Overview – developed by Crimson Dusk and published by PLAYISM, Homura Hime is an anime style action game, mixing reactive hack and slash action and bullet hell tension. As the Exorcist Homura Hime, travel across the human world and the demon realm on missions to exorcise the supernatural, facing dangers at every turn. This title is available exclusively for the Steam Platform, with a link to the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank the rep at EVOLVE PR who provided the copy of Homura Hime used for this piece, via the Terminals service. 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. Please note, I will only be covering the core gameplay of this release, as I do not wish to spoil any of the secrets and surprises of the game.
Story – in a world where humans and demons coexist, Souls harbouring strong emotions and deep regrets are transformed into Archdemons upon death. These beings corrupt and contaminate the world around them, creating lesser demons. Five powerful Archdemons threaten the world, so the High Priestess deploys the “Flame Princess” Homura Hime and her aide Ann. Together, they embark on a divine mission to defeat the demons and purify the world.
Gameplay – Homura Hime is a 3D action adventure, where the player takes control of the eponymous Excorcist. The adventure takes place over several chapters, starting with Homura Hime being tested in her skills as an Exorcist. After this is completed, the player will be transported to the Mihare Shrine, the base of operations for their missions. Each of the chapters will each of the chapters will start here, before departing to take down their target.
To begin each mission, the player must enter the Gate which will teleport them to the target location. At the start of each mission the journey, adding background to the mission that is about to unfold. When the player lands in their target location, they will need to reach the target and eliminate them to complete the mission. Each of the missions will be split into sections, where the player will need to clear objectives to progress.
The objectives can be as simple as reaching a designated point, or finding items during the mission. But the completion of these objectives is easier said than done, as there will be numerous hazards that will threaten Homura Hime. As the player traverses the human and demon realms, they will encounter deadly enemies that will try to stop them. Throughout the game, the player will encounter demons that must be slain to advance.
As Homura Hime travels each area, there will be encounters where a barrier appears to block the path. When this happens, the player will need to defeat the demons that appear before they can move on. In battle, the player has access to a light and heavy sword strike, alongside a ranged attack called Blessed shot. The strikes can be linked in a combo, allowing for rapid attacks to be unleashed for maximum damage against the demon horde.
It is also possible for players to launch enemies into the air, following up with aerial strikes and slamming them down. Then there is the Blessed shot, which uses spirit energy to eliminate the enemy forces, gradually draining their life bar. If the energy runs out, players must wait for a moment for the bar to refill before ranged attacks can be used again. To make targeting enemies easier, there is also a lock-on mechanic to focus on the demons.
The enemy attacks will be relentless, but players have two ways to be able to avoid taking damage. The most important defensive manoeuvre is the parry, which blocks attacks that are highlighted in red giving a chance to block them. If the strike is successfully guarded, the player can move quickly in any direction, with the ability to chain multiple parries together. However, not all attacks can be blocked, which is where the dash comes into play.
Throughout the adventure, there will be enemies that can unleash a hail of bullets upon Homura Hime, increasing the challenge of battles. The shots will appear in bullet hell style patterns, covering large areas and causing significant damage. Then there are the yellow marker attacks, which cannot be parried so the player will need to dash out of the way. It is important to keep an eye on the type of attack happening, as some can switch between yellow and red strikes.
When fighting enemies, many of them will have a stun meter above their health bar. This will be depleted by damaging them, or by successfully parrying their strike. When the bar is fully drained, the enemy will be stunned for a brief time, taking more damage from slash attacks. However, some enemies will have shields, which can be blue or red. The blue shields need to be broken with Blessed shots, whereas the red are destroyed with slash attacks.
Most of the enemies that will be encountered can be destroyed simply by beating them down. But there are some stronger demons that will take more to defeat. These monsters have a purple portion on the lower end of their health bar, becoming enraged upon reaching that point. Enraged enemies will create a domain, where they must either have a Blessed shield broken, or have a flurry of attacks successfully parried, setting up a counter attack.
Once enemies within the domain are open to attack, players must time a strike to be able to unleash a flurry of slashes on the target. This will break the enraged state and escape the domain, slowing time to be able to chain strikes for maximum damage. As time is slowed, a Diamond will be filled from slashing enemies, allowing for a finishing strike to be used when full. This slowdown can also be activated when red shields are broken.
Over the course of the game, the player can also unlock enhanced Blessed Shots, which will change the way that it works, with three total shots available. Then there are the skill attacks, which offer close and long range attacks, alongside the ultimate Daydream Mirage ultimate strike for massive damage on enemies. The special skills and ultimate attacks are charged by slashing enemies, or by successfully parrying attacks, making combat frantic and exciting.
Defeating enemies will drop a currency called Konpeito, which can be used with the in game merchant (explained further below), as well as health pellets to recover from damage. As the last enemy falls in a battle, the player will get a rating for the battle, which is based on the performance and score that is earned during combat. The highest rank that can be earned in arena battles is Perfect, with scores being tallied for all battles during the mission.
While battles are an important part of the experience, there is also an emphasis on platforming and exploration. Throughout the missions, player will find areas where they will need to jump and dash, covering perilous gaps including bottomless pits. To help cover large areas, there will be interaction points, including air markers to launch Homura Hime and blades in walls that can be grabbed. To reach these points, the parry button can be used when in range.
Alongside the platforming and general navigation of the different locations, there will be light puzzle and challenge sections. These include plants that need to be destroyed to open paths, floors that will disappear and sections where players need to avoid touching the ground. Players will also encounter the friendly demon Nurikabe, who will need help as he blocks the way, needing an item to be returned before letting them pass him.
