Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is out now on PC, and it’s a new roguelite that promises to charm fans of the genre, all while attracting those new to these kinds of games. This is thanks to its combination of fast-paced action, coupled with its cute anime aesthetic.
While roguelites have been popular over the past decade or so (thanks to games like The Binding of Isaac), it’s fair to say that the genre exploded in popularity thanks to Hades. Given that game’s success, it’s no surprise that we now have plenty of games that are in the vein of Hades, and one of these is Yasha.
Of course, it’s not fair to call Yasha just a Hades clone. While this game has a similar structure, it does promise to be an experience of its own thanks to its Edo period setting, as well as the nods to Japanese mythology. Despite the Japanese setting and characters, the game’s developer, 7QUARK, is based in Taiwan, though that’s not too surprising given how popular Japanese games are in the region.
So, does Yasha’s setting and visuals set it apart from similar titles in the increasingly crowded roguelite genre? Well, the game’s style does help, though that sometimes isn’t enough to elevate its rather simple combat.
Solid Gameplay (if a bit simple)
Combat in Yasha works as you’d expect for an isometric hack-and-slash action game. Whichever of the three characters you play, you get light and heavy attacks, as well as a dash which you’ll need to use often given that you’ll face off against lots of enemies during each stage. Dodging isn’t the only tool at your disposal as there’s also a parry mechanic.
Specifically, you can parry enemy attacks by pressing RB when a gold ring appears right before an enemy attacks. You can also hold RB to charge, and when you let go at the right time, you’ll land a more powerful counterattack. Pressing RB again will result in another strong attack against foes. Note that the timing of the parry is quite generous here, meaning you’ll want to parry enemy attacks as much as you can.
Your goal during each encounter is to attack the enemies on the field while mixing in parries when a more powerful mob is about to attack. You’ll also need to dash away from enemies that have AoE attacks. Except for bosses, this is basically what you can expect during each stage, making the combat system fairly simple at its core.
After every stage, you get to choose one of three random “Soul Orbs” which add upgrades to your weapon of choice. While you start your runs with one weapon, as you restart runs, you can unlock more to play around with. In combat, you can freely switch between your equipped weapons. For instance, I got a more powerful sword that was limited to just heavy attacks. While this was limiting at first, I got lucky with a Soul Orb that increased the range of each sword swing. This proved incredibly helpful against swarms of enemies.
Even with the variety of weapons and Soul Orbs, the game’s combat system still felt fairly simple. While I wouldn’t call it barebones, I did wish there was more depth, or at least more enemy variety so that combat encounters felt fresh.
It doesn’t help that the game is very much on the easier side when it comes to hack-and-slash roguelites. This is especially the case when you get the right Amulets. During your runs, you can get Amulets with helpful buffs like attack or critical rate increases, though the most helpful ones are no doubt the healing Amulets that recover HP whenever you switch to a stage. As such, when you get these healing Amulets, you’ll likely breeze through your run if you have experience with games in the genre.
Each successful run is around 30-40 minutes long. Of course, your first run likely won’t end well (unless you have incredible reflexes), but because you can get some permanent buffs, getting to a successful run likely won’t take long.
The run length is not an issue by itself, but what it does highlight is how repetitive the game can get.
Runs Can Get Old Pretty Fast
When you start the game, you can choose between three characters: Shigure, Sara, and Taketora. Shigure fights with a sword, making her the most “typical” of the three. Meanwhile, Sara is a faster character, though she’s more of a glass cannon. Finally, Taketora can fight with his fists or with a bow and arrow, making him the only character with ranged attacks.
Whichever character you play, the runs work similarly. When you start a playthrough using one of the characters, you’ll start on Chapter 1. Each run starts with two stages with enemies that you have to clear, after which you’ll run into a boss fight. After this, you’ll reach a town with merchants where you can buy useful items and get some healing. Then, you’ll go through another two levels, and then another boss fight. Rinse and repeat until you reach the chapter’s final boss.
Each run is fairly fun, but the game can overstay its welcome, especially given that when you finish a chapter, you basically have to run through the same levels again. Sure, each run will differ depending on the weapons you choose or random buffs that you get, but the fact that you’ll always see the same levels does make the whole experience repetitive. It doesn’t help that there are only a handful of biomes, not to mention that the stages themselves are fairly plain.
I found that this game works best if you play in short bursts. That’s because if you buckle up and try to finish a character’s storyline, you’ll need to play the same levels over and over for a couple of hours. It would also help if you switched to another save and tried out with a different character whenever you finish a chapter.
At the very least, even with the repetitive nature of the game’s runs, Yasha did at least charm me thanks to its style, as well as its references to Japanese mythology.
Visual Style and Characters Give it Some Charm
It’s fair to say that Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade has anime-style art and visuals, not unlike many of today’s popular mobile gacha games. This might not appeal to some, but I liked the character and world design of the game.
The game’s levels and characters also look quite nice, and while there are many bright visual effects during combat, it never gets cluttered enough that the gameplay becomes hard to keep track of.
I particularly liked how the game is steeped in Japanese mythology, though I have to admit that I’ve been reading about Japan’s mythos over the past months, so that added to my enjoyment of the game’s story. Of course, you don’t need to be that familiar with Japanese folklore to enjoy the game, though some knowledge and interest in it will no doubt help.
On the flip side, if you’re not a big fan of the subject, I can see Yasha’s story falling flat for you. That’s because, on its own, the story of this game is just fine. There are plenty of comedic moments here that are straight out of an anime, but I found that the game’s story lacked excitement. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the story forgettable, though it’s fair to say that narrative isn’t exactly this game’s strong suit.
Still, Yasha’s style, coupled with its comedic scenarios gives it enough charm that it made for a decently fun experience, enough that I at least got curious about how the stories of its main characters would go.
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade Final Verdict – 7/10
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade offers good action gameplay with simple yet engaging mechanics, making for an overall solid combat experience. While this makes the game fun, the game does tend to get old fast given how repetitive the levels and runs are.
Still, there’s fun to be had in this game, especially as the game’s visuals and story can be charming, at least for players who love anime-style games and/or Japanese mythology.
[This article was made via a PC game code provided by the publisher]