Shooting Your Way to Innocence: A Yurukill: The Calumniation Games Review

By Manuel

Player(s): 1
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam)

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is one of the strangest games I've ever played. It's a mix between a visual novel, complete with escape room elements, and a shoot 'em up, with lots of other random minigames thrown in for good meaesure. It's out now for the PS4, PS5, the Switch, and the PC by way of NIS America and I'm still trying to figure out if this odd mix of genres come together to make a good game worth a recommendation... Well, read on to find out!

(Note: This review is based on the Nintendo Switch version of the game.)

Yurukill opens with protagonist Sengoku Shunju waking up in a prison cell, but not the one he's spent the past ten years in, this one is different and he's now sporting a new metal collar. After coming to he's greeted by a fox mask-wearing woman named Binko, who I couldn't help but feel borrowed a lot character-wise from Monokuma from the Danganronpa series. After some introductory scenes you eventually learn that you're to take part in a series of games (read: "attractions") in a twisted amusement park called "Yurukill Land", and if you are successful in completing the attractions, you'll be set free. You're not alone though as you find yourself partnered with Rina Azami who is your "executioner" and, as the name implies, they have complete control over your life and can end it at any time by setting off a kill switch in your collar. 

It's actually worth mentioning that there are four pairs of these convicts & executioners, each given team names that reference their crimes, and you don't simply follow Sengoku throughout the entire game like one would think at first. This is probably for the best as the other characters (not to mention the stories behind their crimes) are often for more interesting than Sengoku and Rina. While I can't stress enough that it's in the story where this game shines the brightest, which makes sense since it is a visual novel at heart, I have to hold back on outlining more of the plot as I don't want to give too much of it away as the twists start coming almost immediately. There's lots more to cover with this game though so let's talk a bit about gameplay.

One of teams has THREE people actually.

The Peeping Toms...

​A visual novel would be pretty boring if it didn't offer some sort of choice, and Yurukill does that in a couple ways. There are simple dialogue trees here and there of course but the first main element of choice comes in the form of the "Maji-Kill" segments where you have to convince your executioner to not... well, execute you. I'm not sure if it's just me but I couldn't get through any of these segments the first time. I saw my first game over pretty quickly from the first Maji-Kill segment, and I was only able to pass any of them by way of trial and error. There's also question and answer sections that take place before and during the shoot 'em sections that serve to both give and take lives away from you, but more on those later. None of these dialogue choices, or question and answer segments, change the way the story plays out but they do make certain sections harder or easier, and sometimes add an extra layer of frustration.

Dialogue aside the main gameplay involves solving puzzles, and these can be very hit or miss. I first thought that there going to be more investigation elements like the Phoenix Wright games (or more accurately the Miles Edgeworth ones) but Yurukill's puzzles are both more involved than the ones found in those games, while also being rather surface-level too. The latter complaint comes from the fact that the game is fairly railroaded as to where you can go and you clear rooms pretty much one at a time, with the solution usually being somewhat obvious as there aren't many things you can interact with. Basically, imagine a very concise escape room scenario where each one only has a couple clues that pertain to a single puzzle. While most of the puzzles were fairly simple to complete, a couple of them I thought could only be solved by revealing all the hints available. (Oh yeah, there's a hint system for each and every puzzle that you can use without penalty.) I even reloaded a few sections to see if I missed a context clue or something in the dialogue, but some of them just felt like they're impossible to figure out without the use of hints, and this might bother some players. Sort of off-topic, but regarding reloading saves I found that the game only allows you to restart at the beginning of each scene/room, which is also when the game autosaves. In short I never really figured out why the game even offered the ability to save manually if it didn't allow you to resume exactly where you left off but this isn't really a strong complaint.

The Maji-Kill sections are the worst.

This puzzle...

Let's take a break from the gameplay stuff to talk about one of the other strong points of the game: its sound. First off the music is great throughout the entire game, it's atmospheric and moody during the investigation/dialogue segments, and very lively and energetic during the shooting segments. None of the music was grating and there were a few songs that I really enjoyed. Voice acting is also on point and the game is well-acted throughout, though I must say that I found the Binko and Izane (one of the executioners) a bit grating at times. Nothing too bad though, and it's a good thing the original Japanese voice acting is well-done as this game does not feature an English-language option. This can be seen as a plus to some people though, so take that as you will.

Oh yeah, here's Sengoku & Rina.

Oh Izane...

​So... you might think it odd that I went so far into this review without outlining the shoot 'em up segments and there's a couple reasons for that. First, let me say that shoot 'em ups are one of my least played genres and bullet hell style gameplay can often put me off a title, especially when it's somewhat randomly inserted like it is here. Thankfully Yurukill has an Easy Mode that lets you get through these segments (mostly) without much trouble, or this review would've ended quite a bit earlier. Second, while the game does do its best to tie in these segments into the greater overall story and world, these levels feel like they come from a completely different game. This makes sense as these were apparently devolved by G.rev, a developer known specifically for their shoot 'em up titles, so I guess that could be why they feel slightly tacked on.

