Platinum games attempts to re-invent their formula of third person button mash action by giving you a dog on a leash, both literally and figuratively.
Story: The story was predictable, yet it wasn't corny by modern game story standards. Overall I actually expected less and without giving anything away I am actively looking forward to a sequel. I would be interested to see where this franchise can go next.
Art: I really liked the aesthetic of this game. The partially cell shaded graphics mix surprisingly well with the background of the game. The characters never looked out of place and the environments, while maintaining a cohesive theme, largely had their own identity. The art team really nailed it for me, but people who aren't into anime styled sci-fi cyberpunk settings will probably feel different.
Gameplay: I've never been a big fan of the Platinum Games approach to action titles. That being said, I respect the main gimmick of this game and commend them for what they accomplished. I am genuinely shocked that it's as passable as they made it controlling two characters on the Switch control schema. However, the platforming sections of this game really show off the sacrifices that were made to make this setup work. You will either be able to look beyond the control quirks and enjoy the title or abandon it due to control based frustration. They honestly didn't leave much middle ground here.
Music: There's a pretty solid mix of J-Rock, Trance, and oddly Djent to keep things feeling either frantic or chill depending on the moment. I enjoy those genre's so I have no complaints here. Others may walk away wanting more in this department.
Overall I enjoyed this title more than any other Platinum Games release that I've played, which is most of them at this point. There is some definite room for improvement in the controls department, or perhaps even just some clever level design that could mitigate what exists. Either way, I recommend this title as a must play for Switch as it is one of the more unique game concepts I've seen in a while.
Story: The story was predictable, yet it wasn't corny by modern game story standards. Overall I actually expected less and without giving anything away I am actively looking forward to a sequel. I would be interested to see where this franchise can go next.
Art: I really liked the aesthetic of this game. The partially cell shaded graphics mix surprisingly well with the background of the game. The characters never looked out of place and the environments, while maintaining a cohesive theme, largely had their own identity. The art team really nailed it for me, but people who aren't into anime styled sci-fi cyberpunk settings will probably feel different.
Gameplay: I've never been a big fan of the Platinum Games approach to action titles. That being said, I respect the main gimmick of this game and commend them for what they accomplished. I am genuinely shocked that it's as passable as they made it controlling two characters on the Switch control schema. However, the platforming sections of this game really show off the sacrifices that were made to make this setup work. You will either be able to look beyond the control quirks and enjoy the title or abandon it due to control based frustration. They honestly didn't leave much middle ground here.
Music: There's a pretty solid mix of J-Rock, Trance, and oddly Djent to keep things feeling either frantic or chill depending on the moment. I enjoy those genre's so I have no complaints here. Others may walk away wanting more in this department.
Overall I enjoyed this title more than any other Platinum Games release that I've played, which is most of them at this point. There is some definite room for improvement in the controls department, or perhaps even just some clever level design that could mitigate what exists. Either way, I recommend this title as a must play for Switch as it is one of the more unique game concepts I've seen in a while.