Code of Princess

This is the rare kind of game that seamlessly blends classic brawler gameplay with RPG elements while still managing to remain simple and fun, and is one of the most appealing games we've seen on the 3DS so far.

I think Code of Princess will go on to be one of those cult-classic games that gamers will bring up in their 'must-play games' list for the 3DS, just like Guardian Heroes. It's really that good. That 'spiritual successor' label? Totally worthy. This is a beautifully crafted side-scrolling beat-'em-up that has no equal on the 3DS, and the love that went into the localization makes it that much better.

Truly a holistic success. This is a game that feels like a love letter to fans that enjoy beat-em-ups, RPGs and anime. It's a courtship of elements that create a single piece of work that is both familiar and imaginative.

With a simple gameplay but that leaves us always wanting play more, an appealing visual look, and modes that guarantee entertainment for many hours, this is certainly another great game for the Nintendo 3DS's catalog.

It's got a couple of nagging issues, but Code of Princess has a fun story, a bevy of characters, and a lot of heart.

Code of Princess is an exceptional game, and despite its repetitiousness.

With a myriad of options, characters, levels, and level-ups to be experienced, it's hard to argue against Code of Princess if you're a fan of beat 'em ups.

A really interesting new addition for the Nintendo 3DS eShop game library. An extremely engaging beat´em up experience despite its issues.

The Agatsuma Entertainment game will manage to meet the large audience of players who love Japan and the madness that awaited an action title to break a little pace of their hours of play between a JRPG and the other.

Overall, Code of Princess is quite good if you're a fan of brawlers.

There's a hefty number of characters and stages to check out, lots of optional side content, and the addition of individualized move sets, special abilities, full stat customization, and more which make for a fun and rewarding throwback to old school beat 'em up fun.

Code of Princess surprised me with its combat depth, offering a challenge for those with enough patience to see it through. As a handheld title, the short missions and easy-to-remember controls suit the 3DS well. In the greater scheme of things, however, Code of Princess' difficultly spike is overwhelming if your tolerance doesn't extend to repeated content and frustrating bosses.

Ultimately, Code of Princess isn't as good as its spiritual predecessor, but it nontheless offers an enjoyable, content-rich, and often genuinely funny action experience. [Oct 2012, p.86]

Code of Princess plays like an old school game, but as a package manages to feel fresh due to its witty script, complete with sharp voice acting.

It brings many great ideas, but not all of them are successfully applied. Anyway, it's entertaining and addictive, and will have you playing for a long time if you like the genre.

While solid as a brawler in the tradition of Guardian Heroes with added roleplaying elements Code of Princess shines when it comes to the absurd, funny and sometimes plain silly characters and story.

Code of Princess is a good beat 'em up that focuses all his attention towards the Campaign mode. The lack of an intriguing storyline and some multiplayer problems make this buy an interesting one but only for die-hards of the genre.

Code of Princess is a good brawler game which resembles the iconic Guardian Heroes from Treasure. The combat system is both easy and interesting and grants enough fun to entertain any kind of player. Few issues with the multiplayer modes ruin the experience, but the final result is still good enough.

Code of Princess is a fun and funny fantasy brawler that's unfortunately hampered by technical issues.

Code of Princess provides an excellent means of satisfying the reptile-brain impulses within me, and like many other games in this genre it will be there whenever I need a sudden adrenaline boost. That makes it a difficult game to recommend for anyone without a reptilian brain that sometimes demands relief, but it satisfies the urge to concuss everything in sight splendidly.

Code of Princess is a fun and frantic action adventure for the 3DS, one that often provides plenty of excitement-but which, at other times, feels limited either in design or by the hardware it calls home.

Code of Princess is still a solid game for the 3DS. Its marriage of role-playing and fighting elements with the traditional beat-'em-up framework adds a satisfying layer of depth to the genre, and the ability to play co-operatively or competitively with your friends helps stave off some of the repetition of its missions. It may not be the biggest release of the year, but that doesn't mean it's any less worthy of your attention.

Beyond the winning localization and expert voice acting, though, playing through this adventure just felt lacking – its various unique ideas and innovations never came together to create a real sense of fun.

There's some playability at the core of the game for those who enjoy mindless, droll beat 'em ups, so Code of Princess isn't the worst game out there for the 3DS, but for $40 you can do a lot better.

On the surface this game seems to have it all. Good graphics, a nice soundtrack and awesome gameplay. On the other hand the framerate is not constant and the game offers no deep storyline. Still it is a nice game to play in between of the big titles.

Code of Princess is flawed by annoying technical and gameplay issues that don't really live up to the Guardian Heroes legacy everyone was hoping for.

This could have been good, but the visual chaos on-screen is really a shame.

Code of Princess looks and sounds brill, but the shallow nature of its hack 'n' slash action lets it down greatly.

It's a tribute act: one that initially delights through recognition, but ultimately feels hollow and counterfeit.

As a spiritual successor to Guardian Heroes this somehow manages to copy all of the flaws and leave out half of the positives, but it's still a fun beat 'em-up all the same.

Its presentation is good, but its shallow gameplay is boring. Apparently, even the dev team knew that, as they decided to cover up the mess with fake RPG elements.

A high-quality localization and a wealth of content, however, can't make up for a gameplay experience that quickly grows stale.

Like Lady Zozo, its heart is in the right place, but its arms and legs are on backwards and inside out. Too monotonous to be entertaining.

A royal pain in the ass. [June 2013, p.83]

If you're dying to play something on you 3DS you could do worse than Code of Princess, but you could do a lot better too. It's a decent diversion with a fair amount of content, but at $40 and with so many cool and promising games coming out for the system in the near future, I have to recommend that you hold on to your money until then.

The game was just that painfully disappointing. It's its own fault, though. It was touted by its team as a spiritual successor to Guardian Heroes, one of the best Saturn games of all time and a great side-scrolling beat 'em up in any context. The comparison, though, only holds up at the shallowest level of the surface, falling apart as soon as one scratches that away.