added in for good measure. The combination of genres works well together, and offers the gamer a proper challenge with a truly engaging experience. I found nothing wrong with it during my playthrough, and was not off put by the difficulty of the normal setting. Each time I died I wanted to immediately get back into it, and give it another go. It is really that good. All things considered 'Devil Slayer - Raksasi' gets an enthusiastic recommendation from yours truly!!! Don't miss out on this surprise hit!!!