Yurukill: The Calumniation Games | PS4 Review

 Produced in a Shojo, or Otome visual novel art style the criminal cast, and paired executioners of "Yurukill: The Calumniation Games" come to life in the harsh reality of a do or die amusement park ride spectacle meant to either establish innocence for one winner, or deal death to the deceivers. Part puzzle solving, part trial by evidence, and part shoot 'em up simulator this insane collection of character specific short stories culminates in an unfolding maniacal mystery hosted by the eccentric and oddly spoken fox masked Binko. The outcome is ultimately up to the player as they take on the role of 5 teams of supposed culprits accused of the most heinous crimes. Each trying to prove their innocence at the mercy of a joining executioner who has a kill switch tied to the poison needle device placed around each prisoners' neck. Choices will be made that will determine the outcome of the games at hand, and only one prisoner will leave Yurukill Land alive with the chance at freedom via retrial.

Abducted from prison and ferried to Yurukill Land against their will or willingly so, prisoners and victims alike find themselves to be a forced participant in a twisted game of "Who Done It". The prize being freedom for the one person proven innocent among the lot. Beholden to the task by a poison choker controlled by the victim the prisoners must convince, or either persuade the joining executioners/victims to stave off their punishment until they can prove their innocence in a gauntlet of events centered around a mock crime scene related to the criminals' supposed crime. 

Finding clues, and solving puzzles to gain access to gated off rooms is the first task in a series of telling ordeals that must be completed in order to progress. All while the executioner observes, trying to figure out whether or not to kill or buy into the criminals' innocence based on the evidence uncovered. There are twists and turns along the way, and finding out who's telling the truth, and who isn't is part of the fun. Ultimately peaking at a trial turned shmup in which reactions, and answers to questions from the executioner in a series of courtroom-like phases will either spell doom for the accused or acquit them long enough to carry on to the next phase in the Yurukill games.

In total their are five groups of criminals with executioners on the train traveling through amusment park rides on Yurukill Land. They include the Mass Murderers, Death Dealing Duo, Crafty Killers, Sly Stalkers, and Peeping Toms. Some of the groups are disproportionately sized while others are a standard 1 versus 1. Each group, regardless of head count, consists of the supposed criminal and the joining victim whose life they may or may not have impacted. All groups have their turn along the railway ride of Yurukill Land competing in a process of elimination trying to find out who the truly innocent criminal is. There's definitely deception to bare witness to as well as hard to discern verdicts from convincing liars. That and one lucky, and truly innocent participant. Despite all this the victims, at any point, and for any reason can choose to execute their partners. Staving off that desire for revenge is part and partial of the games at hand.

Divided up into two main gameplay focused sections players playing through the main story will have to navigate mock crime scenes on Yurukill Land's main attractions via access from the Yurukill Train. This involves point, and click puzzle solving done in a first person perspective as key characters in their own sub-plots converse between each other. The criminals trying to prove their innocence, and the executioners deciding whether or not to press the kill switch. Once the several room puzzle sleuthing is done players will shift into the trial by shmup phase. It is in this phase that players will play a virtual shmup as the criminals while they shoot down lesser enemy ships, and try to survive the assault of a mech piloted by the executioner. This experience is sectioned off into different trial phases where reaction choices and evidence submittal are required to progress, and prove innocence, or at least postpone the inevitable until later. 

The shmup phase is accessible both in the main story mode, and in the score attack side mode. In the story conversational elements are applied between stage transitions, and will not allow you to continue until you have passed the current trial phase, and simulated boss fight. Evidence, and answers come from the clues discovered in the puzzle solving events. Depending upon the character/s involved proving innocence might be easier or more difficult to do. You will be bombarded by path choices in the simulation dependent upon your reaction to scrutiny, your ability to provide reasonable doubt about your conviction, and your ability to break down barriers of suspicion created both in the shmup simulation, and within the minds of the victims/executioners.

Beyond the main story you will find that as you complete character specific chapters they'll become playable as pilots in the Score Attack Mode. A mode with two different ways to play that forego the storytelling interruptions. This includes Stage Score Attack with individual character specific stages, and All Stages Score Attack which is the entire collection of character inclusive stages made playable in one playthrough. There's also a Practice mode to get comfortable with the mechanics as well as online leaderboards for bragging rights. What you need to know about it all is that the shmup experience is centered around building up OutBurst gauge for targeted homing attacks and bombs. Something that is filled, and made available with the shooting down of ships, and the collection of the green energy fragments they drop. Each ship also has it's own function ratings centered around things like speed, or shot type. There's even a power-up system, a satellite system, and a 1up Binko Fox Mask gimmick wherein you have to spend OutBurst gauge to reveal and collect said 1up. In the way of boss battles you'll encounter various stages of executioner transformation, and the shielding of certain parts that must be destroyed before you can end the run, and reap the benefits of your skills, applied. All in an end tally with multipliers, fox masks collected, and other feats tallied for a grand total.

In the way of extras the OPTIONS menu is house to in-depth character details, and Yurukill files that will be used in your puzzle solving, and trial by shmup events. Other than that you do have language, and text speed options at your beckon call. That, and a save and load feature for picking up where you left off. That and access to the online leaderboard rankings.

The Verdict ...

In the way of storytelling this latest addition to the NISA library of games is very intriguing. It's the kind of story that draws you in, and has you anxious for each new revelation. At the same time I realized through personal time spent with the puzzle sleuthing elements that it was made difficult in such a way as to be off putting. I got the hint that the developer knew this, because they have a three tier hint system. Even with that though the supposedly obvious nature of the answers required is often times still not obvious enough. I struggled early on with some of the puzzles, and I imagine players will be turning to online walkthroughs just to be able to finish story mode. That aside the shmup portion of the game, outside of story mode is brilliantly done. As expected from the onboard shmup developer that was tasked with creating it. Both the shmup contribution by G.Rev and the story by the manga author of Kakegurui did an excellent job contributing to the NISA/Izanagi Games joint venture. Despite it's difficult puzzle solving roadblocks the game is carried well enough by the story itself, and the added shmup gameplay. A worthy addition to any fan's game library who isn't too put off by hard to solve puzzle elements.