Welcome to our review of Kill La Kill – IF, a hardcore fighting game based on the Kill La Kill anime series!
You control Satsuki Kiryuin as the main protagonist of this game, and proceed along with the story while battling against various characters. All scenarios are completely new and fully supervised under the watchful eyes of the original scenario-writer, Kazuki Nakashima. You will be experiencing the story unfold from the perspective of Satsuki Kiryuin, the rival of the original series’ protagonist Ryuko.
At the end of the Honnouji Academy’s Naturals Election, the one who appeared before Satsuki is not Nui, but Ragyo!? What is the reason for Ragyo’s sudden appearance? What is going on with all the strange phenomenons that has been occuring? An alternate “IF” story, branching out from the original series 8th episode!!
For those who do not know this anime series yet, do check it out if you like the more crazy fighting genre. I actually watched the series in preparation of this review and I totally loved it. I do not have the habit of spoiling storylines and this review will be no exception. My main purpose for this review is to actually describe the over the top battles and give due props to the developers for not censoring this title.
Censorship has become somewhat of a hot topic and I simply love when games hit the market without cutting down on the graphics or even remove parts of it. Games are intended to be played the way they have been designed. Sure, KILL la KILL lends itself perfectly for some “milder fanservice” due to its designs… But the action itself, this is a hardcore fighting game, is actually on par with some of the more hardcore titles out there.
Battles are incredibly high-paced and the option to change difficulties is very well-balanced. No star option all the way up to three stars, the levels clearly spike upon changing them, I was actually quite impressed by this, despite not being an expert at fighting game, I am no stranger to the genre either, my sweet spot was one star at first, but two stars near the second half of my gameplay so far.
The fighting is not just high-paced, but also very elaborate. A vast multitude of combinations and extreme attacks are present and they really make this game shine. I loved being able to properly attack from afar but also to block incoming attacks. The balance was really well made.
When I say it was well made, I am comparing this to other anime turned games titles. I am thinking the Naruto games or even some other Jump Comics titles. Several of them are half-hearted attempts to just grab money, cash in on the hype of the title, but KILL la KILL IF never gave me this impression. Proper hits, proper combos and just the actual feeling of playing a fighting game, KILL la KILL – IF brings it all to the table.
Graphics-wise, this game looks like you are watching the actual anime. Sure, there are some points where they could be improved, but the fun gameplay really overwhelmed me so much that I never considered this to be a problem. I have said it before and I will say it again, graphics do not make the game and KILL la KILL – IF is the perfect example of this. It looks great, do not get me wrong, it is just that the actual gameplay is the best asset of the game and it should be given due credits.
In conclusion, KILL la KILL – IF seriously caught me off guard. I have played a ton of anime games in my time and with just a few exceptions, most of them tend to be more of the mediocre quality. KILL la KILL – IF sets itself apart by giving us great fighting, a strong story and quite frankly a ton of fun! I can only recommend downloading the demo and trying it out if you have not been convinced by now!
