Otogi: Myth of Demons

Otogi: Myth of Demons has an undeniable style of its own. From the opening credits to the character designs to the implementation of sound, Otogi bleeds style. And it’s a style not everyone will like. If you’re not into stylistic Anime then Otogi might fall flat regardless of its solid action and unobtrusive RPG elements that actually add something to the game.

Otogi puts you in the well-polished armor of Raikoh, a member of a Grim Reaper-like clan that is being held between death and life after "the Seal was broken." Raikoh’s progression through the game is directed by the Princess (a watery voice that greets you at the start of each stage), which usually consists of purifying the area (read: kill everything that moves). Some stages offer a little in the way of variation by making you collect objects to unlock doors, etc. Depending on your own gaming style, some levels can be completely stormed by racing to the objective, destroying the Boss and ignoring everything else. The trade-off is that you miss out on the level’s secrets and don’t gain as many experience points. Fortunately, once a level is cleared you can revisit it at your leisure.

Foremost, Otogi is about action. The sword slashing isn’t as technical as a dedicated sword-slasher like Soul Calibur II, but it can be just as tricky. Raikoh falls like a feather and on some levels it feels like you haven’t been on the ground for more than a few seconds. Raikoh can fight just as well in the air as he does on the ground, and with a number of air-based foes you have to be able to commit to both methods of attack. And commit you will because once you’ve started a slashing combo it’s very difficult to change direction to take on attackers that may be approaching from your flank. This isn’t a problem in the opening stages but later on when you face stiffer opposition it’s a definite weakness.

Off-setting this situation is Otogi’s inclusion of RPG elements.

Between stages, you can equip Raikoh with various weapons, items and spells, which are purchased (or sold) at the Shop. There are swords, great swords, staffs and double-bladed swords (meaning a sword in each hand) but there is a cost in using each. Every weapon has a certain Vitality that diminishes over time and use, decreasing your attack power. There’s the option to restore the attack power at a cost of the gold you have collected. It’s also this in-between time that it pays to review the enemies you’ll be facing in the next stage. This allows you to better prepare by selecting the most useful spells and items. The only thing that really sucks about all this is the inability to change weapons or spells on the fly during the stage, dulling the RPG aspect somewhat.

From Software did a great job on the presentation. As mentioned at the outset, Otogi bleeds an Anime style that some will gravitate to and some will be repulsed by. Being a moderate fan of Anime, the style grew on me. Like most Anime I had no idea what was going on until half way through and even then I hadn’t nailed down the specifics. The dialogue is clichéd and somewhat corny, filled with grandiose narratives and ambiguous hints. "Traditional" Japanese music is present throughout and although it matches the sensibility and mood of the game, I turned it way down so it was barely a background hum. The graphics are a definite highlight and being able to inflict damage on the environment and the buildings therein is rendered smoothly. Smashing enemies into (and through) buildings is just plain fun -- no matter how many times you may have attempted the level.

Which brings me to the issue of repetitiveness. In long stretches Otogi succumbs to monotony. Raikoh must continually defeat enemies if he wishes to stay alive. His magic meter is always dropping (especially if you’re using spells) and the most practical way to keep it topped up is defeating foes. This is a great way to keep the action up but... slash-slash-jump-slash -- it starts to feel a little old after about 90 minutes. Strangely, it all feels new and exciting by the next day.

Otogi: Myth of Demons should satisfy those looking for otherworldly action in a fantasy "medieval" Japanese setting. The style isn’t for everyone, but the RPG elements and the nonstop combat make it worth playing.

- Omni