Eastern Exorcist
- July 7, 2021
- Wildfire Game（无锡野火数字科技有限公司）
- 14h median play time
Eastern Exorcist is an enjoyable 2D hack 'n' slasher that feels slick and fluid, but doesn't do quite enough to stand out from the crowd
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Eastern Exorcist is a single-player Fantasy Hack and Slash game with an interesting plot, featuring a skilled exorcist fighting against chaotic evil in a beautifully designed 2D world. The game boasts excellent visuals in Chinese ink painting style, tactical combat mechanics, and a storyline filled with joy, sorrow, and unforeseen entanglements. Cutscenes are presented in the form of Chinese Opera, enhancing the cultural experience."
Nintendo Switch
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Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
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Epic Games
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Reviews
- The game features stunning artwork and a beautiful art style that enhances the overall experience.
- Combat is engaging and fluid, with a variety of skills and techniques that allow for strategic gameplay.
- The story, while simple, incorporates elements of Chinese mythology and folklore, providing an interesting narrative backdrop.
- The game suffers from linear level design, lacking exploration and variety, which can make it feel repetitive.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as the stamina system and parry timing, can feel unbalanced and frustrating, especially during boss fights.
- The tutorial is overly long and intrusive, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay and lead to confusion.
- story236 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story features two distinct character arcs, each with its own narrative and bosses, providing a mix of engaging subplots and a central conflict that some players found underdeveloped. While the pacing is generally good and the art style is praised, many reviews note that the story can feel linear and simplistic, lacking depth and exploration of its darker themes. Overall, the narrative is considered serviceable and enjoyable, but not groundbreaking, with room for improvement in world-building and dialogue.
“The best things about the game in my opinion are the story and the myths that you come across while playing (really nice story line) and the art style which is beautiful.”
“Intriguing story, good gameplay and boss variation with just the right difficulty.”
“It's actually really fun and the storytelling is great, the combat is well done and fun to learn.”
“Story is weird; in chapter 1 of both characters' stories, the main conflict is set up to be an overarching plot for the rest of the game, but it quickly devolves into multiple good subplots that do their own thing, and the main one is treated as a means to reach these places.”
“You know you are nearing the end of the story only because of the chapter number, not because the character has reached a significant milestone in their journey.”
“The straight line environment, combined with the lack of story, lore, and NPCs, makes it a very dead world.”
- graphics144 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the beautiful art style, fluid animations, and stunning visuals that enhance the overall experience. The environments are often described as gorgeous and atmospheric, contributing significantly to the game's appeal, while some critiques mention that the graphics can feel average in comparison to other artistic titles. Overall, the visuals are highlighted as a standout feature, making the game visually captivating and engaging for players.
“The graphics are beautiful and it ran flawlessly for me.”
“The environments and artwork are gorgeous and it's the reason I kept playing.”
“The graphics and physics are on point.”
“Very primitive combat system, small locations (5 steps left, 5 steps right), poor graphics even for such a b-grade game.”
“The graphics are strange, usually many of the more 'artistic' games look better while still, however here motion gives it beauty, flames filling out after an attack, characters doing exaggerated poses while jumping and backgrounds gently swept by wind and fog make this a visual treat.”
“If you're not the biggest fan of dark souls type games where being challenged is the least of your worries, but really want to play Sekiro and/or just have an outdated graphics card, then get this.”
- gameplay130 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a straightforward hack-and-slash style with a focus on timing and skill-based mechanics, including parries, dodges, and charge attacks. While many players appreciate the fluid combat and engaging boss battles, some criticize the intrusive tutorials and certain design choices that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing and challenging experience, reminiscent of souls-like mechanics, though it may not reach the heights of its inspirations.
“The armor/shield/stagger/posture mechanic is an interesting wrinkle with which to contend and can make a game with already deep combat even more rewarding.”
“This game has an extremely smooth combat system and gameplay system.”
“It's really fun, the mechanics are all skill-based and once you've mastered them you feel untouchable.”
“The start of the game is also flooded with intrusive tutorials which broke the momentum of gameplay more than a couple of times.”
“Wolf demons are such poorly designed trash that they are actually 10 times harder than any boss in this game; they are not a threat alone but spawning almost limitlessly with multiple monsters makes them such an RNG pain that it makes the gameplay miserable.”
