Akane

Akane always ends in violence, bloodshed and the death of the titular hero. It’s the journey towards that inevitable conclusion, that makes this retro-styled experience one of the finest examples of its genre as it deftly weaves a subtle strategy with some of the tightest action on the market today.

Akane is a sleek, stylish arena fighter that feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. The simplicity of its premise and the stylish presentation are equally matched by its fun one-more-go gameplay. Akane is a game that does one thing and does it exceptionally well; its biggest flaw is that there simply isn’t enough of it.

Akane is the kind of game you pick thinking is going to be just a minute... And hours (and many tries) later you realize you are hooked. I mean, how would you say no to a mix of katanas, cyberpunk and pixel-art?

Thanks to its quick gameplay mechanics and variety of goals, it will easily get the player into trying again and again in order to reach a higher score. It doesn't stand too well on a long term basis or on a more in-depth experience, however, as this is a game that mostly appeals when played in quick experiences.

Akane is unapologetically fast, tough, and challenging. It’s setting and general yakuza/cyberpunk themes mesh incredibly well together in telling the player everything they need to know about the games’ last stand. The combat is fast and fluid with a moderate amount of skill required, yet its also designed to be something you can easily learn and improve upon the more you play. The challenges the game offers also give you a variety of goals to work towards and various helpful rewards to unlock which not only helps encourage replayability but offers short term goals that can keep you playing for hours. Whether you have a few minutes to spare or an hour waiting in line, Akane is a title you can pick up and play for any length of time.

Akane isn’t a game that’s looking to take you on an epic story of revenge. It’s one very specific thing and that’s a single arena score attack game within a futuristic cyberpunk future. It’s fun enough while it lasts and some will enjoy it way longer than others, depending on how much you enjoy the gameplay loop. It might not be a long game overflowing with content but it is a fun arcade style game that comes are a suitable price. There’s no shortage of bad games out cheap on the eShop, but Akane isn’t one of them.

While it might not share the intricate levels and levelling up mechanics of Hyper Light Drifter: Special Edition, Akane balances out its lack of topographical variety with a simple yet challenging set of rolling objectives and an increasingly tough variety of enemies to slay. Death is constant in those first few hours, but persevere and you'll discover a hack 'n' slash survival game that rewards precision, position and quick-thinking. With a brilliant chiptune/synth soundtrack and an art style that wears its influences front and centre, Akane has plenty of charms for those willing to learn to wield its blades – even if it does become slightly samey over time.

If you just want some stylized kills, of course, then you probably won’t mind the repetitiveness or the lack of story. And make no mistake, there are few games that are more stylized than Akane. But if you want anything more than style, then keep looking, because this isn’t a game with a whole lot of substance.

Akane contains intense action with fantastic controls but the repetitiveness of it all ends up making it a somewhat limited experience.

Akane is a great package of enjoyable gameplay and solid mechanics -especially as a small studio’s first try- but the lack of content in all of its aspects won’t take long to end up as a repetitive experience.

Akane is an alright experience – it handles well, and nailing a good run is always satisfying. But it is very repetitive. The lure of an increased strength boss probably isn’t enough to hold the attention for much longer.

Akane is an action game with good gameplay that leaves us wanting more hours of play due to its lack of content. A deeper story is missing, something that would undoubtedly make the game a remarkable title on Nintendo Switch.