Toukiden 2 (PC) Review

Toukiden 2 is inevitably going to be compared to Monster Hunter games for better or worse. The similarities are strong. The general game flows as the story is told in segments, and then the player heads out for short missions of demon slaying - and so it repeats. All the basics of the "monster hunting" formula is here: collecting parts, upgrading equipment, different weapons to use, and so on. This game does not extend too far beyond the genre, but keeps things interesting and smooth enough that fans will enjoy it.

The story is actually surprisingly decent; the player is caught in a time warp after fighting demons in a battle nearly everyone died in. The world is now taken over by demon Oni that have to be purified. There is a central town to talk to NPC characters, a few of which have anime-style portraits and are fairly characterised, all things considered. These types of games are never carried by their story, but in this case, it is interesting enough to not drag it down at all.

The real core of the game is the battle and the upgrading system. At its root is a core of various weapons, such as a double-handed sword, sword and shield, spear, chain, knives, and guns. Each of these play differently, such as the knives being fast hitting, or the sword being generally decent all around. The gun is more interesting than most games in that there are various types of ammo to select from (explosive, or spread, for example), and there is much more tactical planning required rather than just button mashing.

The largest improvement is that there are varied enemies, and missions can range from bashing through small mobs to the typical huge boss battle. A major problem in a lot of these styles of games is how fast they can grow stale, such as moves being repetitive, or fights not being interesting. This game manages to keep it fresh through the combination of the loot system, improving weapons, and in general the missions simply being more fun.

As the game continues, these weapons are found in different styles. It is typical RPG fare here, in that they may have better stats, or are quicker to swing, and so on. On top of this are two other systems. The first is a reinforce system that the player picks various "paths" for the weapon to go, such as pure offense, or increasing speed. It helps give a feeling of ownership to the weapons, as they can be crafted differently.

The major system is "Mitama," which is essentially souls of dead warriors. By equipping one on a weapon, they form a type of skill system to level up. They add additional moves and eventually unlock abilities to use, such as having an energy shield or increasing damage. The upgrading systems are pretty fun, and there is a lot going on without being overwhelming, but anyone looking for something really deep will be disappointed.

At its core, Toukiden 2 is a mission-based "monster hunt" game, but has really streamlined the experience. Hunting for items is much easier in general, as well as NPCs that can actually do things for the player in this regard. In other games, it becomes a chore, but this keeps it fairly simply, which keeps the fun from getting stale. This isn't a game that is going to blow everyone away, but it never set out to do that. It keeps to the basics of the genre and delivers with no major complaints.