Shiro Enkai

About

Shiro Enkai is a single player action game. It received positive reviews from players.

Shiro Enkai is a high-intensity top-down action experience where you become Mr. Katanas — a cyberpunk-era dark samurai. His world blends ancient Japanese aesthetics with the neon glow of the future. Face five distinct monster types, each demanding a unique combat approach. Your arsenal holds only five abilities. Every move counts — a single mistake can end you. Battles are rapid, brutal, and fill…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,097 reviews

gameplay115 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

Addictive and highly enjoyable gameplay with unique mechanics and fluid combat.
Beautiful graphics, art style, and immersive soundtracks that elevate the experience.
Good replay value with multiple modes, character classes, weapons, and mod support.

Short main campaign with limited enemy variety and some repetitive level design.
Some clunky controls and occasional bugs/glitches affecting gameplay and UI.
Small and dwindling player base, making multiplayer experience limited or difficult to find.

gameplay
296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
5%
The gameplay is widely praised for its addictive, fast-paced, and skill-based mechanics, with unique elements like the harden mechanic and shell system adding depth and variety. While fluid and satisfying for many, some players note issues with repetition, balance, tutorial clarity, combat jank, and occasional bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a compelling and rewarding loop with a moderate to high learning curve, making it appealing to fans of roguelikes, soulslikes, and action shooters seeking challenging and engaging gameplay.
- “Almost infinite content, addicting gameplay and an amazing game all around.”
- “The gameplay never feels stale no matter how many runs I go through; the idea of fusing different boons to synergize and interact with whatever selected weapons or builds really makes it feel new and refreshing.”
- “The gameplay is fluid and intuitive, and the way that the loop is woven into the narrative is sublime.”
- “The hardening mechanic doesn't replace a proper block/parry mechanic.”
- “But even playing the tutorial proved way too much for me; the game is overall slow, with animations way too clunky to withstand, and most mechanics seem placed a bit at random. You can direct your attacks in multiple directions, yet the block is universal and will block any non-charged attack.”
- “The entire gameplay revolves around: run through area, kill boss, run all the way back through area, base area is now covered in fog and grab spam enemies, do it again 2 more times.”
story
160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
The story is generally seen as simple, minimal, or cryptic, serving mainly to provide context for the gameplay rather than being a deep narrative focus. While some praise its relevant themes and integration with gameplay, many find it vague, short, or lacking in concrete details, often describing it more as fragmented lore than a traditional story. Overall, it is considered satisfactory for players who prioritize fast-paced gameplay over narrative depth.
- “Finishing the main story feels so fulfilling.”
- “The story is told in fragments, but those fragments are razor sharp.”
- “My friend made me play this game and lied to me about the story and about running and a lot more things. Didn't want to tell me about the game; if you are reading this please give me tips and tricks about the game.”
- “The story is practically nonexistent - there are hints of friendly characters you interact with off-screen, but there isn't a single line of dialogue explaining what happened or who you are or why you woke up in a garbage dump with one arm missing.”
- “The negatives are the story is forgettable, the cut scenes are lackluster, and the campaign feels short.”
- “Literally only complaint is the story that I'm 90% sure is just early storyboards that were thrown in because nobody had any solid ideas and money was running out.”
music
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
The music across these games is widely praised, often described as electrifying, immersive, and a standout feature that enhances gameplay intensity and atmosphere. Soundtracks, including genres from haunting dungeon synth to heavy metal boss themes, are frequently highlighted as memorable and integral to player engagement, with some games offering custom music support to further personalize the experience. Overall, the music is considered a major draw, elevating many titles from excellent to exceptional and often cited as reason alone to buy the game.
- “The soundtrack is genuinely one of the greatest ever; Chris Christodoulou absolutely did not have to go that hard, but he did, and his contributions elevate the game to another level.”
- “Absolute peak of roguelikes with what could be the best game soundtrack ever even after they completely messed up Seekers of the Storm, they actually redeemed themselves by not only completely reworking it but also making Alloyed Collective so damn good that I'd say they deserve the forgiveness. Crashing the game will never get boring.”
- “Possibly the best ambient soundtrack ever, right up there with Minecraft, also just happens to be on a really fun roguelike.”
