I recently got a chance to play around an hour of Akatori on the PlayStation 5 Pro, thanks to a review copy provided by Contrast Games and Games Harbor.
You can find my gameplay video, as well as my first impressions, below:
Pros:
- Beautiful mix of 2D character sprites with 3D environments.
- Responsive controls.
- Thrilling boss fights.
Cons:
- Can be frustrating outside of Story difficulty.
Overall:
Akatori is a 2D Metroidvania that features a gorgeous mix of 2D character sprites in a low-poly 3D environments. It should remind many of the visual styles from the PS1 era.
Aside from being nostalgic and beautiful graphics, the controls are quite responsive, which is great news since the game features a large dose of combat and platforming.
As you may expect, the main highlights of the combat are the boss battles. These fights are intense and can be quite challenging, even if you are playing in the Story difficulty.
Outside of the easiest difficulty setting, the game can get frustrating as you can only take a handful of hits at full health. This makes some sections, including the aforementioned boss battles, quite hard to overcome.
Keep in mind that you can’t change the difficulty without starting the game over from the beginning. So, just to be safe, you should probably pick Story unless you don’t mind dying over and over again.
Overall, Akatori is a visually beautiful Metroidvania that features responsive combat and platforming controls. If you are a fan of the genre, make sure you give this game a shot.