As expected of Acid Style, the quality of this game is really superb. The pixel animations are really good and above all else the gameplay really kicks ass.
STORY:
The plot is set in a time similar to the edo period, where Demons and Humans are caught up in a war. Demons attack the Shogun's capital, and in a desperate attempt to reclaim the city, the Shogun's remaining forces gather up citizens to counterattack and take back their city. That's the gist of it without spoiling too much. Although the latter half of the dialogue is untranslated for now, the beginning gives you a good Idea of what the plot is about.
GAMEPLAY:
Mihashira War Chronicles is a good ol' pixel side-scroller. It's similar to Acid Style's previous works where there are a bunch of levels featuring a variety of enemies and collectibles to find. Also, some of the hired warriors join you as NPC's throughout some of the levels, and will fight alongside you. You get three characters to choose from, each with their own playstyles. Furthermore, some sub-abilities vary depending on which of the 3 (maybe 4 in the future) characters you choose from. These sub abilities use up your "vitality" bar, which is above your health, and basically acts as your "ammo" for your abilities.
First you got Hashitaka, a ditzy meatheaded village girl turned warrior who has a close range fighting style with her sword and parry ability. She has an average sized vitality bar for her sub abilities which consist of throwable objects like axes and such, I'll leave the rest of her abilities for you to find out, as each character has their fair share which you can discover in the levels
. A bit of a standard playstyle but her combat feels really smooth and is my 2nd favorite out of the three!
Then you got Kigis, a totally not perverted
seriously you gotta believe her shrine maiden who specializes in long range spells to dispatch her opponents. Her attacks use up her vitality bar, but to compensate it's much larger than Hashitaka's. Again, I'll leave it up to you to discover her other abilities but make no mistake, she may be my personal least favorite out of the three, but she's still really fun to play as!
And lastly you got Ikaru, a devious shinobi, and my personal favorite out of the three! Ikaru relies on her incredibly fast speed, attack rate, and shinobi abilities to quickly dispatch opponents and dodge attacks. Her vitality bar is comparable to Kigis, but to make up for her other abilities, her health bar is much lower than the other two. She has a high risk high reward playstyle, and I personally love dashing through levels as her, she's awesome!
Before starting a level, if applicable, you can choose which character you play as, along with their loadout of your choosing. If the level allows, the character(s) you don't pick will follow you as NPC's.
H-SCENES:
There are two types of H in this game, CGs and in-game H. In-game H is your standard grapple to rape H mechanics. Not only does every enemy have one for each playable character, but they have multiple animations per enemy! Downed allies and even NPC's after losing all their health may also be taken advantage of during gameplay. Some levels feature CG H scenes as well, which are very nice in their own right.
If you're a fan of pixel H like myself, this games "content" is perfect for you, all the sprites are beautifully animated, and the variety is just the icing on the cake.
FINAL RATING: 10/10
Mihashira War Chronicles doesn't disappoint in it's awesome and fun gameplay and even without the H-scenes, would no doubt make for a fantastic game on its own. Acid Style is truly one of the best and most consistent developers, which is why I urge you to please please
PLEASE support him if you're able. The quality of their games are always on point, and this game is definitely a purchase that I won't regret any time soon.
