KILL la KILL -IF

Kill la Kill The Game: IF managed to exceed my expectations in almost every way delivering a fantastic experience for Kill la Kill fans like myself who have been waiting a long time for a game.

Starting at $4.87Buy now

Get on Steam

"KILL la KILL: IF" is an action game based on the popular anime series. Play as Satsuki, Ryuko, or other characters in 1v1 battles, using unique abilities and combos. The game features a original story supervised by the anime's creators, and offers multiple game modes including story mode and online multiplayer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 617 reviews

story47 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

story
269 mentions
17 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story mode is generally considered short and lacks depth, with most players completing it in about 3-4 hours. While it attempts to capture the essence of the "Kill la Kill" anime, many reviewers feel it falls short, often relying on cutscenes and failing to provide a coherent narrative for those unfamiliar with the source material. Fans of the anime may find some enjoyment in the alternate storyline and character portrayals, but overall, the story is seen as a weak point in the game, with many recommending it primarily for its gameplay rather than its narrative.
- “A 1:1 match to the anime with its own original spin on the story.”
- “As a fan of the Kill la Kill anime, I loved the original story they were trying to tell, which has the same charm as the anime and how it ties into it.”
- “The story mode is honestly a massive highlight in this game for me.”
- “The story has barely been touched, and that was arguably the whole point of this game (hence the name 'if').”
- “The story is meh; they stray away from the anime a bit in the weirdest ways possible, and not in a good way, and yet they were constrained and stuck to the story too much as well, so it's in this weird limbo.”
- “The story mode is a little lackluster but it was serviceable and not unwelcome.”
gameplay
138 mentions
36 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Kill la Kill: IF" is a mixed bag, offering a blend of accessible mechanics and unique character abilities that cater to both newcomers and veterans of fighting games. While the visuals and combat feel satisfying, the inclusion of a rock-paper-scissors mechanic, known as "bloody valor," has drawn criticism for its reliance on luck, potentially undermining player skill. Overall, the game is enjoyable for fans of the anime, but it may not satisfy those seeking a deeper fighting experience.
- “The combination of beautiful visuals with tight gameplay mechanics and a unique roster provides a fun gameplay experience for newbies and veterans of the genre.”
- “This game makes combos fun that can be advanced but also beginner friendly; all the characters ooze personality in their gameplay and are all unique in their mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is finely tuned and deceptively rich and deep; hands-down the best simple-combo 3D arena fighter I've ever played.”
- “It's not all good though, the very literal rock-paper-scissors bloody valor mechanic makes it difficult to take the game seriously at times.”
- “Firstly, the gameplay of this game is too button mashy; there aren't any intricate, hard-to-pull-off combos.”
- “Gameplay is simple, mash X to combo, mash Y to spam projectiles, LB+A/Y/X/B to do supers; the game honestly cannot handle multiple enemies on screen as there's lag, and fighting multiple opponents is a nightmare as you have to fight the camera and pray it locks on to the right enemy.”
graphics
78 mentions
36 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style and faithful adaptation of the anime's visuals, while others criticize issues like pixelation, jagged edges, and limited resolution. Some players note that the graphics settings are poorly implemented, leading to performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while the visuals are often described as stunning and vibrant, there are significant calls for improvements in resolution and anti-aliasing to enhance the overall experience.
- “The crazy visuals and fast-paced action are a real treat; while at first the hand-drawn look seems cheap, once you realize the attention to every movement and dedication to the anime's style, it's gorgeous.”
- “Graphically, the game is really beautiful and faithful to the anime's visuals.”
- “The visuals are incredibly good and faithful to the original show, recreating scenes, moves, and ultimates straight from the source.”
- “Terrible game, runs like garbage, story is everywhere, the character selection is too small and the graphics are not great for the year this came out.”
- “The art style is also sadly marred by ugly, jagged outlines and a limited resolution.”
- “The game doesn't have borderless fullscreen, doesn't allow for use of the d-pad (and in turn doesn't allow fully customizing controls), forces you to play the story before playing any other modes, has sub-par graphics that show just how low budget this game was.”
music
41 mentions
24 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, featuring a mix of original tracks and songs from the anime, which enhances the overall experience. However, players have reported significant audio bugs, including overlapping tracks and music that continues to play during transitions, detracting from the enjoyment. Despite these issues, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout aspects of the game, with many noting its uniqueness and appeal.
- “The music doesn't sound generic and there are even some songs from the anime featured in the story.”
- “The music, whilst definitely different from the anime, is very good (Ragyo's theme manages to be awesome despite being nothing like Blumenkranz, and Nui's theme seems to have created a new music genre consisting solely of itself which I shall entitle 'industrial elegant gothic lolita orchestral').”
- “The game has a killer soundtrack and is chock-full of unique voice lines recorded just for the game.”
