Toukiden: Kiwami review for PS Vita, PS4

Platform: PS Vita
Also On: PS4
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Developer: Omega Force/Koei Tecmo
Medium: Digital/Disc/Vita Card
Players: 1-4
Online: Yes
ESRB: T

I canโ€™t say I fully understand why Toukiden: Kiwami exists. Yes, I get that it has a little more content than the original Toukiden: Age of Demons that came out last year. And yes, I understand that by releasing it in both PS4 and Vita, instead of just Vita, it has the potential to reach a much largerโ€ฆoh, wait. Okay, I get it now.

Not that I mind too much. After all, the original Toukiden was good โ€” really, really good. So good that I almost definitely gave it far too low a review score a year ago. In fact, since it came out, Iโ€™ve found myself going back to it again and again, always looking to finish just one more mission or one more quest. I only just deleted it from my memory card a few weeks ago โ€” not coincidentally, right around the time Toukiden: Kiwami came out and I was able to trade one for the other.

Toukiden Kiwami_New Oni_Snowflame00

Is there a huge difference between the two? Not really. The fact this version contains the entire original game should clue you in to the fact that Toukiden: Kiwami is more Toukiden 1.5 than a full-on sequel. The general story โ€” that youโ€™re a mysterious warrior helping protect one of the last non-demon-controlled villages in Japan โ€” is the same, as are the controls. There may be more demons, weapons, missions and characters this time around (apparently meaning thereโ€™s twice as much content here), but at its core, this game is all about the party-based monster hunting.

And that, of course, is the one thing most will recognize about Toukiden: Kiwami. Itโ€™s basically Monster Hunter, only with a enough changes to the basic formula that Capcom wouldnโ€™t feel too litigious about it. Tecmo KOEI has essentially admitted as much, saying that they made a Sony-exclusive franchise because Monster Hunter had become exclusive to Nintendo systems.

Toukiden Kiwami_Battle_Chthonian Fiend_00

I have to say, though, I kind of prefer Toukiden. Credit the presence of a second thumbstick, credit more interesting visuals, maybe even credit the fact that the monsters here look genuinely monstrous โ€” whatever the reason may be, I find these games a lot more enjoyable than anything the Monster Hunter series has to offer. I realize thatโ€™s kind of heretical to admit, and I have no doubt that some may scoff, but what can I say? When youโ€™re talking about games that are practically identical, simple, impossible-to-rationalize personal preferences can go a long way towards deciding why you like one instead of the other.

Whatโ€™s much easier to rationalize, however, is this: Toukiden: Kiwami is unquestionably the best monster-hunting game the Vita has to offer. You can have your Freedom Wars or your Soul Sacrifice or your Ragnarok Odyssey. As far as Iโ€™m concerned, this one has the most enjoyable, easiest-to-understand gameplay by far. You see the monsters and demons terrorizing the village, you kill the monsters and demons terrorizing the village โ€” none of this nonsense about dystopias or saving versus sacrificing. Itโ€™s incredibly addictive, and if you missed it the first time around (or you just want that extra bit of content), you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

Grade: A-
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