Princess Kaguya

About

Princess Kaguya is a Japanese-style beat 'em up game where you play as a celestial maiden fighting enemies with a kendama stick and bow and arrows. Battle through hordes of enemies and use special moves to defeat them, all while being immersed in a world inspired by the ancient Japanese folktale, Taketori Monogatari. Your mission is to seal the Wicked God and restore peace to the world.

Genres & Tags

Action

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

34%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

gameplay6 negative mentions

The art style and character designs are charming, featuring a traditional Japanese theme that enhances the overall aesthetic.
The game offers a variety of attacks and special moves, providing some depth to the combat system despite its flaws.
The music fits the theme well and adds to the atmosphere of the game.

The controls are stiff and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay and poor hit detection.
The game is very short, with only four stages, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
There are significant technical issues, including fixed resolution, lack of remappable controls, and unskippable cutscenes.

gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
52%
26%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its frustrating controls, poor hit detection, and clunky mechanics, making it feel unresponsive and often unplayable. While some players appreciate the visuals and atmosphere, the overall experience is marred by a lack of polish and depth, leading to a repetitive and unsatisfying combat system. Despite a few mentions of potential depth for patient players, the consensus leans towards the gameplay being uninteresting and overly simplistic, primarily relying on button mashing.
- “Gameplay consists of wiping out waves of enemies and eventually beating a boss.”
- “If you approach the game with the perspective that it requires a little thought and finesse to beat, the stiff controls become a little less game-breaking and one can appreciate that there is some depth to the gameplay.”
- “The art style is pretty cool and although the gameplay is simplistic, it's kind of fun.”
- “This would be forgivable if not for the rough unmappable controls, non-fluid gameplay, and poor hit detection.”
- “The hit detection is horrendous and the gameplay feels so clunky that I just couldn't force myself to continue playing it.”
- “The art, music, and enemy design are absolutely gorgeous, but the gameplay itself is infuriatingly buggy, laggy, and generally non-functional.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a beautiful yet simplistic 2D art style that draws inspiration from traditional Japanese aesthetics, with some standout moments like the charming special move featuring bunny archers. However, many reviewers criticize the overall technical execution as feeling rushed and unpolished, leading to a lack of animation and limited character movement that detracts from the visual appeal. While the artwork is generally praised, it is often overshadowed by frustrating gameplay and stiff controls.
- “Really beautiful 2D artwork, though, and the special move that summons a row of bunny archers is as satisfying as it is adorable.”
- “This game has beautiful artwork and lovely music.”
- “A short brawler with excellent artwork, atmosphere, and character design that is unfortunately marred by frustratingly stiff controls and lack of gameplay polish.”
- “Unfortunately, the graphics feel and move like a flash game.”
- “The art style is 2D, and most of the characters, with the exception of Princess Kaguya, have limited movement.”
- “The art style is a bit different but also very dull, with very simple backgrounds and not a great deal of animation.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring a blend of traditional Japanese sounds with modern rock elements that complement the game's theme. While some players appreciate the charming and fitting soundtrack, others feel it lacks variety and depth, especially in the context of gameplay issues. Overall, the music is described as pleasant and fitting, enhancing the game's artistic appeal despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “The battle music has a mix of traditional sounding music and a bit of rock.”
- “Art and music-wise, Princess Kaguya feels like a good throwback to ancient Japanese art and music.”
- “This game has beautiful artwork and lovely music.”
- “The art, music, and enemy design are absolutely gorgeous, but the gameplay itself is infuriatingly buggy, laggy, and generally non-functional.”
- “It's unfortunate that this game wasn't refined further in terms of more characters, more plot, more music tracks, and more gameplay tweaks... because if it had been given just a little more time, love, and polish, it could have been something spectacular as opposed to something kind of recommended but with strong caveats.”
- “While the art and music are great, the game itself is awful.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The story mode features three difficulty levels and an endless mode after completion, but many users criticize it for being too short, consisting of only four chapters, and lacking engagement. The narrative is presented in a kinetic visual novel style, which some find unremarkable and poorly integrated into the gameplay. Overall, while there are elements of the story that some players appreciate, it generally fails to captivate and may require patience to fully enjoy.
- “The story is told through a kinetic visual novel style.”
- “I would also say that this game is not really for the impatient, as both the story and gameplay require a bit of restraint to appreciate -- and this can be a little counter-intuitive for what seems like a simple brawler.”
- “I would recommend the game due to the playstyle, story, art, and music.”
- “I don't recommend this game due to a very short story playtime, sluggish attack strings, and not very thrilling story.”
- “The story is too short; only 4 chapters.”
- “The story, from what little I read of it, did not capture my attention at all and seems just slapped on to the game.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is praised for its superb art and design, with particular admiration for characters like Kaguya, who is described as adorable. However, while the character designs and atmosphere are highlighted as strong points, the overall experience is somewhat diminished by stiff controls and a lack of gameplay polish.
- “I love the character designs (Kaguya is adorable), the music is great, and the attacks (both normal and special) are really impressive - I mean come on, a rabbit archery brigade just looks hilarious.”
- “+ superb art and character design”
- “A short brawler with excellent artwork, atmosphere, and character design.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its whimsical character designs and absurd attack animations, such as a rabbit archery brigade, which many players find amusing. However, some reviewers feel that the overall experience is marred by mediocrity, detracting from the comedic elements.
- “I love the character designs (Kaguya is adorable), the music is great, and the attacks (both normal and special) are really impressive - I mean come on, a rabbit archery brigade just looks hilarious.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers feel that the character movement in the game could benefit from better optimization, suggesting that it currently lacks fluidity and responsiveness.
- “I think the movement of the character you are playing could be better optimized.”
- “The game's performance is severely hindered by poor optimization.”
- “I often experience frame drops and stuttering, which indicates a lack of proper optimization.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game's art, music, and enemy design receive high praise, players report significant issues with stability, citing frequent bugs, lag, and overall non-functionality that detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “The art, music, and enemy design are absolutely gorgeous, but the gameplay itself is infuriatingly buggy, laggy, and generally non-functional.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its excellent artwork and character design, creating an engaging environment. However, this positive aspect is somewhat overshadowed by issues with stiff controls and a lack of gameplay polish.
- “A short brawler with excellent artwork, atmosphere, and character design.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the cumbersome control scheme for switching weapons, which can lead to physical strain during intense boss battles.
- “Grinding feels like an endless chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
- “I find myself spending hours grinding for resources, but it often feels pointless and frustrating.”