Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a bullet hell shooter in which you play as one of two different girl characters that must stop armies of demons know as the Yokai that have escaped from Limbo. With 5 levels of gameplay, boss rush mode, co op mode and online leaderboards.
General Gameplay
Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a top down 2D shooter or SHMUP (Shooter em’ Up) style in which there are a lot of enemies, bullets and big boss battles. The game can be played solo or offline couch co-op style. The Game Visuals for Shikhondo – Soul Eater are very visual for a game like this. Everything from the main characters, enemies, backgrounds and bosses are done in a artistic way where the animation are very clear and easy to see. (we will cover the partial nudity in the Family Friendly section of the review). The graphics in the game match what you would see in a SHMUP. The bullets are easy to see on the screen and be able to avoid. As the game does not support a colorblind mode. Some gamers will have a harder time seeing the red/pink in the game so if you make an adjustment to the colors on the SMART TV that you are playing on, you should be fine. Audio in Shikhondo – Soul Eater is fantastic. It is a mix of techno, and drum and bass style of soundtrack. The game soundtrack fits the game very well where the music at times is so good that you will catch yourself replaying the levels. There are bullet shots, shooting noises and other game sounds that you would hear from a game like this. In our play testing we did not encounter anything that would be offensive to younger gamers in the audio. Controls for Shikhondo – Soul Eater are very sharp. As the game is a shooter, controls must be very accurate, and they are for the game. There is a button for shooting, a button to use your special and another to have a more accurate shot in the game. In our playtesting, we did not see any issues with the game as the game controller setting and control flowed with the game style. As the game does not require a special controller, a standard one is fine for gameplay.
“Great graphics, soundtrack and great bullet hell style shooter. Adding couch co-op to the game makes it easy for newer gamers to enjoy the game”
Family Friendly
Before we cover the elephant in the room about “Partial Nudity” in the game, we have to say that Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a great shooter for SHMUP fans and non-shooter fans. The game has a very easy approachable style in which even novices’ gamers to shooters can pick up and play the game and enjoy it. It offers couch co-op so gamers can enjoy the game on the same console, very easy settings to get used to the game, a great soundtrack that fits perfectly for a game like this and a boss rush mode where you can test your skills on taking on a boss. Also the art direction in the game is just amazing to see in motion. Now if you have a shooter fan in your gaming family, this will love this game. There is a lot to do from the boss rush, to easier and harder modes, arcade mode and online leaderboards. Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a great game now that being said let’s address the “Partial Nudity” that is in the game. This was a debate in our office for a couple of day, in which it delayed the posting of this review. Camille our senior blogger/game reviewer felt that the game partial nudity was a little too much and felt that the game T – For Teen rating was just, where I felt that the game should have got a E10 – Everyone 10 and Up rating. We have attached some screen shots of the game questionable content and as that you be the judge for yourself. Overall the game is a great beginner shooter that offers a lot for veteran shooter, but again parents please use caution when allowing younger children play the game. In our special needs game testing, we did not run into any issues with the game visuals, audio, or even controls. All our older special needs game testers loved the game and the co-op feature was a blast for our gamers. Again, we recommend that it is best for you to test the game for yourself and see if this is a good fit for your digital library.
Closing
Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a great shooter that offers everything that a shooter fan will love, from online leaderboard, different difficulty settings, boss rush mode and couch co-op. The partial nudity may be a turn off for parents with younger gamers, but if in question watch our video on the game or even download a demo.
