(speaking foreign language)
- [Mike] At first glance, Kill la Kill The Game: IF
seems to have everything you'd want in a fighting game
based on a beloved anime series.
It has sharp cel shading,
a fighting game pedigree from publisher Arc System Works,
and the endorsement of the series' animation studio Trigger.
Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving.
When you actually get your hands on it,
IF's loose, mashy fighting
feels like a stripped-down version
of the prototypical 3D anime fighter,
rather than a loving homage.
(anime shouting)
Kill la Kill The Game: IF takes its general shape
from past 3D anime fighters like Jump Force
and the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series.
The one-on-one duels are very simple.
Each character has their own versions
of three basic attacks, a close-range strike,
a chargeable long-distance attack,
and a slow-moving guard break.
There's also a flashy meter-limited version
of each attack called a Death Blow,
which does extra damage,
though not enough to live up to the name.
Though the controls are simple
and each character's fighting style
has some unique tweaks, like heavy-hitter Ira Gamagoori,
who whips himself to power up his attacks,
it's hard to avoid the feeling
that you're just mashing your way to victory,
no matter who you choose.
There's a system in place where blocks beat attacks,
guard-breaks beat guards, and dodges beat guard-breaks,
but with an air dash that can reach your opponent
from any distance, and a lot of single-button combos,
it still feels like rushing in and mashing an attack button
is the optimal strategy.
That's disappointing,
but IF's strange camera would probably make it difficult
to keep track of anything more complicated anyway.
Rather than following your character,
the camera floats freely around the arena,
allowing your fighter to move out of focus
or even all the way to the background.
It's easy to lose track of what's going on,
especially in a hectic match.
You also have Bloody Valor,
a rock-paper-scissors-based comeback mechanic
offering some recourse when you're in a one-sided fight.
For half your special meter,
you can gamble for a power boost.
If you win three times in a row,
you gain access to Lost Fiber Secret Art,
a match-ending super move.
Though it sounds exciting, disrupting the pace of a fight
for Bloody Valor is always annoying,
and pulling off three wins to earn the Lost Fiber attack
feels like a crapshoot.
(speaking foreign language)
Despite being a competitive fighting game,
IF puts single-player first.
Its two story-driven campaigns remix and retell
the Kill la Kill's story
from Satsuke's and Ryuko's perspectives,
and it's clear you are expected to have seen
the entire anime series already.
If not, be prepared to be spoiled by the opening cutscene.
This feels odd for general anime and fighting game fans,
since playing the first chapter of the story mode
is required before you can do literally anything else.
In fact, you're forced to play more than half
of the first campaign to even unlock online play.
And though the campaigns are short,
they seem to drag on for far too long.
There's some variety, thanks to three-way matches
and large-scale brawls with groups of generic enemies,
but none of them remix the experience so much
that it's worth sitting through
the overly long stretches of dialogue
and cutscenes between fights.
Much of those simply recount the key plot points
of the anime you've likely already seen.
The few changes there are
feel like classic fighting game fare,
excuses to make specific characters fight,
rather than creating some new or interesting story.
While it can be tough to sit patiently through cutscenes
when you'd rather be playing, they are really well-composed.
IF employs some elegant cel shading in and out of combat,
and cutscenes feature some striking cinematography.
As you play the story,
you'll also unlock some amusing but thin solo modes,
various collectibles, and new characters,
growing the paltry starting roster of six fighters
to a still meager 10,
two of which are just alternate versions
of the campaign protagonists.
Two more characters are coming as free DLC
later this summer, but even 12 characters feels light
when the anime is jam-packed with weird,
wonderful supporting characters who could add variety
and personality to the lineup.
Despite some great-looking cel-shaded graphics,
Kill la Kill The Game: IF feels carelessly put together.
With a shallow roster to match its shallow fighting system,
it lacks both the breadth and depth
to make competitive play interesting, and its story mode
that is simultaneously long-winded and brief
fails to make up for an overall lack of interesting content.
For more Kill la Kill The Game: IF,
watch out playthrough of the first story mission
and 13 minutes of versus match footage.
You can also check out our reviews
of other fighting games, like Mortal Kombat 11
and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
And for everything else, keep an eye on IGN.
(speaking foreign language)