Sclash Review
2D Samurai Action!
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Title: Sclash
Platform: PS4/5 Xbox 1/X|S PC Switch
Reviewed on: PC
Developer: Bevel bakery
Publisher: Just for Games, Abiding Bridge
Release: Aug 4, 2023
Time Played:
Genre: 2D Fighter
PEGI: 12
Sclash is a gorgeous 2d hand drawn game about warring samurai clans. The game was short, but a lot of fun. I managed to play for a little over three hours experiencing a lot of the game, there is still more to come, according to the developers, but for now I can let you know what is happening in Sclash.
Where it begins:
The story starts by following a young man named Jinmu, practicing his fighting skills against wooden dummies and his best friend. After training and proving himself to his grandmother, Jinmu is allowed to partake in the upcoming war, under the condition he stayed near the back. But being young, and quite skillful with the sword Jinmu ends up facing off with the opposing general and finds out why the two clans are at war forcing him to question everything he’s been fighting for and what he could do about it.
Can the kids watch?:
The game doesn’t show much in terms of blood on attacks. I’m not sure many kids would even be interested in watching. It was fun to play but it didn’t seem like a lot of people were very interested in watching the game play. I’m pretty sure my kids would get bored while I played, so it almost feels like a null point.
Gameplay:
Combat
Fighting wasn’t complicated to understand, there were only a few different things to do while fighting. Swing a sword, block an attack, dodge left or right, and pommel attacks used to interrupt incoming attacks. The difficulty came from deciding what needed to be done to trick the enemies and attack when they least expect. Both fighters have four stamina stacks to manage while fighting, losing a stack when committing to an action, but gaining stacks if they block an attack. Jinmu is always one hit from defeat, while boss enemies have to be hit at least three times.
Challenges
After beating the short story for the first time, taking a little over an hour, various challenge modes were unlocked, adding a little more difficulty to the story. Things like trying to accomplish everything in a set time or outrunning a giant wall of fire through the entire game. So even though the story was short, there were a few different ways to attempt it.
Multiplayer
On the main screen it says there is an online option in the works, I’m guessing would allow you to fight random people on the internet, but as of right now the game only has a local multiplayer option, allowing you to play against someone else on your preferred platform if they are right next to you. You can choose from a few different backgrounds to fight in and how many rounds to play, then both players get to choose and customize a fighter. The different customizations were rewarded for completing specific tasks within the story mode.
Bugs?
I ran into a couple issues while playing the game, I’m not sure if I would call them bugs or just problems that may need to be addressed. While playing the story mode if I left at some point I could continue where I left off, unless I was in the last chapter of the story, leaving during that would force me to restart the entire story from the beginning. It took me three tries to finish the story because of that, once due to a crash, the other was because I left thinking it would save. Then there was the fire wall run, at one point in the story there was an enemy that would always spawn on the other side of the fire where I couldn’t get to them and the fire always hit me.
Outro:
Sclash was very unique in looks and playstyle, I don’t regret trying it out. It was shorter than I would have hoped but the cost of the game was very generous. I really think it could be sold for more considering the work put in. I’m curious about what shelf my ratings put it on.
Visually the game was fantastic. I was very impressed with all the handrawn characters and scenery. I’m giving it a five.
I believe the story was pulled from legends of old, I’m not sure if its the exact same story, or based on one, but I felt like it deserved a four.
The gameplay was unique and tough to grasp at first, but after going through so many times and learning the techniques of the enemies it became trivial. That and the odd hiccups in the programing I want to give it a three.
If you want to unlock all the various masks and swords for customization the replayability is quite high, it felt like half of the story is dialogue but can be skipped getting you right into the action, I’m going with a four.
I had a lot of fun to start out, but after my game crashed forcing me to start over I was a little annoyed, then I quit to the menu in the last chapter hoping to save in case I crashed again and the dam game made me start over again. I powered through to beat it, but was annoyed at the whole process earning a two.
My experiences with the game earned it an average of three point six. Earning it a spot on the mid shelf, just a little short from making it to the top.
I would recommend this game, it could definitely kill a boring evening, and if you have a friend you both could try your skills against each other. I’m very curious on how the online multiplayer pans out, that may turn into a lot of fun if there are enough people playing and interested.