近畿霊務局 - Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau
- October 4, 2024
- Noto Muteki
Get on SteamIn "Kinki Spiritual Affairs Bureau - Kinki Shoumuchou", players assume the role of Mizuki Shiraishi, an exorcist investigating mysterious disappearances in a village overrun by malevolent spirits. Armed with a range of weapons and stealth abilities, Shiraishi must navigate a cut-off village, uncover the truth behind the incident, and ultimately confront the powerful force orchestrating the chaos. This Japanese-set action horror game offers a unique blend of combat, stealth, and supernatural intrigue.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a surprisingly engaging story that evolves from a humorous premise to a serious narrative, showcasing great writing and character development.
- Despite its janky gameplay and optimization issues, the game offers a fun and entertaining experience with a variety of mission types and comedic elements.
- For its price, the game provides a memorable experience that exceeds expectations, making it a worthwhile investment for players looking for something unique.
- The gameplay suffers from significant jankiness, including clunky controls, poor optimization, and frequent frame drops, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Many players found the dialogue pacing to be excessively slow, leading to frustrating moments during cutscenes and text-heavy sections.
- The game could benefit from more polish and refinement, particularly in its mechanics and camera controls, which often hinder gameplay.
- story62 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is a standout feature, blending humor with serious themes and engaging character development, which keeps players invested throughout its relatively short campaign. While it starts as a lighthearted parody, it evolves into a compelling narrative that tackles deeper issues, showcasing impressive world-building and mission variety. Despite some gameplay jankiness, the well-crafted story and its unexpected depth have left a lasting impression on players, making them eager for more.
“But I stayed because of the great story.”
“The story itself is in the style of an early 2010s anime mixed with Call of Duty, exorcism, and B-movie government conspiracies.”
“The story has managed to keep me hooked to endure the rest of the game and it even managed to land on its feet without major plot holes to a decent conclusion.”
“The game starts off as a funny game design but it slowly became more serious and interesting; sadly, it's quite short and I wish the story was much more expanded with more plot points and progression.”
“They lured me in with hilarious ghost hijinks and pulled a political commentary, war drama, and just an outstandingly written plot that can make me feel bad for the NPCs who all have the same faces, wrapped with very little budget as 80% of the credit roll is just listing off the assets he bought to make this game.”
“A movie shot under a skimpy budget, but the plot is somehow better than Call of Duty after 2011, with a bit of the Secret Soldiers of Benghazi vibe, where Constantine reincarnates as an anime girl and exorcises evil spirits like Ghostbusters, but instead of capturing them, she slays them like a MARSOC raider while having goofy shenanigans with everyone and everything around her from time to time, while the entire story is actually about a serious matter like how Yakuza series usually plays out.”
- humor30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending absurdity with well-crafted storytelling that balances comedy and serious themes. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, fourth-wall breaks, and engaging character development, which contribute to a surprisingly emotional experience. While the gameplay may have its flaws, the humor consistently delivers laughs and keeps players entertained throughout the narrative.
“Beneath the mask of this hilarious concept is a well thought out universe with an excellently paced story campaign.”
“A remarkably funny, surprisingly touching romp where you're using a whole host of military weaponry against goofy-looking ghosts.”
“The humor actually sticks for me, and I always chuckle at the occasional fourth wall breaking, and tongue-in-cheek explanations for in-game aesthetic choices.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its janky mechanics and control issues, such as inconsistent movement and shooting while behind cover. Despite these flaws, some players found the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, praising its variety and the strong storytelling that kept them invested. Overall, while the gameplay may be rough around the edges, it offers a decent experience that can be appreciated if players are willing to overlook its shortcomings.
“I bought the game expecting it to be a super hilarious game that doesn't take itself seriously all the time, and what I got is exactly that plus some good shooting mechanics, a story that I enjoyed from beginning to end. I somehow got attached to the main character and now want this to become a series.”
