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Xbox | Action | Otogi: Myth of Demons

Boxart for Otogi: Myth of Demons
Otogi: Myth of Demons 18 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 3.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.0

Review: Otogi: Myth of Demons

Review by PONGSIFU | 08/29/2003 | 14:06:08 PM PST

Although initially thrilling, Otogi never really transcends its brain-dead slice-and-dice trappings.

Melding elements of Onimusha, Shinobi, and Chaos Legion, Otogi is Sega?s latest entry in its hack-n-slash subgenre dedicated to acrobatic, armor-clad samurai who slaughter preternatural beasts and absorb their posthumous chi. Eye-popping visuals and foreboding sound design married with feverish pacing and RPG undercurrents provide solid thrills, but the game never really transcends its brain-dead slice-and-dice trappings, and the initially electrifying experience of playing it eventually disintegrates into monotony.

By Demons Be Driven
An ancient and mythical Japan serves as hunting grounds for your character, a chop-sockey demon slasher recruited by a disembodied voice to purify the landscape from ghoul dogs and floating skulls in 30 or so objective-based missions. Armed to the teeth with blades and magic spells, your job is to destroy cursed buildings, fight bosses, and commit the wholesale liquidation of monsters. Offing enemies and destroying the environment earn you experience that augments your physical prowess and gold that you can use between levels to purchase weapons and learn new spells. Unfortunately, these RPG elements are ultimately hollow and do nothing to improve on the core run-run-run-kill-kill-kill gameplay mantra that feels flaccid after six levels and tedious after 15. New weapons are only eye candy for the same combo-based attacks; spells are no more than flashy projectile weapons; and trashing a dizzying amount of environmental objects, while providing some ancillary thrills, doesn?t compensate for predominantly limp level layouts.

Angel of Death
As a high-octane slay-a-thon, Otogi knows what it is and what it?s supposed to do, and as long as you don?t mind leaving your brain at the door, you?ll probably dig it. Just be prepared to get bored after the first couple of hours.


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