Yurukill: The Calumniation Games review: The whole is less than the sum of its parts

digitaltrends.com:

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games tries to mesh two incredibly niche genres together: visual novel and shoot ‘em up (shmup). By incorporating both, developer Izanagi Games risks narrowing the game’s audience down even further. Half of the game consists of reading through mounds of dialogue between characters to get through the story along with some light puzzle solving. The other half has players commandeering a battleship in classic shmup sections and taking down grotesque enemies.

The result is a strange mix of different gameplay styles that feel fresh but disjointed. Yurukill: The Calumniation has engaging gameplay mechanics during the spur of the moment, but it’s missing a narrative justification that ties them all together.

The game follows two protagonists: Sengoku Shunju and Rina Azami. They’re both participating in the Yurukill Games, where the winner will get acquitted of their crimes. The catch here is that both Sengoku and Rina are partners, with the former being the Prisoner and the latter being the Executioner.

The Prisoner is accused of committing a crime, while the Executioner acts as a judge to decide the Prisoner’s ultimate fate. Sengoku insists that he’s been falsely accused, but it’s Rina who wields the button to either pardon him for his actions or kill him by releasing poison into his neck from his collar. This setup invites some biting and razor-sharp tension between the two throughout the game, as Sengoku constantly needs to affirm his innocence, lest Rina executes him.

There are several other duos in the game who are in the same dynamic, with each Prisoner being accused of a different crime. The groups are called the Crafty Killers, Sly Stalkers, Death Dealing Duo, and Peeping Toms. Sengoku and