Since Capcom released its first Monster Hunter game on the market, the series has gained a lot of loyal fans over the years. Each new installment selling enough copies to justify a sequel in the future. The landscape has changed since the first Monster Hunter game released. Capcom focusses on portable versions and ignores the console market. Touiken is Omega Force’s answer to fill this console void. Toukiden 2 takes the best from the Monster Hunter franchise but creates its own face around it.
One big world to discover
If you’ve played the first Toukiden, you’ve played an enjoyable game that mimicked the Monster Hunter franchise a bit too much. Just like other Monster Hunter inspired games, it played it safe by emulating the things that make Monster Hunter this good. With Toukiden 2, Omega Force dared to take more risks, they changed the formula and create a new type of game, slightly inspired by Monster Hunter. Toukiden 2 takes the weaknesses of its predecessor and the Monster Hunter franchise and transforms those into strengths. The big open world being the best example of this.
Unlike the Monster Hunter franchise or first Toukiden game, Toukiden 2 is set in an open world. This means you won’t need to cross separate areas to destroy monsters. Of course, there’s the needed HUB world called Mahoraba where you can meet interesting NPC characters and upgrade your character and gear. Once you leave the main gates, however, you’ll enter the huge open hunting grounds, where you can go wherever you want and do whatever you like.
The importance of the village
The village of Mahorobahe is the new HUB village but is far more than just that. You wake up here years after the events of the first Toukiden game. Like in many other games, you’ve lost your memory and can’t seem to remember anything about the war that happened. This war wiped away almost the entire human race. The humans that survived are guarding Mahorobahe against the fierce Oni (demon-like monsters) while another group is set to the outside to destroy the monsters in the wild. The story gets interesting thanks to this political aspect of it. There’s a constant struggle and tension between the insider Guards and outsider Samurai.
Thanks to this, Toukiden 2 has a very interesting story, without English dubs. The plot doesn’t always hit it mark but there are plenty of deep moments that only enhance your connection to the village and its inhabitants. You’re not just solving random quests, you’re part of the bigger picture. Thanks to the great story, you’ll feel a strong connection to the village and certain characters, making it even more fun to go out and destroy some Oni monsters.
A lot of missions
And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing in this game. Going out to destroy monster after monster. The world itself is filled with monsters to defeat and NPC characters to meet. These characters often give you extra missions like gathering items, taking revenge or forming certain alliances. There’s always something to do next to the story mission and this is perhaps one of the better aspects of the game. You’ll always run into some extra challenges. The only problem is getting there.
The map isn’t really that clear and even with waypoints, you’ll find yourself lost in the big world multiple times. I opened and closed the map menu a little too much, to be honest. Of course, this is nothing that breaks the game but it does take away your momentum during missions. The reason why I got lost that much is due to the graphics, these aren’t that sharp so a lot of environments look alike.
Take down those Oni
The real goal of the game is bringing down the Oni that can be found anywhere in the world. The combat itself feels a little too easy and basically comes down to straightforward hack&slash action. The developers did try to innovate the combat by adding certain mechanics to it. One of those is the ability to cut off certain limbs to weaken the enemy and score some extra items or boosts while you’re fighting. At first, this feels fresh and new but after defeating tons of monsters that way, it always comes down to the same routine, over and over again.
The Demon Hand is a better gimmick, being your local hookshot. The Demon Hand is the perfect tool to travel the world a little faster but it’s also incredibly satisfying to use in combat. Thanks to the Demon Hand, you can launch yourself towards enemies and inflict some massive damage, extremely fun to use!
Lacks depth
The main issue I have with the game is the lack of depth. Sure, there are 11 different types of character you can create and you can change your style of weapon in the game. Switching between weapons offers variation but never the needed depth. By leveling you only gain more power but never do you learn no skills, it’s a missed opportunity for sure. In order to make up for this, the developers did add Mitama, souls of fallen warriors.
These Mitama can be equipped with your weapons or armor to give you some nice advantages. Depending on the type of Mitama you’re using, you can summon Oni on the battlefield or boost your attack. It’s fun to experiment with for a while but just like the main combat, it gets rather boring the more you play. Mitama can’t be upgraded so you’re always stuck with the ones you’re able to find.
This might sound very negative but all in all, the combat still remains fun. It’s a lighter, more fun approach to the genre and I’m sure a lot of gamers will be more than happy that they don’t need to boost their characters in endless menus. The only downside of it all is that this game is a lot easier than Monster Hunter, there rarely is a true challenge in the game due to your strong attacks or overpowered allies.
Conclusion
Toukiden 2 isn’t the deepest or best-looking game in the genre but it still offers enough fun to justify getting it in stores. It offers an interesting story, great open world and a lot of monsters to defeat. If you’re looking for an alternative of Monster Hunter on console, this is the game you simply need to get. Even if you’re not a fun of the Monster Hunter franchise, you’re still able to enjoy this hack & slash game without a doubt!
