Yokai Tales Demo Impressions
Hear me out: Slay the Spire progression (make decisions on a map of where to go next) but instead of card-based combat, it is traditional JRPG style battles (turn-based attacking). Also, it is all hand-drawn. Also also, it is a roguelike. Man, I wish I came up with this concept (and could draw, and code, and develop a video game, and…).
From the creator of the excellent Metroidvania, Super Roboy (which we praised here), comes something different but something that is super freaking cool: Yokai Tales. The void is transforming yokai into terrible creatures. You play as three Tanuki brothers who can transform into their enemies. Can you fend off the void and save the day?
You can begin your journey by choosing classes for your three heroes. Currently, you can pick from warrior, mage, or healer. You can pick one of each, three of one, or any combination. Per the developer, there will be five or six choices in the game's final version. Once you settle on your party, you are presented with a Slay the Spire-esque map. Unlike Slay the Spire, choices are not final and you can head back down paths to go a different way. That is, as long as the Void has not consumed the bottom of the map. If you manage to come across a shrine node, you can push the void back several days which will re-open the map. The top of the map contains a boss fight but along the way, you will find regular and elite battles, merchants, treasure chests, and unknown events that you have to take a chance on to reveal plus the aforementioned shrine.
When you do enter combat, it is standard turn-based combat that has existed since the dawn of time but with a twist. Each member of the party can transform into a previously encountered enemy combatant (as of the date of this writing, I could choose from 6 different transformations). Transformation unlocks happen as you progress through the game but you must have encountered the enemy first before it will be available to unlock. Transforming does not take a turn but it does cost mana.
Each transformation has elemental properties; you can see enemy strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to adjust your choices. The transformation comes with its own set of attacks but each class also has its own abilities which can be added to as you level up. For example, only the healer can heal so if your class loadout is all damage dealers, you better hope you make it to a shrine to heal up. While the demo does end at the top of the map, the full game will have additional maps and biomes and you will continue to level up and unlock new transformations.
Check out some gameplay below and be sure to add Yokai Tales to your wishlist.
