World of Oni, Only on Apple

BENGALURU: World of Demons” plays like the most successful story arc of a long-running anime series. The game is developed by PlatinumGames, who also created Nier:Automata and Bayonetta. Unsurprisingly, the game excels in its hack-and-slash action graphics. It falls just short of Platinum’s typical character action genre. The game is well-built, and I enjoyed playing WoD; considering that it was made for… ehrm... Apple Arcade.

Much like an employee overcompensating ahead of a performance review, Apple expanded its Arcade catalogue of games before its latest announcement. If not for my trained eye spotting an aesthetic thumbnail, I might have completely missed playing WoD, with its beautiful woodblock-print inspired graphics. Steeped in Japanese folklore, the game tracks Onimaru, who is determined to defeat the most powerful oni that exists: ‘Shuten Doji’. The game is optimised for mobile devices, and one may assume that depth is limited. One would be right, but only for the first 10 minutes of gameplay where Onimaru can only attack, or dodge. 

The trailer grossly undersells how complex WoD gets. In the game, we encounter several Yokai. Yokai are best explained as disgusting creatures that provide a nice combat challenge, and surprise you with interesting backstories and conversation. Yokai are possessed by an invisible evil, and the game does not leave you with a choice but to confront and liberate them from their evilness. However, there are perks. Liberated Yokai provide you with one-time use special abilities. The use of slash-dodge-specials can affect how well you finish skirmishes, as well as determine the benefits you reap at the close. 

WoD’s reward system, unlike that of real life, is satisfying. You might find yourself replaying the same maps, and even challenging yourself. The game incentivises you to skill-up and unlocks encounters for additional rewards. As you complete tougher skirmishes, more warriors join your party. Having finally reached a level of expertise with Onimaru, when Sayo joined my team, my existing strategy felt unbalanced. New warriors mean skirmishes are twice as difficult to complete.

They also lend their unique advantage to combat and force you to rethink your Yokai collection strategy. However, the compounding controls render your mobile-screen play experience suboptimal. WoD is best played when you pair a console with your screen. Pro: World of Demons is available. Con: World of Demons is only available on Apple. 5/7 for the likable Yokai.

Anusha Ganapathi

 @quaffle_waffle