Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors

Otogi 2 is a visual stunner, but like its protagonists, it has no soul.

After playing Otogi we questioned our sanity. We considered it a poor man's Shinobi with a bunch of Crouching Tiger cloud-hopping stuff thrown in; most other gaming pubs heralded it as the best thing since edible underwear.

It seemed people didn't get past the "Gee, look how pretty it is!" wonder and skin-deep action to realize that behind the visual glitz and fast pacing lied anemic gameplay and repetition. Maybe we missed something? Well, playing Otogi 2 not only reconfirmed our opinion of the original, but also disappointed us since it's nearly just as constrained.

Progressive Regression

Don't get us wrong--Otogi 2 isn't a terrible game, but it's not a great one, either. It does little to expand or improve on the original's hack and slash trappings, but instead is recast from the same mold with a bigger effects budget.

This time, besides Raikoh, you also get to play a fleet-footed princess, a spear-spinning werewolf, an octopus with a deadly yo-yo, and a fat guy with an axe. Each character controls differently--some are quick and limber, others slow and powerful--and replay value comes from re-trying missions with characters who may be better suited than others.

Sure you get fully destructible environments, more choice over missions, more weapons, magic spells, and ability upgrades, but none of it manages to elevate the game beyond its endless cycle of hack and slash simplicity, strung together by apathetic cut-scenes.

Kissing Demons

Since even the most glowing reviews of the original still panned the horrible camera work, you'd think From Software would've fixed it, but it's just as confusing. What's so great about stringing together endless mid-air combos when you can't see what you're hitting? Okay, enough bitching--time to look on the bright side.

The luscious art direction and spellbinding graphics, which make you feel like you're traipsing inside someone else's dream, provide perfect eye candy while you zone out to the new Jesu album, while, the opening scene, in which a bunch of mythical geeks off themselves in front of a magical tree in glorious display of arterial eruptions, simply wins.

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