Niplheim's Hunter: Branded Azel
- January 6, 2019
- Black Train
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Niplheim's Hunter - Branded Azel," the titular character, Azel, is burdened with a Demon Brand that enhances her abilities but also brings misfortune. She travels to Niplheim, a dangerous frontier, in search of a way to lift the curse. Here, she faces formidable monsters and challenges, while trying to control the brand's power. The game combines action-packed combat with an immersive narrative set in a treacherous, monster-ridden land.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and well-drawn characters, enhancing the overall experience.
- The H-scenes are well-voiced and provide a variety of fetishes, making them enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- The gameplay is straightforward and easy to pick up, making it accessible for casual gamers.
- The game is very short, with a playtime of around 4-6 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
- Combat is overly simplistic and lacks challenge, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness.
- The story is basic and lacks depth, with little character development or engaging plot twists.
- story166 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of *Niplheim's Hunter – Branded Azel* revolves around Azel's quest to remove a lust curse, but many reviewers find it lacking depth and coherence, often describing it as basic or even poor. While some appreciate the comedic elements and a few twists, the overall narrative is criticized for being repetitive and awkwardly presented, with arbitrary viewpoint shifts. Despite its shortcomings, the game's art style and lewd content seem to engage players, making it a mixed experience overall.
“The story is simple yet at the end got a pretty nice twist.”
“We could really use a Niplheim's Hunter - Branded Azel 2 to follow up after this game because honestly I got it for the hentai but I stayed for the story and yes, the story did get me all teary-eyed as we follow the story of what made our main protagonist who and what she is as a hunter.”
“While it fully embraces the lewdness at its core, the story itself is quite catchy to keep me playing the game for 5 hours straight.”
“Now about the story, to put it bluntly, it's bad.”
“The story was a bit lackluster.”
“An utter lack of storyline and no character development or interaction makes this one of the worst purchases by Kagura.”
- gameplay110 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive loop of selecting hunting grounds, completing simple quests, and earning experience, which many players find lacks depth and challenge. While the art and music are praised, the combat mechanics are often described as overly simplistic and easy, making the gameplay feel more like a means to access the adult content rather than an engaging experience. Overall, the game offers a straightforward RPG experience that may appeal to those seeking light entertainment, but it falls short for players looking for more substantial gameplay.
“Good gameplay and art.”
“The gameplay is good for a short RPG; the story is decent.”
“Quite enjoyable game to play with its lite-RPG mechanics and well-drawn art.”
“The gameplay was very repetitive and not particularly interesting.”
“Amazing art, very boring gameplay.”
“The gameplay is there, but it's completely ignorable, which takes the appeal right out of it.”
- graphics68 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and high-quality artwork, particularly in character designs and h-scenes. While some reviewers noted that animations can be simplistic and the overall gameplay is short, the visual elements, including menus and UI, are considered standout features that enhance the experience. Overall, the art style is a major selling point, with many players expressing a strong appreciation for its aesthetic appeal.
“The artwork is great, I like the drawing style.”
“Great game with stunning visual graphics whether it's h-scenes or not.”
“The armor and character designs and artwork are definitely something worth mentioning separately as they certainly stand out as the best visual element the game has to offer.”
“The downside, this is very short, and within that short period of time, there's not much CG/artwork to be discovered.”
“It would've been a 5 out of 10 if it wasn't for the artwork.”
“Only reason I can think you get this is for only H scenes (patch required on the publisher's website) and the art style.”
- grinding21 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be minimal and not overly tedious, with many noting that it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story and content. While some aspects of gameplay can feel grindy, particularly if players avoid certain interactions, most agree that the grinding is manageable and often leads to quick victories in combat. Collecting items and costumes is also described as not being time-consuming, contributing to a generally positive experience.
“This one is not very grindy, or super long, but the content is great.”
“Took me about 6 hours to collect all of the CG, and that's only because I did a lot of unnecessary material farming because I thought the game would get more difficult at some point.”
“Some of the gameplay can get grindy until you have what you need to progress.”
“If you do not upgrade them (i.e., avoid all sex interactions), the game may become a little grindy, but not more interesting or challenging.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players noting that the writing is witty and charming, contributing to an enjoyable experience. Many found the comedic elements to be well-integrated into the gameplay, enhancing the overall fun and engagement. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal.
“The conversation is funny, well-written, and the aim is clearly to see.”
“Instead, it's well written, humors you, and casts a charm on you.”
“Niplheim's is a funny game.”
- character development12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the reviews highlight a significant lack of character development and storyline in the game, with many users expressing disappointment in this aspect. While the character designs and artwork are praised for their quality and appeal, they do not compensate for the absence of meaningful character interaction or growth. Comparisons to other games with better character development further emphasize this shortcoming.
“I would say two things I enjoyed about this game are that the outfits are quite cute, and that the pixel art when you are moving about is very cute and I like the character designs.”
“The armor and character designs and artwork are definitely something worth mentioning separately as they certainly stand out as the best visual element the game has to offer.”
“(I know what you are thinking, it's a h-game, what do you expect? Well, Treasure Hunter Claire is about 5x the length, is a good RPG, and has character development.)”
“An utter lack of storyline and no character development or interaction makes this one of the worst purchases by Kagura.”
“The translation is okay, but the source material doesn't seem to be particularly well written, with no character development.”
“An utter lack of storyline and no character development or interaction makes this one of the worst purchases by Kagura.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as nice and solid, complementing the lovely artwork and clean visual design. While there are minor criticisms, the overall audio experience is considered satisfactory.
“Small gripes aside, artwork is lovely, music is nice, gameplay is alright, and the game's scenes are great.”
“Visual design was very neat, interface clean, and audio/music was also solid enough.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be a mix of wholesome interactions with secondary characters and complex feelings regarding certain intimate scenes, particularly those that evoke a sense of discomfort or jealousy. The beautifully illustrated scenes contribute to a nuanced emotional experience, blending warmth with moments of vulnerability.
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to the ability to choose different routes and complete it in a few hours, making it easy to start new playthroughs. However, beyond initial route variations, replay value diminishes unless players pursue challenge runs.
“It's a game with great replayability because on a whim you could start a new game and choose a specific route that you want to take and complete the game in a few hours.”
“However, the game has little replay value beyond that unless you're going for challenge runs.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is reported to run smoothly without any bugs, suggesting a well-optimized experience that may appeal to many players.