- “Negatives include terrible navigation, the final boss, and music (which despite fitting the vibe is literally just ambient, and I'm sure they could do at least boss fight music hit harder while keeping the original style. The alternative boss OSTs are banger though), and the entire early game.”
- “I'm currently hosting a room waiting for someone to join to fight me, and the music is absolutely torturously bad.”
- “Needs a better soundtrack though, just put your own on.”
graphics
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful, stylish art direction, detailed character designs, and atmospheric visuals that enhance the overall mood and gameplay experience. While some note the graphics show their age or can become visually cluttered, the aesthetic quality and optimization across various hardware remain strong highlights. Overall, the visuals are considered a key strength, contributing to an immersive and memorable game world.
- “I have made it to the end of this game once on my switch, and this game is really good. It has great graphics and is super fun to play and learn. A true work of art, one of my favorites.”
- “In terms of graphics, this game rivals most of the latest UE5 games.”
- “Positives: the aesthetic is amazing, I don't even know how to describe it but this game is an art piece on its own. Throughout the entire game, it looks stunning (except for a cutscene here and there).”
- “Graphics-wise, it's showing its age, but it’s still stylish.”
- “Pros: ... bearable but overall bad graphics and animation quality ...”
- “Very minimal graphics and thin experience.”
replayability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
31%
10%
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, driven by diverse skill expression, numerous unlockables, expansions, and engaging roguelike gameplay modes. Players appreciate the variety of characters, items, and challenges that keep the experience fresh, though some note replay value may dip after full completion. Additional modes, a level editor, and strategic depth contribute to long-term engagement and addictive play sessions.
- “This game has a lot, I already have about three hundred hours on console, but the sheer scope of skill expression and replayability is phenomenal.”
- “The base game is perfectly enjoyable, but I'd argue the expansions are all generally worth it (Survivors of the Void, Seekers of the Storm, and Alloyed Collective, as of writing this review), each adding new survivors, items, stages, bosses, and music to mix the game up and further improve its replayability.”
- “Infinitely replayable gameplay loop and some pretty fun mechanics to make for a deeply addictive game.”
- “Fun game to sink some time into, especially with the way unlocks work you'll have tons to do for hours, although I feel like the game struggles with replayability once you've got all those unlocks.”
- “So probably a 1.5 hour campaign, replayability is down to style points, NG+, and a firefight mode.”
- “ boring rock paper scissors fun✅ hmm.......... entertaining ace godlike~ replayability ~✅ a one-time experience only for achievements if you wait a few months/years (or with mods) definitely infinitely replayable (or almost)”
grinding
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
72%
Grinding in the game is frequently described as excessive and time-consuming, often requiring long play sessions that some find tedious and repetitive, especially when pursuing achievements or progressing through DLC content. While grinding is not always mandatory for progression, many players note that resource and experience farming can become a significant slog, detracting from enjoyment despite the game's overall appeal.
- “Too much grinding, 30 minutes per run is too long to play a game like this.”
- “About 20h to get through, the rest - prepare for grinding to dust.”
- “This is the first time I give up 100% a game because of how grindy the DLC is while being heavily repetitive and just straight up boring with no new content whatsoever.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
24%
14%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its moody, haunting, and immersive qualities, featuring stunning art design, a dark horror vibe, and compelling soundtracks that rival top titles in the genre. Its diverse and maze-like environments enhance exploration and world-building, though some find navigation confusing and the world somewhat simplistic. Despite a shorter length and occasional technical hiccups, the game’s unique mechanics and atmospheric depth create a captivating and memorable experience.
- “Great elevating atmosphere, stunning environments, impressive art design and haunting soundtrack.”
- “The game has an incredibly moody horror atmosphere that perfectly matches the enemy design and art style.”
- “The art direction, brooding and suffocating game atmosphere, and hypnotic, almost subliminal sound design and music are absolute standouts.”
- “Some levels feel unpolished due to non-game-breaking bugs here and there.”
- “The atmosphere was like a dojo, where people came together to spar, learn techniques, and hone their skills.”
- “Atmosphere?”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
30%
15%