- “Speaking of sound: the music sometimes cuts out weirdly.”
- “Hell, I muted the music because it all sounds so similar that I legitimately thought there was only one track in the game.”
- “I sometimes get a bug where music will keep playing forever, and every song that starts to play will overlap everything else, until about 20 songs are playing at the same time.”
optimization
32 mentions
9 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users reporting frequent crashes, frame rate drops, and poor resource utilization. While some players managed to achieve decent performance by adjusting GPU settings, many others experienced significant issues that detracted from the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be poorly executed, leading to frustration among players.
- “In regards to performance, the game runs pretty much flawlessly on my GTX 1050, which is certainly not anything fancy.”
- “Have seen some complaints about PC performance, but I have had zero issues.”
- “First, NVIDIA graphics cards still have it slow unless you go into the individual program editor to make it work with optimized performance.”
- “My only complaint is that the game has some performance issues, which sometimes causes it to run slower.”
- “Game freezes and crashes constantly, poor optimization, and this is long after the game stopped updates.”
- “Poorly optimized with really annoying frame drops constantly.”
stability
23 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and poor optimization, particularly during cutscenes and initial gameplay. Many players experience significant lag and audio glitches, leading to an overall frustrating experience. While some users report no issues, the consensus is that the game is plagued by bugs and requires substantial improvements to be considered stable.
- “Game freezes and crashes constantly, poor optimization, and this is long after the game stopped updates.”
- “I don't know if I get to have an opinion as the game basically freezes when I get to the first cutscene. The screen just freezes but the sound keeps going like the game is still running. I basically can't do anything, and as I've seen on the internet, it's a problem that so far as I know there is no way to run it and have it work on my laptop. So yeah, please fix.”
- “Litearlly has become unplayable for me. Every single time I open it, go through the first cutscene, the screen freezes, audio cuts out, and then it closes itself. Each and every time I try reopening it, changing settings, etc., it always does the same issue. Not sure if anyone else is having this issue, but I personally wouldn't recommend spending money on it until its issues are proven to not happen.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be hit-or-miss, with some players finding moments, like the transformation of the primordial life fiber into a baby, genuinely funny. However, there are criticisms regarding the overall comedic execution, particularly in light of the developer's previous work, which was not well-received.
- “Funny but dead unlucky.”
- “The only funny part is when the primordial life fiber turns into a baby.”
- “It's just very funny.”
monetization
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with users labeling it as a cash grab due to poor optimization and a lack of fun gameplay. Many reviewers express disappointment, suggesting that the game feels like a rushed port rather than a polished product, urging potential buyers to avoid supporting such practices.
- “Horribly made game, that's not fun and it's just so badly optimized/ported that it feels like a cash grab 1000%.”
- “Don't buy this game, don't reward another broken PC port cash grab.”
- “Let's go through what I just said one by one and explain why this could use more polishing to seem like a full game rather than a quick early access cash grab.”
grinding
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in survival modes where the lack of challenging AI leads to boredom. While long combos are enjoyable in theory, the extended periods of inactivity during fights contribute to a sense of filler rather than engaging gameplay.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Fighting the 'suits' or whatever you want to call them, as well as the final boss, is so tedious that it felt like it was just filler for the game.”
- “The long combos are fun in theory, but not being able to do anything for half the match gets really tedious.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game suffers from a lack of replayability, primarily due to a limited roster of characters, which leads to repetitive gameplay. While online play is stable and enjoyable, the absence of diverse content and competition diminishes long-term engagement, leaving players feeling dissatisfied with their purchase.
- “Playing the same 10 characters over and over again is boring; there's no replayability for me.”
- “And there's no replay value without online competition.”
- “They really need to hurry and update this; it's too late for me to refund, so now I am just going to have a $60 game in my library until they patch it to make it somewhat more playable.”
character development
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, as characters lack depth and meaningful introductions, leading to a disjointed narrative. However, the game does faithfully reproduce the high-quality character design and personalities from the source material, effectively representing the anime's aesthetic.
- “To top it off, the source material's top-notch character design and personalities are reproduced faithfully, with high-quality subs and dubs.”
- “No one's given anything resembling character development; the characters aren't even given much introduction, and things just happen with little rhyme or reason.”
- “It represents the anime very well with the character design to the story mode.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express that the emotional experience of the game is negatively impacted by frustrating gameplay mechanics, leading to feelings of upset and dissatisfaction.