The Initial

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 172 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Initial Game Cover
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In "The Initial," players engage in high-speed, arena-based action as they control schoolgirls with ESP powers defending their school from an evil organization. With a variety of skills to execute, players must use lightning fast sword attacks and electricity-based powers to outmaneuver and defeat smart enemies. This hyper action game features two main characters, Ruri and Erika, on a mission to stop the evil organization from creating an artificial girl with ultimate power.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews
gameplay9 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • The combat is fast-paced and enjoyable, reminiscent of classic hack and slash games.
  • The character designs and animations are visually appealing, adding to the overall aesthetic of the game.
  • The game offers a decent amount of replayability with unlockable skills and higher difficulty modes.
  • The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • The camera system is problematic, often leading to disorienting views and difficulty in targeting enemies.
  • The story is minimal and poorly translated, lacking depth and coherence.
  • story63 mentions

    The game's story is widely criticized for being short, disjointed, and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like an afterthought compared to the gameplay. While some appreciate the humor in its nonsensical plot and find it adequate for a hack-and-slash experience, the overall consensus is that players seeking a rich narrative should look elsewhere. The localization issues and grammatical errors further detract from the story's coherence, leaving it largely unmemorable.

    • “The story is short but focused; the combat can be repetitive but satisfying and mechanically fun.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the plot is interesting.”
    • “The English subtitles deliver charming doses of Engrish, the story is delightfully nonsensical, and the protagonist's fighting animations are glorious.”
    • “There was a bare-bones plot that could have potentially developed more, but the game is extremely short.”
    • “The story is short and not very interesting.”
    • “Characters are utterly lifeless and the plot is flat.”
  • gameplay47 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fast-paced combat and enjoyable mechanics reminiscent of titles like Ninja Gaiden and Bayonetta, while others criticize it for being clunky, repetitive, and suffering from design flaws such as an ineffective lock-on system. Many players appreciate the ease of mastering combat, allowing for a fun experience, but note that the overall content and story are lacking, making it more suitable for short play sessions. Despite its shortcomings, the game shows potential for improvement and can be enjoyable for fans of hack-and-slash genres.

    • “The gameplay is exactly what it needs to be: fast, fun, and lit!”
    • “The game's protagonist has an absolutely amazing moveset, both in basic mechanics and in the combo-based skill system, complete with upgrades.”
    • “The core gameplay focuses on fast-paced combat which delivers satisfying action.”
    • “Mechanics are clunky.”
    • “You know it's a horrid design when easy isn't easy, you can't play through it, and from stage 1 it's nothing but a worthless stacking of the gaming industry's worst mechanics ever.”
    • “I hate the boring gameplay.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful character design and appealing anime art style, especially given the low price point. However, some players note that while the graphics are visually pleasing, the environments lack detail and immersion, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its solid graphics and special effects, though technical issues like frame rate drops and bugs detract from the experience.

    • “The graphics are beautiful and the plot interesting.”
    • “The graphics are beyond amazing, and realistically you should buy the game just for them.”
    • “With the animations and graphics, I'm astonished at how much these people have done with a budget that isn't that huge.”
    • “Input lag aside, did you guys even test out the graphics options?”
    • “Graphically, there's not a lot here, in terms of assets.”
    • “The visuals mainly serve to set up the action, as pretty much all locations are basically just rooms for you to fight in.”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy and uplifting qualities, with many users highlighting the nostalgic menu theme and enthusiastic soundtrack as standout features. However, some reviewers note that the soundtrack can be repetitive and lacks variety, with a desire for more tracks per level. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, it may not fully compensate for the absence of sound effects and voices during gameplay.

