Barbaric Behemoth Bashing | Toukiden: Kiwami Review

The act of taking down a gargantuan behemoth is an experience that although thrilling and enjoyable is one that is to be had more and more often in recent times, especially after the boom of the of Monster Hunter series and the influx of the similar type games that pit you and some teammates against massive foes. Coming out of Tecmo Koei and Omega Force, whom are most famously known for the Dynasty Warriors series, Toukiden: Kiwami is a revamped version of the games predecessor Toukiden: Age of Demons that came exclusively to the PS Vita previously. Adding in new demons to slay, weapons to wield, story content to play and abilities to use, Kiwami delivers much more than the first game had to offer. Despite the bland, static environments and repetitive nature of the missions, taking down Toukiden’s big game is great and the amount of party members and equipment at your disposal makes achieving it even better.

After creating your own character in a fairly basic character customization menu, Toukiden throws you into a small village that is being attacked by Oni. Oni are the demon enemies that plague the world and feed on human souls. As a monster slayer it is up to you and your kin to take down the Oni before they devastate what is left of the world. The small village acts as the hub world between each mission. As you make your way through the town you will meet a number of different monster slayers that you can take into battle, along with shopkeepers, blacksmiths and other townsfolk that will allow you to upgrade your weapons, armor and equipment in order to tackle the Oni as they become increasingly more difficult. A lot of attention is placed on the story throughout Toukiden’s campaign. The constant struggle of protecting your people against the Oni is evident in the strong characters and expanded storyline.

The high level of weapon, armor and skill customization weighs heavily on your playstyle and how you desire to take down each monster. Whether it be getting up close and personal with dual knives or a longsword or keeping your distance with a bow or a rifle. There are many ways to take on these massive beasts. Along with the huge amount of different weapons and armor that you are able to equip there are also upgrades called mitama. These upgrades give you special abilities such as health regeneration, increased attack and upgraded defense. Mitama can be equipped one at a time and can level up depending on how much you use them in battle.

There are both story missions and side quests in Toukiden. Completing the missions will help continue the story and finishing side quests will earn you currency to spend at the various stores. The missions of Toukiden can quickly become quite stale. Between battling the larger Oni in the more entertaining missions you will have to go through some quite repetitive ordeals. These other missions have you fighting waves of weaker Oni or collecting a few items. They often feel more like filler content between the better boss battles where this game is at its best.

Each mission will throw you into one of a handful of different environments. These areas are broken down into different sections and each mission will require you to explore throughout these sections. As you progress further into the story, new areas will open up although the amount of love that was put into the excellent character models and weapon designs was not given to the environments. Most of the areas are quite bland and because they are each broken down into smaller portions the environments feel restrictive and don’t allow for any sense of exploration. A main aspect of Toukiden is collecting materials in order forge and upgrade equipment. While completing missions and killing monsters you find many different materials that can be used to do this. Defeating large Oni grants you powerful pieces to craft mighty weapons and armor.

Despite the emphasis on story, Toukiden’s drawing card and best aspect is the boss battles. Each of these battles requires skill and patience. All of the large Oni demand a considerable amount of time to take down. The battle can be tipped into your favor by using the Eye of Truth ability in order to target the monsters vulnerable areas and check on their health status. At the beginning of most missions you are able to choose what party members will be going into battle with you. Depending on the Oni you are battling will depend on how you go about the fight. If you are looking to use a ranged weapon it may be best to choose melee members to keep the monster busy as you damage it from far away and vice versa if you want to be up close in the thick of it.

Toukiden’s welcome upgrade does bring with it great combat and an expansive arsenal even though there are a few areas where Toukiden doesn’t get it exactly right. The repetitive mission structure makes the missions between the large Oni feel more like a chore, just waiting to take on the next behemoth. The bland environments and lack of exploration options leave much to be desired during missions. Despite these pitfalls the main aim of this game is to take on great beasts and this is where Toukiden is at its best. A great deal of time and effort is required to take down one of these monsters and the great combat and extensive arsenal will allow you to choose exactly how you wish to do so. The thrill of overcoming a tough battle is still present even after countless hours.

This review is based on a review copy of the PlayStation 4 version of Toukiden: Kiwami produced by Tecmo Koei and developed by Omega Force