Overview – developed by NIGORO in collaboration with WayForward, the Rose & Camellia Collection tells the story of a noble family and the power struggles that go on within. To settle the disputes within this family, ludicrous slap battles occur with increasingly outlandish scenarios playing out. This title is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, with a link to the game at the bottom of this review, alongside a link to the limited physical release.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank WayForward for providing the copy of Rose & Camellia collection that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. For the sake of brevity, I will be referring to this title as R&C Collection throughout this review.
Story – Within the Tsubakikoji household, the Widow Reiko must prove herself worthy of being the head of the household. To accomplish this feat, she engages in traditional noble combat, taking on her foes in a series of slap battles. This dispute evolves into surreal and outlandish scenarios, including the “Death Queen Circuit”, battles against unwanted guests and a special crossover with the La-Mulana series. As Reiko, make your mark on high society and slap some respect into your adversaries.
Gameplay – the R&C Collection is a one-on-one battle game, where players must be the first to slap their opponent into submission. Battles in this title take place using a turn based system, where the sides of Rose and Camellia will make their moves in order. The first to deplete their opponent’s health will be the victor. Players must strike, dodge, feint and counter in these battles to prevent themselves from being taken down in intense reflex based battles.
The player can choose a scenario to play through, with only the first being unlocked at the beginning of the game. When starting the first story, players will be given a tutorial that teaches them the basics of noble battle. Then the game will begin, putting the player into the role of Reiko, pitting her against the members of the Tsubakikoji household. The battles start off relatively simple, but as the opponents become stronger, they also become more absurd.
The battles use touch screen or gyroscope motion controls in the Switch Joy-cons, with gestures and inputs for all types of attack. During a turn, the combatant will attempt to strike their foe with damage being dealt if the strike lands. The standard attacks consist of a regular and critical slap, the attacker can also deceive the opponent with a feint. Then there is dodge, which prevents damage being taken by the defender, there is also the chance for a counter attack if the dodge is successful.
During battles there is also the chance for a slap rush, where the player can grab their opponent and deal massive damage with rapid fire strikes. This attack is exclusive to the player character and is a rare occurrence during a battle. There are more special that will be added to the player moveset, being unlocked as the player makes progress through each story scenario. But the player isn’t the only one with special attacks they can use in battles.
The further the player gets into the scenarios of R&C Collection, the more eccentric and unusual the combatants will become. Alongside the usual slaps that can be dished out, some opponents use palm strikes, closed fists and even weapons. There are even fighters that will make multiple attacks, which players will need to dodge in sequence. The unconventional strikes aren’t the only thing to worry about though, as the unique attacks deal more damage than regular slaps.
Between battles for each scenario, story scenes will play out between the various characters, setting the battles up in a style similar to a period drama. Once the final opponent for the scenario has been defeated, a final scene will play out along with a credits crawl on the final image of the storyline. When a storyline has been cleared, the next will open up with the bonus crossover La-Mulana scenario being unlocked in the menu.
Last to discuss is the bonus 2-player battle mode that is included in this collection. In this competitive battle mode, player 1 can play as any of the heroines they have unlocked, with the second player as one of the scenario opponents. The chosen characters will have the attacks from their scenario, along with their health, so if a boss is chosen by the second player, they will have an extended health bar. This can make for an unbalanced, but potentially fun competitive mode.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this title uses the gyroscope motion controls and touch screen capabilities for the Nintendo Switch, making for an exciting and interactive experience. Unfortunately, it also comes with all of the complaints that come with the motion controls. Due to the inconsistencies of gyro motions, there is a chance for movements to not be registered correctly or not picked up at all. The touch controls are more consistent, but they have their own difficulties.
Difficulty – the challenge of this game is all based on the players skills, due to the timing and reflex system that R&C Collection uses. Players are reliant on tells and movements of their opponents, with some of them having flashes and signs before attacking. Another element that makes the difficulty higher for players is the increased health of bosses, making for pretty brutal battles. If the player is defeated in a battle, they can retry the fight indefinitely.
Presentation – the R&C Collection has a pleasing anime style to the presentation, with expressive character art that is fitting to the absurdity of the story. There is also the added touch of the rival characters showing visible damage, getting progressively more beaten up in battles. The music features heavy of harpsichord throughout, adding to theme of nobility. There is also full voice over in both English and Japanese, with the English cast featuring Stephanie Sheh and Cristina Valenzuela.
Final Thoughts – I have heard about Rose & Camellia in the past, but not had a chance to play it. So when I got the opportunity to play the collection, I jumped on it as it was infamous for how absurd the game and premise was. I can say with no uncertainty that I was not disappointed with the experience, this is due in part to how silly it is to play a turn based slap fighter. The gameplay itself can be so much fun, the story is filled with comedy and the scenarios are just ridiculous.
However, with everything that the game does well, it does have elements to the game that are slightly flawed. I am disappointed to say that there is some frustration that can be had with the gyro controls, this is because of the inherent inconsistencies of motion controls on the Switch. This may affect other players differently with newer Joy-Cons, but I have no way to test that. Regardless of the flaws, I do recommend Rose & Camellia Collection as it is as fun as it is ludicrous.
In the end, I give Rose & Camellia Collection a final score of 4/5. This is a fun and entertaining game, with an absurd story, ludicrous characters and one of the most unique battle systems I have experienced in a one-on-one battle game. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to the game will be below. Please note, the special physical release from limited run is available for pre-order for a limited time only.
Link to Nintendo Switch Digital version (HERE)
Link to special physical version (HERE) – Pre-order available until May 12th
W.Kohaku Media 