    • “Music is sweet - especially the menu theme is so uplifting and nostalgic at the same time.”
    • “The music is awesome but could have at least 3 songs for each level to loop from instead of the same one over and over.”
    • “I simply loved it playing in the background as well as their theme song was addictive.”
    • “The music is probably meant to mask this but ends up somehow making it even more noticeable.”
    • “- music is surprisingly catchy though there's only a few tracks.”
    • “(you need to download free soundtrack DLC if you want MP3 format. then go to the initial OST folder inside the game folder to listen)”
  • replayability7 mentions

    Overall, the game offers significant replayability despite its short main story, with extra modes and challenging boss fights enhancing the experience. While some players may not be inclined to replay on higher difficulties, the gameplay's inherent appeal encourages multiple playthroughs.

    • “Boss fights can be challenging, especially on higher difficulty, and challenge modes offer a decent amount of replayability.”
    • “For the price, the story is kind of short, but the replayability more or less makes up for that.”
    • “It also has some extra modes (playing as the bosses!) for the extra replay value.”
    • “I know that there is some replay value in playing the other difficulties, but not everyone is necessarily going to do that or want to do a replay.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to progress. While combat is present, it is described as boring and repetitive, lacking engaging mechanics or meaningful challenges, leading to a frustrating experience overall.

    • “No grinding means no leveling, no gear, and no complex quests: just kill, destroy, and move to the next stage.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “While the combat isn't entirely terrible, it probably couldn't be more tedious.”
    • “Ordinary combat is boring, and the boss battles are tedious, with attack patterns happening with no rhyme or reason.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally good, with smooth performance and improved camera tracking following an update. However, players feel that further optimization is needed, particularly in certain gameplay aspects.

    • “Good performance from start to finish.”
    • “After the update, the camera is much smoother and keeps track of the player, but it’s not fully optimized.”
    • “I think it should be optimized further in the game.”
    • “I think it should be optimized better within the game.”
    • “You can buy skills through a point system based on your fighting performance.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development is highlighted through beautiful graphics and unique designs, though some players feel that the character designs could be more engaging if they were playable. While the anime-inspired aesthetics may not appeal to everyone, they contribute to the overall visual appeal of the game.

    • “I really liked the character designs throughout, but it would have been nice to play as them too.”
    • “Character design is a little weird, but that might just be because it seems anime-inspired and I don't watch a lot of anime.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Users express frustration with the game's emotional engagement, noting a disconnect between character interactions and the emotional weight of the narrative. While some find the difficulty of the gameplay overwhelming, others highlight the lack of emotional depth in character expressions and voice acting, which diminishes the overall experience.

    • “I'm talking about the faces; how could you not have emotional reactions when you are talking to someone with an emotional voice?”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its intentionally poor translations, which feature amusing grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that can provide a comedic experience for players who appreciate such mishaps.

    • “By the way, the translations are hilariously bad.”
    • “You can get a kick out of those if you find bad grammar and Google Translate mishaps funny.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with no noticeable glitches, others encounter significant issues such as choppy frame rates, gamepad malfunctions, and occasional crashes, particularly upon exiting. This inconsistency may be attributed to the developers' shift in focus to an upcoming sequel, leaving some bugs unresolved.

    • “Unfortunately, the devs abandoned this game to focus on an upcoming sequel, and it shows here. There are too many debilitating bugs at times - the graphics are excellent, but the frame rate is choppy, my gamepad suddenly stops working occasionally, and the game freezes briefly. Even when quitting, the game crashes while exiting.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization model is praised for its transparency, as there are no DLCs or microtransactions, indicating a player-friendly approach that avoids exploitative practices.

    • “There's no DLC, no microtransactions; they're not trying to screw you over.”
    • “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
    • “I appreciate that the developers focus on delivering a complete experience without pushing for additional purchases.”
    • “The monetization model feels exploitative, pushing players to spend more than they should just to enjoy the game.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending money.”
    • “The constant barrage of ads and prompts to purchase in-game currency really detracts from the overall experience.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers note that while the level design primarily involves transitioning between rooms, the developers effectively create distinct atmospheres in each area, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “The level design involves walking and flying from one room to the next, but they did a great job of changing the atmosphere between locations.”
    • “The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, making you feel like you're truly part of the world.”
    • “Each area has its own unique vibe, contributing to a rich and varied atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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