Akane is a delightful twin-stick shooter that focuses primarily on melee combat, and wants the player to use their firearms sparingly. Mix this with the delightful graphics and upgrades, and there is a lot of fun to be had with this game.
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.
It's simple in concept and gameplay, but it is perfect for what it is! It's a brilliant pick-up-and-play melee twin-stick shooter/arena battle game. To upgrade to new items you have to fulfill different challenges, which can be incredibly difficult. This isn't a game you'll sit down and play for 3 hours, but it is DEFINITELY one that you'll keep coming back to for 5-30 minutes at a time. I love this little title, and it is so worth it for the price. Plus, it goes on sale all the time! BUY BUY BUY!!!
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.
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.
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.
On the surface, Akane is a super difficult game that requires absolute dexterity with a controller. It has some fantastic ideas which sadly are all cancelled out by mechanics and design choices that fight against the good stuff. It looks gorgeous, and can be enjoyed in really short spurts, but unfortunately there’s just not enough substance in this game to consider recommending it above the vast array of games available on the eShop right now.
Love it. I got it for $1, but would have paid full price. It's the most bare bones videogame I've ever played, but what it does do is fantastic. I really wish they made a meatier game with this gameplay. It's the perfect time waster.
A respectable action arcade-style arena hack-n-slash sort of game. Very fun, for what it is. Appropriately priced for what you're getting. If this gameplay was implemented into a fully fledged game...holy crap, it could potentially be pure indie gold, up there with the best. Maybe in a sequel? One can only hope.
Akane goes for a bit of that old-fashioned arcade feeling, and nails it. It plays like a slightly more sophisticated version of a twin-stick shooter, but most of the time you use a katana instead of a ranged weapon. Most characters, including yourself and bosses, die in one or two hits.
Akane has the bare minimum of content: a handful of enemies, one recurring boss, and just one screen. The only variety in the gameplay comes from the enemies becoming progressively harder, and from the unlocking of bonus items as you beat a dynamic list of achievements.
Some players might aim to complete all achievements, and unlock the short final scene. Most, however, will play this game as a pure arcade: keep going until you eventually die.
Akane doesn't aim high: it just wants to be a stylish skill-based game. At its budget price, it doesn't disappoint.
Following a short cut-scene Akane throws you straight into the action (although it's recommended to play the tutorial) and simply asks you to survive as long as possible against wave after wave of enemies. The core gameplay is fairly enjoyable as you mix melee attacks with a limited number of ranged weapon shots, and it'll certainly test the ability of even the most seasoned of gamers, but it does begin to feel fairly repetitive after only a short while.
This is a very subjective thing, but for me playing this just felt wrong somehow. There was some kind of weird clunkiness to it, making the whole experience quite unenjoyable.
SummaryImagine the rain-soaked neon streets of Mega-Tokyo. You, your loyal katana and hordes of mad Yakuzas. There’s no happy ending this time. Take down as many thugs as you can with you.