“The gameplay trailer they’ve made looks and sounds amazing, but sadly I didn’t see this reflected within the game once I started playing it.”
- music54 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the game's universe, though some note that the limited number of tracks can lead to repetitiveness. While the soundtrack is described as beautiful and fitting, there are calls for more variety to prevent it from becoming stale. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience, complementing the game's visuals and sound design.
“The music in the game is the cherry on top of the cake - fits perfectly into the universe.”
“The music goes really well too, it's strong and dangerous during the fights, and there's a constant 'hum' of music as you're travelling across the lands.”
“Sound, music and atmosphere are just fantastic.”
“The combat is terrible, the sounds and music are awful; the only thing that can be considered good is the graphics, which are average.”
“Add more music if possible, it's really lacking here.”
“There is a lack of music and sound variety.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its striking visuals, eerie music, and a unique blend of macabre and beautiful elements. Reviewers highlight the immersive experience created by the sound design and artistic style, often comparing it to the dark themes of the manga "Berserk" set in an ancient Chinese context. Overall, the atmosphere is described as top-notch, enhancing the game's emotional and aesthetic impact.
“I came across the demo of this game at one of the Steam Next Fests, and I was struck by the visuals and the atmosphere.”
“It has nice eerie music and atmosphere, pretty and macabre visuals as well.”
“The atmosphere is top-notch.”
“You can really feel the atmosphere on a dilapidated temple.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in these games to be tedious, as it often involves repetitive tasks to upgrade skills with only mild complexity. While grinding can lead to incremental improvements, many reviewers noted that it becomes monotonous, especially with the repetitive animations of enemy encounters. However, some players appreciated that leveling up and maxing out skills can be achieved relatively easily, with some even reaching maximum character potential without extensive grinding.
“These games tend to only have a mild level of complexity and then it's generally just a whole lot of grinding to upgrade this, that and the other.”
“It's only when the game gets to the final bosses that the difficulty spikes back up, and by this point you can have almost entirely upgraded skills, so any more grinding is just for incremental increases.”
“You know, the same as it always is in this genre and it becomes slightly tedious to carry on at the level you're at, but also really tedious grinding to level up whatever remains.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its varied bosses and areas tied to character selection, allowing players to experience different challenges. However, some reviewers noted that the ease of overleveling can diminish the challenge, leading to a quicker completion of content, which may result in boredom over time. Overall, while there are elements that encourage replay, the experience may become repetitive for some players.
“Also, there are different bosses and areas depending on which character you choose, giving it a lot of replayability.”
“So the game has a ton of replayability.”
“It adds a bit of replay value but soon gets boring when you can do all 17 bosses in about 10-12 minutes if you know how.”
“And what seems like will have replay value after the first run.”
“On top of that, you are also able to challenge the bosses again to get special items, so the game certainly offers replayability.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, particularly during the tutorial and specific trials. However, a few users noted that they experienced no major issues, although they mentioned occasional problems with hit boxes. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a concern for many, prompting some to consider refunds if issues are not addressed promptly.
“Buggy mess, can't make it through the tutorial.”
“The trial about the blade's wave attack has glitches.”
“I will ask for a refund if they don't fix the glitches soon enough.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent optimization, running smoothly on high-end systems like the 2070 Super with 16GB RAM at 4K resolution. Players appreciate the performance across various platforms, including the Steam Deck, and the inclusion of challenge modes enhances gameplay without compromising stability.
“Game runs very smoothly on my 2070 Super, i7, 16GB RAM system at 4K, so optimization is very good.”
“They have challenge modes for all the bosses which increase difficulty and time the encounter to rate your performance.”
“Performance is great on deck.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the significant effort put into the game's character design, animations, and cutscenes, noting that these elements contribute to an engaging storyline with intriguing twists. Overall, the visual presentation and narrative depth enhance the character development experience.
“I watched the gameplay online and I like the general storyline (a few twists) and character design.”
“It's easy to notice that the developers have put a lot of effort into making the game visually appealing: scenarios, character design, animations, and cutscenes.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a notable typo early on, where "kill" is mistakenly written as "kiss," adding an unexpected comedic element that sets a lighthearted tone.
“There's a funny error quite at the beginning: instead of 'there's no need to kill,' it says 'there's no need to kiss.'”
