KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI from COLOPL is a roguelike deckbuilder on Nintendo Switch set in a world in which reality and falseness collide. Find out why in our KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI review!
KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI from COLOPL is a roguelike deckbuilder on Nintendo Switch set in a world in which reality and falseness collide. It’s the year 20XX in Tokyo, and after a series of monsters known as Jinma invade, it’s up to you to infiltrate the isolated zone, battle through the tower, and defeat the many demons the game will throw at you every step of the way. This one will present a multi-perspective story as four Tsukuyomi agents, with each one taking not only on the conflict at hand, but also on their internal battles. You’ll be using Jinma Cards to battle fire with fire. Jinma Cards represent the demons that you have trapped and are now under your command, and they will be crucial for your survival.
If the name rings a bell, that’s because Kazuma Kaneko is known for his design work for the beloved Shin Megami Tensei series and the Persona franchise from Atlus, starting with 1990’s Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II for the Nintendo Famicom – that would be the Japanese counterpart for what we know as the Nintendo Entertainment System. That game was later given an enhanced port for the Super Famicom.
This new release is based on TSUKUYOMI – The Divine Hunters, a game that was available last year on PC and mobile. This new experience takes that content and remixes things to bring the free-to-play release to Nintendo’s hybrid console with a revamped presentation, some quality-of-life improvements, as well as some extra content new to this version. Speaking of content, before continuing any further, it’s best to address the elephant in the room: yes, the game uses generative AI.
The generative AI model is known as AI KANEKO, and it’s basically been trained by using the art of Kazuma Kaneko to create new monster cards that have a bit of the look and feel of the characters and monsters you’d expect from the man himself… even if the generative AI art does, at times, have that “off” feeling to it. And with that out of the way, it’s time to talk about the gameplay.
Battles take place in a turn-based card combat experience in which playing the right card at the right time can be the difference between life and death. Using your Tsukutomi maks, you’ll be able to command the Jinma sealed in the cards. You can use the Jinma Cards to damage enemies and bosses, but holding on to some of them will also boost your defense, so you’ll have to plan accordingly.
For each turn, you’ll have a set number of Odo to use. Odo will fully recover at the start of your next turn. Each Jinma Card will have a cost associated with it, which is shown in the upper-left corner of the card. The Jinma Card will also have an attack value in red, which is presented in the bottom-left corner of the card. Pick a Jinma Card from your row and then choose its target to attack. Cards with a green shield icon and a value in the lower-right corner are the ones you can use to boost overall defense in order to lower incoming damage.
In order to block an attack, you can choose a Jinma Card and place it in the direction that your enemy aims to attack. This is done by moving the selector over the card that you’ll use to block, pressing the X button to move it, and then pressing the X button again to leave it at that spot. You can also play a defense card to add a defense to your own defense, so that attacks targeting you don’t chip away so much at your HP. Oh, and some cards will have both attack and defense values! If you’re set, you can press and hold down the ZR button to end your turn.
You have a set number of card slots to use. Playing a card will remove it from play and add it to your discard pile, and a new card will be put into play from your draw pile. If you end up not being able to place a card into an empty slot, then that leaves you wide open to attacks from your enemies, and that can quickly spell doom! Jinma Cards can also have additional effects with specific triggers. For example, the Finn MacCool Jinma Card will gain +10 guard after attacking.
The game’s exploration takes place from a first-person perspective, as you walk through each area as if you were playing a classic dungeon crawler experience. As you explore each floor, you’ll run into regular and elite battles, as well as what would effectively be different node types, as if you were moving through the map of some of the more regular roguelite deckbuilders you’ve played before. When you reach an intersection, you’ll have to pick which path to take. This can lead you to an event node where you’ll need to make a choice, or perhaps you find a rest site, where you’ll be able to choose to either recover some of your lost health or upgrade your Jinma Cards.
Since Jinma Cards come in attack, defense, or balanced varieties, you’ll need to choose wisely as you pick between the different cards you’re presented with as rewards for your efforts. You’ll also need to pay attention to the potential Break condition you can impose on an enemy. This will force them to skip their turn while also restoring your Odo, which allows you to unleash powerful combos that could easily turn the tide of battle.
Defeat a major enemy, and you’ll be provided with a Tsukimono, a special relic that could provide you with a boon, a boon and a burden, or a burden. Its effects will be triggered automatically as soon as it’s attached, so be sure to choose wisely! An example is Stance, which adds +20 guard at the start of battle. Another one is Vigor, a very useful Tsukimono that provides you with a boost of 50 to your HP.
KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI is a roguelike deckbuilder on Nintendo Switch set in a world in which reality and falseness collide. It’s the year 20XX in Tokyo, and after a series of monsters known as Jinma invade, it’s up to you to infiltrate the isolated zone, battle through the tower, and defeat the many demons the game will throw at you every step of the way. This one will present a multi-perspective story as four Tsukuyomi agents, with each one taking not only on the conflict at hand, but also on their internal battles. You’ll be using Jinma Cards to battle fire with fire. Jinma Cards represent the demons that you have trapped and are now under your command, and they will be crucial for your survival.
You’ll gain experience points as you progress through each floor, defeat enemies, and complete quests. When this happens, you’ll gain access to new gear, additional Tsukimono, and passive boosts (such as an increase to max starting HP for subsequent runs). KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI is out on Nintendo Switch with a $24.99 price tag. You can also go all-in and get the KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI Digital Deluxe Edition for $29.99, which, along with the base game, also includes the DLC KAZUMA KANEKO: Refined Arts Pack vol.1. This DLC gives you access to the following special “Creation Cards” for use in-game:
– Shiva
– Hathor
– Nephthys
– Orcus
– Khonsu
Disclaimer
This KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by COLOPL.