“The story is so much fun to sit through and genuinely had me hooked and rooting for the characters, and the gameplay, while janky, is tight and enjoyable.”
“Gameplay is pretty diverse; it includes slow-burn horror, melee combat, shooting, turret sections, stealth, point defense, and driving.”
“Gameplay can still feel janky with controls, like you are behind cover and peeking but you still can't shoot when you aim your crosshair around the corner.”
“No amount of good story can redeem the jankiness of this game's gameplay.”
“Gameplay is incredibly rough, with movement that constantly has you going from 2 to 20 mph when turning, and a sluggish mouse with the 30 fps lock.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting choppy performance and various technical issues, including crashes and motion sickness due to low field of view and excessive motion blur. Many players feel that the game is poorly optimized, likening it to a beginner project, and are calling for developers to address these concerns for a smoother experience. Despite these flaws, some players still find enjoyment in the gameplay itself.
“Could use some polishing and optimization, but this is some good comedy horror with a fun variety of missions.”
“Performance is a little choppy, but playable.”
“But the poor optimization of the game!”
“The optimization is bad (closing the game crashed my PC during my vtubing stream), the stupidly low FOV causing motion sickness and the ridiculous motion blur, weird camera and camera control choices.”
“It is very much a jank, poorly optimized, baby's first Unity project made mostly with store assets and there is basically zero redeeming quality with its gameplay.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game received a mixed review, scoring 6/10, with some players appreciating the unique cutesy artwork and military shooter aesthetics, despite noting janky gameplay. While the visuals may not be top-tier, they effectively complement the game's strong storytelling and humor, contributing to an engaging overall experience.
“I highly recommend this indie game to anyone that likes horror, parodies, and especially military shooter aesthetics.”
“The humor actually sticks for me, and I always chuckle at the occasional fourth wall breaking and tongue-in-cheek explanations for in-game aesthetic choices.”
“Graphics: 6/10”
“Don't be fooled by the cutesy artwork and janky gameplay; it managed to have some of the best storytelling I've seen for this type of game, talking about some very real issues.”
“Especially terrain smoothness and graphics affect balance.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a well-received soundtrack that blends heart-pounding metal with traditional Japanese instruments, earning a score of 7/10. While it primarily consists of licensed tracks rather than original compositions, the effective use of these songs, combined with impressive camera work, enhances the overall experience.
“While I don't know if the author commissioned these soundtracks or not, but they are pretty good!”
“The way the licensed tracks are used alongside Noto Muteki's great camera work makes this elaborate game far more than the sum of its parts.”
“A mix of heart-pounding metal music and Japanese instruments.”
“And while there doesn't seem to be any original music from what I could see in the credits, the way the licensed tracks are used alongside Noto Muteki's great camera work makes this elaborate game far more than the sum of its parts.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a unique blend of humor and emotional depth, featuring a mix of military action against whimsical ghosts that leads to unexpected touching moments. Players experience a roller coaster of emotions, enhanced by supernatural and political intrigue, alongside memorable twists and epic confrontations. Overall, it offers a solid and surprisingly heartfelt experience that resonates with players.
“The supernatural and political intrigue, the twists, the epic last stands, the emotional moments, the memes, the call of duty name color change to denote switching allegiances, it's all here.”
“I want to make a silly joke like calling it Call of Duty: Ghosts (admittedly I noticed a few nods to the series), but it was a really solid experience that got a few laughs out of me and was a little emotional as well.”
“Like an emotional roller coaster ride that totally caught me off guard.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for interrupting gameplay with ads, particularly during key actions like throwing items, which detracts from the overall user experience.
“The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constant interruptions.”
“I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money at every turn, which really detracts from the overall experience.”
“The ads are intrusive and often pop up at the worst moments, ruining the flow of gameplay.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its strong design, showcasing unique and memorable traits that enhance player engagement. Reviewers highlight the depth and evolution of characters throughout the game, contributing to a more immersive experience. Overall, the character design is considered a standout feature that enriches the narrative.
