A theocracy of demon hunters and a human-demon coexistence faction square off across the neon living city of a post-demon-war Japan, and the setting’s cyberpunk-meets-folklore blend gives this Metroidvania an identity its peers lack. The Holy Union’s leadership hides the true villainy, the Peacemakers complicate every easy moral line, and environmental storytelling arrives through documents like the D-virus research report and the Shin-Kanai Steel Works backstory. Atmosphere is strongly Castlevania- and SMT-inflected, right down to a clock that reads real time as a wink to the genre’s founding text.
The demon companion is the signature, and the design makes the genre’s ability-unlock loop diegetic. Lux resurrects the dead, rewinds time, and unlocks traversal (double jump, super jump, dash, wooden-door breaking) with in-fiction justification; her recovered memories double as lore dumps that drive the plot forward. Blue and red barriers, wooden doors and time rifts all gate progression through her powers, so every unlock advances both the map and the story, a fusion few Metroidvanias attempt.
The plot earns its twists. The kindly doctor’s true identity as the villainous Arch Priest can be deduced from clues before the game confirms it, the timeline-loop finale recontextualises the companion herself, and the tragedy threaded through the recovered memories lands as genuine emotional payoff rather than genre obligation. Moral greyness is sustained throughout, and the story’s ambition outstrips what the genre usually attempts.
Combat and loot keep the exploration fed. Saber melee, whips (the Scarlet Viper a standout), and firearms spanning assault rifles, handguns, submachine guns, grenade launchers and an amphibious gun arrive in a steady stream that forces constant build re-evaluation, alongside armours and protocols. Puzzle-piece collectibles (338 HP-up pieces) assemble into literal jigsaws where piece placement matters, and completing them permanently raises maximum health, driving near-constant backtracking toward a full map clear.
Two design choices divide. Secret breakable walls are delightful to discover but initially unidentifiable, with the infrared lenses that reveal them arriving far too late; until then, wall-hunting is guesswork. Stealth sections (the jailbreak dog sequence, the Peacemaker base) are charming and janky in equal measure: playing as the dog to bark and draw soldiers’ attention is a surprise delight, but guard detection logic defies explanation. The demon-form flashback, playable as the monster fought earlier, is a brilliant idea undermined by forced slow walking and weapon restrictions.
Friction concentrates at the finish. The final boss is badly balanced: enormous damage output turning the fight into a two-hit affair, a reset on death that forces the whole encounter back to the start, guns disabled, and consumable cheese the practical path to victory. Recurring PC controller flakiness (not specific to the game) occasionally interrupts. Side missions (ramen delivery, a ghost in the cinema, a human trafficker) are short and mostly charming, and fast travel through save points and the subway network is generous except during the margin sequence.
Overall, this is a confidently crafted, story-rich Metroidvania that respects the genre’s traditions while adding real ideas of its own: diegetic ability unlocks, jigsaw collectibles and a playable past-self boss fight all feel fresh, and the deliberately retro pixel-art presentation suits the material. The over-tuned final boss and the late-arriving infrared lenses are rough edges at the finish line, but ten hours to a hundred-percent clear confirm the craft underneath, and the time-loop story stays with you after the credits.
