Yodanji takes an old-school approach to roguelikes by rooting itself in simple yet complex turn-based combat that’s unforgiving and tough as nails. I think Yodanji redefines the difficulty standard for roguelikes on the Nintendo Switch, making other hot titles like Enter The Gungeon or The Binding of Isaac seem like a walk in the park at times. Yodanji doesn’t reward you at all for failing, which might turn some people away.

That said, if you’re looking for a game to play on and off for the lifetime of your Nintendo Switch, I think Yodanji fits like a glove. It’s one of those games you leave in the corner until you remember it’s there and play it for a little bit. Then, maybe, you’ll pick it up again in a few days. Yodanji has solid gameplay and some unique mechanics. Although it has some minor setbacks, I would be sad if you passed up this gem.

Developer: Kemco

Publisher: Kemco

5 Hours Played // Purchased Copy // $4.99

Elusive Yokai

You start Yodanji by choosing your Yokai from the not-yet-overflowing box of Yokai. Yokai are ghosts, demons, or other supernatural beings pulled from Japanese lore which, in the world of Yodanji, means playable characters. You start off with three different Yokai, each with their own character stats, skills, and lore. The starting Yokai have wildly different skills ranging from physical attacks, ranged spells, and environmental effects.

I’ve spent the most time with Kamaitachi, who is a lightning-fast weasel with an awesome slash cut called Lingchi. All in all, there are a total of 21 different Yokai, which is fairly astounding considering how much I paid for this game and how different the starting Yokai are. I’ve yet to determine if there are any Yokai with repeated skills and abilities, but my hopes remain high.

Hunting for a Challenging Picnic Adventure

There are three different game modes in Yodanji; Picnic, Hunt, and Challenge. The primary mode is Yokai Hunt with the alternative “easier” mode being Yokai Picnic. Challenge mode tests your fortitude to see how deep you can get with an endless dungeon. In order to unlock additional Yokai, you must complete the Hunt or Picnic modes by collecting three scrolls. Yokai Picnic claims it is “easier”, but I haven’t had much success finishing a run in either mode.

Because of this, I haven’t unlocked any additional Yokai beyond the starting three. This could be because I’m not good at video games, or it could be the fact that the game is extremely unforgiving and tough… but I’ll let you decide after you play a few runs.

The gameplay for the Picnic and Hunt modes consists of navigating your Yokai through randomly generated levels in an attempt to find the three scrolls. Battle enemy Yokai with your attacks, skills, and quick wits. Every flick of the joystick moves your Yokai which equates to one round. Enemies also get rounds, so it is important to plan out your attack or escape paths accordingly. Don’t get surrounded or it will be game over sooner than you would like.

The flicking of the joystick is one of my main pain points with the game. It seems unnatural that I need to flick a joystick every time I want to move. Unfortunately, you can’t remap the buttons for movement as they are used for inventory management.

Yokai Upgrades

In your adventures, you will find items that may heal your Yokai or provide bonuses to damage and defense, add invisibility, or increase your speed for a certain number of rounds. Your inventory is severely limited considering up to three of these slots need to be used for the scrolls. This makes smart inventory management a must. Finding and attacking what Yodanji calls Hitodama (human souls) will provide you with upgrade points. You use these upgrade points to unlock new abilities for your Yokai.

With the distinct differences between the Yokai, it might take some time to figure out what abilities work best, but don’t lose hope! Some of the later level ability upgrades are truly devastating to enemy Yokai.

Scoreboard

Yodanji comes complete with a fully-fledged online scoreboard that tracks daily, weekly, and all-time high scores. The highest I’ve scored on any run is 846 points, while the current all-time global leader has a score of 43,954. Shoutout to those on top; I have a long way to go until I master the secrets of Yodanji and the elusive Yokai. The scoreboard is a nice archive of all your previous, failed runs and is a constant reminder of that “one time” you got “really far”.

Simplistic Enjoyment

I feel a sense of sadness when I see people talking about rogues and other hardcore games without the slightest mention of Yodanji. It deserves its rightful place below Hollow Knight, Enter The Gungeon, The Messenger, Dead Cells on the infamous rogues hit list.

I’ll be the first to say it’s not flashy: the music isn’t an epic soundtrack and the controls bother me sometimes. However, the gameplay and variety is 100% there. This is a game that will remain on my Nintendo Switch forever as its really easy to pick up and play a few rounds between real-life action scenes. I think you will find a lot of enjoyment if you can look past its flaws and just play Yodanji for what it is. Yodanji is a simpler roguelike with a large number of playable characters, a wide variety of items, and a tough-as-nails difficulty with an interesting and colorful Japanese theme.

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