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Nights of Azure Review

Mowing enemies has never felt so good.

I am pretty sure that I am now the guy on Do You Even Game Bro? who will review just about any hack ‘n’ slash if it is made by a Japanese developer. So here I am, back at it again with another game of this style, but unlike my most recent review of this kind (Samurai Warriors 4: Empires), I thoroughly enjoyed this title.

Nights of Azure_20160312130640

Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?

Nights of Azure is a story-driven hack ’n’ slash game developed by Gust Co. Ltd. and published by Koei Tecmo. The game follows two young girls, named Arnice and Lilysse who travel to an uncharted land known as Rusewall Island, a land where no one sleeps at night. The events of the game are set after an ancient battle between humans and demons, where the humans emerge victorious against the Ruler of the Night. Shortly after this battle, the blood (termed the Blue Blood) of the aforementioned Ruler of the Night showers the land, engulfing the residents of Rusewall Island and turning them into Fiends. Fiends can vary from psychotic dolls to humanoids, however many of the actual humans were wiped out as a result of the Blue Blood.

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Nights of Azure_20160327231003

Is that you, Erza Scarlet?

Nights of Azure is a story-driven hack ’n’ slash game developed by Gust Co. Ltd. and published by Koei Tecmo. The game follows two young girls, named Arnice and Lilysse who travel to an uncharted land known as Rusewall Island, a land where no one sleeps at night. The events of the game are set after an ancient battle between humans and demons, where the humans emerge victorious against the Ruler of the Night. Shortly after this battle, the blood (termed the Blue Blood) of the aforementioned Ruler of the Night showers the land, engulfing the residents of Rusewall Island and turning them into Fiends. Fiends can vary from psychotic dolls to humanoids, however many of the actual humans were wiped out as a result of the Blue Blood.

This game features a combat system on a MUCH smaller scale in comparison to Koei Tecmo’s other games like Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. If anything, the combat that this game features is comparable to that of the Kingdom Hearts series whereby enemies are brought out in small groups and you can lock onto

specific targets in order to prioritise bigger and more threatening targets. The game also employs a mechanic where you can summon friendly Fiends called Servans to aid you in your battles. If anything, this mechanic is highly encouraged as dealing with multiple targets on your lonesome may seem easy at first but the difficulty quickly ramps up and it’s good to have these guys on your side. Servans also offer unique benefits and abilities such as dealing high amounts of damage or fully healing you and your other summoned Servans. Battling is simple, yet moves are flashy and gratifying to pull off. Over the course of the game, you receive different weapons to use with their own unique movesets. At first you are just equipped with a sword, but then you receive a pair of daggers (more like shortswords in their length), a crossbow and a war hammer. Each weapon functions just as you’d expect; daggers are incredibly quick and deal the least damage per hit, but make up for it with their speed and lengthy combos, swords deal good mid-ranged damage with a slower moveset in comparison to the daggers, and the warhammer is slow but very hard hitting. The crossbow didn’t seem as useful and in general I preferred to get up close and personal with the enemy. Overall, the combat and gameplay is fairly refined and smooth, however the framerate drops constantly and at some points it is really hard to tell what is happening as a result. Seeing as this game has technically been out since October 1 in Japan, I don’t see these issues being resolved any time soon.

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The art style that Nights of Azure features is your typical, run-of-the-mill cel-shaded aesthetic. Just about every JRPG does it (ok maybe not every JRPG, but there are A LOT which utilise this art style) but the beauty in this game is not the art style, but the ways in which Gust Co. LTD. have used it to create visually-pleasing landscapes. Generally speaking, in terms of lighting the game is shrouded in darker shades of purple or blue, but with the addition of an almost gothic-Victorian setting, environments strike a blend of vibrant yet sterile in grand fashion. Detailing on items and environments has obviously been a major part of the development process as weapons, attire and enemy designs are incredibly deep. In this regard, the developers have done a superb job. The visuals all combine to form a cohesive portrayal of the doomsday-like atmosphere the game strives for.

As you carve you way through different groups of enemies, you will be accompanied by music which makes the game feel like an anime. Instruments which are used vary from brighter electrical instruments (even as a musician I couldn’t quite put my finger on what instrument this was, but I’ll just say it was a synthesiser) to more distorted guitar riffs with gnarly licks behind them. It’s almost like listening to Babymetal and it’s a great soundtrack to hack and slash away your way through demon-possessed dolls. Though this evaluation of the music may seem like it’s not taking itself too seriously, the soundtrack definitely adds to the game and some missions are given a fresh feel because of it, whereas without it they might be a bit dull. Boss music is thick in density and feels like you are engaging in an epic conquest of sorts. Generally speaking, the music is of a bright nature, often remaining in a major key, however when needs be it modulates into chaotic dissonance or strikes somber minor keys. Each tune feels like it perfectly fits the combat and/or scenario you are partaking in.

Final Thoughts

While the framerate does tend to loom on the more unstable side, Nights of Azure impressively captures a combat style similar to that of Kingdom Hearts. With its impeccable use of the cel-shaded art style, gratifying combos, gnarly music and unique story and setting, the game will most certainly appease those fans of hack and slash JRPGs.

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Reviewed on PS4

Nights of Azure Review
Demons Ain’t Nothin For These Gals
Nights of Azure impressively captures a combat style similar to that of Kingdom Hearts.
The Good
Good music
Unique use of the cel-shaded art style
Decent story
Familiar and easy to understand combat
The Bad
Framerate can dip quite severely
8
Get Around It
  • Gust Co. LTD.
  • Koei Tecmo
  • PS4
  • October 1, 2015

Nights of Azure Review
Demons Ain’t Nothin For These Gals
Nights of Azure impressively captures a combat style similar to that of Kingdom Hearts.
The Good
Good music
Unique use of the cel-shaded art style
Decent story
Familiar and easy to understand combat
The Bad
Framerate can dip quite severely
8
Get Around It
Written By Jordan Garcia

Jordan lives and breathes Dark Souls, even though his favourite game is Bloodborne. He takes pride in bashing his face on walls and praising the sun. Hailing from the land of tacos, he is the token minority for WellPlayed.

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