Toukiden 2 finally arrives on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita with an episode that sets quite clear objectives: further enrich the formula we had appreciated in the original game, introduce new mechanics and act as a viable alternative to Monster Hunter, contrasting its popularity among both the Japanese and overseas borders.
The end result, however, fails to meet these expectations, despite a particularly full-bodied structure , able to safely guarantee a hundred hours of action, and some interesting plot-twisting.
Toukiden 2 tries to make the leap in quality, but is abruptly halted by a series of factors
TEN YEARS AND HEAR THEM
The first thing that Toukiden 2 asks us to do is use a simple editor for the creation of the character, a demon hunter who is fighting the terrible Oni during the “Awakening”, an event that occurs in the frame of a Yokohama of the feudal era and sees the invasion of infernal monsters among the streets of the city.
Swallowed by a mysterious vortex just when the final battle was reaching its peak, the protagonist of the adventure finds himself projected ten years in the future, devoid of memory and in another part of Japan,
where he meets a young scientist who has obtained important results in the field of technologies useful to face the threat of demons: on the one hand the Machina, sentient androids that in some cases contain a human soul and are endowed with different abilities ; on the other hand the Demon Hand,
devices that allow hunters to emit a claw of energy against their enemies to hook their weak points and project themselves quickly to the attack. In the role of the warrior without memory, we will first have to gain the confidence of the village chiefs carrying out a series of simple missions against the imps that infest the surroundings, then receive a
Demon Hand and fight with increasingly powerful enemies, exploring the map together with three companions (controlled by To achieve our goals and complete the many missions that make up the seven chapters of the campaign, and possibly those reserved for the online cooperative, we can count on a discretely rich arsenal, which alternates long sword, double sword, daggers, mallets, sword and shield, battle gloves, chain clubs, whips, bows and shotguns.
Each instrument has unique characteristics in terms of effectiveness and speed of execution, with the most disruptive ones that require precious moments to be able to release their devastating power and others that instead guarantee many hits, but few damage inflicted.
They represent an interesting variation on the theme of long-range weapons, which allow you to approach the fighting in a detached way, centering the vital parts of the Oni while they are busy to deal with the other members of the party. In comparison to the blockbuster Capcom changes in any case the rhythm of the combat system,
LOW CARBURETION
As a good action survival, Toukiden 2 relies heavily on a rich structure, made as said of many main and secondary missions to be exploited mainly to obtain the money and materials necessary for the purchase of new weapons and armor, as well as for their enhancement.
In fact, it is very important to have instruments with the power necessary to prevent clashes going too far, exploiting in this sense also the perks represented by the Mitama, spirits that can influence our abilities, affecting attack, defense and healing ability; as well as
the special attacks that can be carried out during the fights, which evoke some bright “orbs” that hurl themselves against the demon on duty to weaken their resistance.
The mechanisms that regulate the craft are much more accessible than Monster Hunter and the experience is generally more friendly, although the developers have made a couple of missteps not to laugh: on one hand
the initial phase of the adventure is dull, repetitive, slow and banal in terms of challenge, which does not play absolutely in favor of involvement and rather creates a certain discomfort that tends to disappear only after several hours,
when more interesting situations take shape; on the other hand, the team has pretended to infarcire the narrative compartment of very long and boring dialogues, moreover completely in
English and impossible to jump, which in most cases revolve around an overly tested canvas, with few (though interesting) exceptions. To close the picture we find the already mentioned open world of “seamless” type but empty and generic, devoid of evocative views
and with the usual alternation of monsters slowing down our march, fortunately made faster by the ability to move instantly from a portal unlocked to the other and reach the ends of the map in a few seconds instead of tedious walks in the void.