The game's optimization is generally praised for running smoothly with impressive graphics and minimal stuttering, even on mid-range hardware like GTX 1060 and GTX 1070. However, some users report performance issues and poor optimization on certain systems, indicating mixed experiences depending on the setup. Overall, it performs well but may have occasional problems on lower-end or mid-range machines.
- “The game's optimization is remarkable and worth noting, as it runs smoothly and easily even with all the insane quantity of entities, visual effects, and particles on screen.”
- “Absolutely beautiful graphics, and yet, it is so well optimized that it's not too demanding on my GTX 1070.”
- “On DX12 RTX mode, I get like 45 FPS with a GTX 1060 6GB— that's good optimization.”
- “That said, the game is definitely flawed with bugs, weird design choices, confusing levels and, my biggest gripe, bad optimization.”
- “I can run pretty much any other game like water so I don't understand why it's optimized poorly.”
- “Optimization seems lacking, especially for mid-range systems.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky characters, amusing ragdoll physics, and funny in-game moments like unexpected jump scares and secret endings. The community is praised for its lively and humorous interactions, balancing friendliness with playful trolling. However, some gameplay quirks, like hit detection and certain design choices, also contribute to an unintentional comedic experience.
- “Every time you unlock something, the game throws another ten unlockables in your general direction; it's like a very funny hydra.”
- “Characters are quite unusual yet funny (I think there are only a few humanoid characters).”
- “Funny secret ending.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game runs well technically but is still plagued by various bugs, including occasional glitches with character movement, combat mechanics, and visual issues. While some bugs impact gameplay, most are minor or rare and are reportedly being addressed by developers. Overall, stability is decent but not flawless, with ongoing improvements expected.
- “It doesn't overstay its welcome, has some unique ideas, and runs great on a technical level.”
- “Some downfalls to this game are it's still a bit buggy, some of the character's sword range is a bit overpowered, and it's missing a chunk of content the game promised, like capes and such.”
- “The combat is quite buggy and many times you can win by just button mashing, spamming a combo, and occasionally changing stances.”
- “The game seems really good but when you play it, there are tons of glitches and bugs. It's like the game dev is still not finished. I liked the combat but the glitches were annoying, especially the visual ones.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
Players praise the game's strong character design and deep lore, highlighting the impressive artwork and engaging story as standout elements. However, some criticize the lack of single-player modes and view certain design choices, such as monetized accessories, as detracting from the overall experience.
- “Amazing game with great gameplay, a great story and amazing character design and artwork.”
- “And the character design and lore for this game just rocks!”
- “Lore is deep, gameplay is rewarding, and I like the character designs... incredible quality for an indie game.”
- “The developer could at least have made the game single-player duel/training modes, but instead they removed all the helmets of the characters and made them bald chickens so that players can buy these 'accessories.' You can't really play in a single-player mode either because of this scam. The combat mechanics are also not good, rated about 4/10.”
- “Map and character design are neat, but there are literally zero players playing the game, and there isn't any form of single-player mode either.”
- “Basically, the game feels like an unnecessary, unusable visual software at this point. When it went free, people who bought the game expected perks like in CS:GO to CS2, but it literally downgraded the game instead.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of frustration and emotional exhaustion due to technical issues and challenging gameplay, though mods have helped improve their experience. The game's dark and twisted lore resonates well, evoking the atmospheric depth fans appreciate in similar titles. However, some limitations in movement mechanics slightly detract from the overall pacing and emotional engagement.
- “Thankfully, I found some mods that alleviated this issue, greatly enhancing my enjoyment and made me feel the game respected my time more.”
- “Lore and story for this world is interesting, it definitely made me feel the dark, twisted mystique I treasure in the FromSoft titles, it was competently woven into dialogues and item descriptions.”
- “My hands ache and I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the game’s monetization for introducing unwanted microtransactions and removing valuable Steam Workshop content, feeling this shift harms the experience and reflects negatively on the developers' choices.
- “I wish the developers had made a second game instead of switching to microtransactions and removing the Steam Workshop content.”
- “Don't play this game and don't buy any of the terrible microtransactions.”
- “Big corporate publishers would never make a game like this, and if they did, they'd mess it up somehow with microtransactions or live service BS.”