As far as shooters go these levels (which are called "Yurukill Judgement" zones in-game by the way) feel rather basic, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yurukill's shoot 'em up bits probably not going to change your mind on the genre as a whole, but they feel well-executed for what they are and are some of the most graphically impressive sections of the game. Each of the four main characters have their own "ship", complete with unique stats and main weapons, and their own set of levels to clear. You start each shooter segment with one of the aforementioned question and answer sections and this determines your initial life count. You then play a standard shooter game where you have a single main weapon which can be upgraded several times with powerups, and can be used with single or auto fire. As you defeat enemies you absorb some of the energy they leave behind and this can be used to either unleash a powerful concentrated attack that causes massive damage, or to set off as a life-saving bomb that clears the screen of all enemy bullets. The latter of these attacks also happens automatically if you're about to die but have enough energy to use it.

Enjoy these screens as it was hard to capture the action and not die.

These seem easy, and maybe they are, but these were stressful segments.

At the end of each area you fight a boss that is a representation of your executioner’s will and/or mind. You fight three of these, with yet more question and answer sections breaking each of the areas up. The bosses also often have multiple forms, attacks, and patterns, and I can see a true fan of the genre having a lot of fun with these as they offer more challenge then the levels themselves. Unfortunately I found many of these bosses difficult even on Easy Mode (with the massive loss of lives for incorrect answers in the middle segments not helping matters) and while I didn't ever find myself getting a game over from them, I came very close more than once. Also, shoot 'em up fans might find it somewhat irksome how the levels and boss fights are often broken up with dialogue and cutscenes. Anyhow, you can unlock all these levels after finishing them the first time to play them in a separate mode if you just want to play them for the action.

I mentioned graphics earlier, and while there isn't a whole lot to say about them outside of the shooter segments, (which look absolutely amazing) the art style is very on point and all the character designs are unique and memorable. Background graphics, environments, and even the robots that block the exit to each room all feel that care was put into their creation. Characters can also be pretty expressive at times and this really helps drive home the voice acting as well. Cutscenes and other special effects, like fire and fireworks, also look good and even though I played this in the least optimal way possible (on a Nintendo Switch in handheld mode) things always looked great and the game never took a dip graphically.

My favorite movie?

I dunno about that Kagura...

I want to stress again that it's this game's story that really drew me into it, and definitely what kept me playing the game in spite of not caring for the Yurukill Judgement sections. The twists and turns in the story make it really hard for me to talk about it, but it's rare that a visual novel has pacing like this. You get just the right amount of story and nothing feels too drawn out. There are many visual novels that feel like they're padded to add more time to gameplay but you don't have that type of fluff here. If anything the game could probably use a bit more as there are times that hints and story details are expected to be known when they were barely even brushed upon earlier. Going back to the question I started this review with I can say that while the genre mix can be jarring at times, it definitely works in this case. If you're here for just a shooter you're probably going to get more than enough to tide you over, and if you're here for a good visual novel then you're definitely going to enjoy the story Yurukill has to tell.

Izane isn't all bad though.

There's an idol/wota combo too!

All in all I have far more positive things to say about Yurukill: The Calumniation Games than negative and while the game does feel a little disjointed at times, it isn't an unpleasant experience. If you're a fan of games like Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, the Danganronpa series, or shoot 'em ups in general, you'll probably find something to enjoy here. You can learn more about the game via the links and trailers below, but I really must suggest that if anything about this game sounds interesting to you that you just pick it up without reading more into it as this game is the perfect title to dive into blind and let the story take you where it will.

For More Information On Yurukill: The Calumniation Games:
https://yurukill.com/en/

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Story: A
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: A
Sound: A
Value: B

OVERALL: A-

Pros:
+ The story and voice acting are both top notch, and they'll help you overlook some of the game's less strong areas.
+ The graphics in the shoot 'em up levels are fairly impressive, as is the art style in general.
+ Minigames and puzzles break up the visual novel sections and there are also casual modes you can unlock if you just want to replay the shooter levels.
+ The music, especially in the shoot 'em up levels, is amazing.
+ The game provides an easy mode so you can get through the shooter segments easier.

Cons:
- Even with the game set to "Easy" it can be somewhat difficult for players not used to "bullet hell" style games.
- Some of the escape room mechanics seem unbalanced, either very easy or near impossible to figure out without using hints.
- The "save" feature only starts you back at the beginning of a scene making it almost useless since the autosave function does the same thing.
-The game seems a little confused as to what it wants to be.

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A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

Play Yurukill and thank me later.