Devil Kings, Review PS2

Devil Kings Review (PS2)

The setting for Devil Kings is a souped-up fantastical feudal Japan. It is aesthetically pleasing and looks great too. In fact, it would be how the battlefields of feudal Japan looked to a guy tripping on acid. On the down side it has as much longevity as a fly with a windscreen hurtling toward it.

Japan has a number of different factions fighting to take over the land. You can choose to control the head of whichever one takes your fancy. Initially there is a choice of six, but this will rise to twelve as you complete more and more of the game. Each warrior has unique statistics relating to health, strength and defence which can be upgraded in battle, as well as their own "personality". "Personality" tends to range from sycophant through social malcontent all the way to wino, depending on whom you choose. This is the only area where the sound of the game falls down, as each warrior sounds annoying in their own unique way.

To take your armies into battle you must invade neighbouring lands. Having made your choice of which army to fight, the battlefield and the action await. The aim of the battle is to hack your way through hundreds of foot-soldiers who seem to have had no training whatsoever in order to face a show down with the leader of the opposing army. There is the odd alternative foe along the way, with higher ranking enemies being slightly harder to slay and random adversaries such as an elephant with a penchant for stamping on you, archers, suicide bombers and a guy with a mallet all standing in your way. You will at some point find the boss who presents the main challenge with their own special powers and magic to overcome. You will not however find the boss with the aid of the map, however much you try, and the camera angle seems to find the worst possible angle for you at the worst possible time.

The fighting itself is generally a repetitive mashing of two buttons on your joy-pad. You have special moves to perform and unlock along the way, but you generally perform them in a unique sequence of mashing at the buttons. To start with, laying into hundreds of enemies with your sword/axe/etc is very satisfying but it grows old fast as it is massively repetitive. If you are looking for something that you want to run and run, this won't be it. However if you are looking for something where you don't have to think too much and can cause havoc chopping into a ream of enemies, then this is your baby.

Harris

6 out of 10