There will also be special challenges, including optional battles that players can discover while they explore. The most common optional battles are the ambush events, where enemies will appear out of nowhere and attack Homura Hime. Players can also find timed trials, where they need to chase unique creatures and catch them before the timer expires. Clearing these optional challenges can provide great rewards for the player.
Scattered throughout the locations, there will also be treasure chests separated into two colors. There are blue chests that contain a large amount of Konpeito within, but there are also the special red chests that have fragments inside. There are two types of fragment that can be found, with green life fragments and blue spirit fragments. When three of a fragment is collected, the player will gain a permanent increase in their life or spirit meters.
Within each chapter, the player will encounter powerful boss opponents that will have their own unique attacks, bullet patterns and gimmicks. These battles are incredibly tough and will have the player locked in a unique arena, where they must effectively dodge and parry attacks to survive. The enemies in these battles will often have phases that they will change between, altering their attack patterns and making them increasingly deadly.
During some of the boss fights, there will be perspective changes, where the camera will go into top down camera angle, needing to avoid a hail of bullets from all directions. There will also be the domain sections, where the enemy must be parried or hit with blessed shots while avoiding unblockable attacks. In the parry domains, if the player gets hit or misses the parry window, they will be kicked out of the domain, this also happens with lesser demon domains.
When the last battle of the mission/chapter is cleared, the player will be returned to Mihare Shrine after a cutscene plays out. Then the mission results screen will appear, showing the performance in all of the battles, an overall time and the total score for the chapter. The player will get a rating for the mission with the highest ranking being perfect. After each of the chapters, the player will be provided a reward, with special upgrades and money being handed out.
Between missions and chapters, the player will be able to explore Mihare Shrine and prepare for the next stage. While in the Shrine, the player will be able to interact with the different residents, including Kushinada who operates the Shop in the shrine. She offers a variety of options for players to purchase in exchange for Konpeito and Senbei, a special currecy collected during missions. The items will vary in price, making purchases a strategic choice.
The most versatile upgrade that players can get are combo moves, which will expand the attack options that can be chained together in battle. By upgrading the combos, players will be able to mix up light and heavy slashes, which will expand the flexibility of combat. Skill attacks can also be purchased from Kushinada, which needs the Senbei as well as Konpeito. There are four skill slots to use, allowing for players to customise their loadout.
Kushinada also offers special support items for purchase, with the Omamori talismans being the most useful. The Omamori are special support items that can be equipped, which will provide benefits like increased attack and improved health. These talismans have a cost attached to them, with a limited number of points that can be applied to equip them. Up to five Omamori can be equipped, offering some flexibility to the system.
Kushinada will also sell life and spirit fragments, full gems and a special item called Hanami Dango. The Dango is a very special item that will come in handy during very tough battles, especially during bosses as they are used as revival items. If the player falls in battle, they will be given the option to return to main menu, continue from a checkpoint or use revival item. By selecting revival item, the player will get right back in the action but at a cost penalty for doing so.
Last to discuss is the Journal, which will collect various information and documents that have been collected in chapters. These files will provide background story details to the events that occurred, expanding the depth of the narrative. This gives players looking for lore, adding more of a reason to explore the areas. There will also be a log of all enemies, tutorials and key items, which can be viewed from the Journal menu when pausing the game.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – This game supports both controller and Keyboard/Mouse, with the game recommending the use of a control pad for play. The recommended way is the most comfortable, as it allows all of the inputs and actions to be accessed easily. This also allows for Steam Deck support, but I was unable to test this out. The Keyboard inputs work well, but don’t feel as natural as using a regular controller, due to the slightly awkward layout.
Difficulty – there are two difficulty settings for this game, with an easy and normal setting. The Easy setting is adjusted to ease the experience, but the Normal setting is the full experience. This is a solid challenge, with some difficulty spikes during Boss Battles, optional encounters and challenge sections which get very tough. Thankfully, there are generous checkpoints, as well as upgrades and Dango items that can ease some of the challenges.
Presentation – visually this game is gorgeous, with an anime inspired look to the experience with cultural elements from both Japan and wider parts of Asia. The look of the characters, environments and details are vibrant, really popping off the screen with the amount of detail to them. The game flows almost perfectly, but there are some minor issues of slowdown, especially when there is a lot of attacks and effects on screen during combat.
The sound is really good, with atmospheric sound for many of the areas, alongside beautiful and haunting compositions when exploring the demonic realms. There is also an excellent set of boss themes, including a special vocal track that appears during a key part of the game. This game also has excellent voice work, with a lot of dialogue all in Japanese that is performed well. But the sound isn’t perfect, as there is some unfortunate crackling at times during play.
Final Thoughts – I am a big fan of action games that utlize the 3D hack and slash style of combat, with games like Devil May Cry being a comparable. I saw the announcement for this and I was excited to give it a go. That excitement was not misplaced, as this is possibly one of the best action games I have played recently, with combat that was reactive and a lot of fun. The combat is a lot of fun and the unique mechanics keep it exciting throughout the experience.
Then there is the story, which pulled me in and made me feel a whole range of emotions, which can be very rare for a game. All of the elements work well, with the combat, platforming and narrative set pieces keeping me engaged the whole time. But there are a couple hiccups with the sound, as well as unfortunate bugs that can soft lock the game, requiring loading the game. However, I am happy to recommend this game to everyone who enjoys 3D action games.
In the end, I give Homura Hime a final Score of 4.75/5. This is a fantastic 3D action game, with unique gameplay mechanics, a beautiful art style, intense action and an emotional story that kept me invested, making it an early contender for one of the best games of the year. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to the game will be below.
Link to steam version (HERE)
W.Kohaku Media 