• Publisher: KoeiTecmo
• Release Date: 3/21/2017
• Console: PS4, PS Vita

Greetings to all the Slayers out there! Today I am super excited to share with you the release of Toukiden 2; the sequel to Toukiden Kiwami and just about everything I didn’t know I wanted in a demon-slaying game. For those of you not familiar with Toukiden, or with any of the games in the Monster Hunter series, the premise is simple: demons are a thing, they’re evil, and it’s your job to kill them before they exterminate all of humanity. Add in a few layers of story, a splash of character building, and a touch of humor, and a ton of easy to learn but hard to master mechanics, and you’ve got yourself a game. And just in case my initial statement didn’t quite give it away, they really outdid themselves this time.

The first thing I noticed while playing T2 were the overhauled graphics. True, KoeiTecmo has always had great visuals, but even by comparing this to Toukiden Kiwami, you can see the strides they’ve made during both actual gameplay and the cinematic cut scenes, which is never a bad thing. The vocals are very well done too, though all of them are currently in Japanese, and there aren’t any subtitles during the open world snippets of conversation between characters, though all cutscenes have subtitles.

Those experienced with the game will recognize many of the techniques and mechanics present in the sequel; Mitama (spirits that can be equipped to provide skills) are back, and more diverse than ever, this time filling a weapon slot, armor slot, and Demon Hand slot. The Demon Hand itself is a new mechanic, which lets you grab the environment, elemental sources, and provides a way to grapple large Oni, as well as flying Oni

Also expanded upon are the types of available weapons. While the previous games has a lot to be sure, Toukiden 2 introduces even more with the addition of the naginata, the chain whip, and a couple of others as well. And with the addition of more weapons comes the inclusion of more fighting styles, ranging from your standard attack and defense to styles that focus exclusively on increasing your agility, or healing the group as a unit.

All in all, Toukiden 2 is masterfully crafted. While I didn’t initially expect this game to be different enough from the first one to keep me entertained for long (because honestly, grinding is usually only fun for so long before it gets old), there’s enough that’s familiar to keep me from feeling like I’m learning a whole new game, but enough that’s different to keep me hooked and wanting  to spend more and more time with it.

Final Score: 9/10