Homura Hime is a great detour as we wait for bigger and better character action games to release. It’s refreshing to play an action title that isn’t a Soulslike yet still offers stunning, visually impressive boss battles. While the lack of English voice acting is disappointing, the characters are likeable despite a weird storyline that goes too crazy for its own good.
The game throws you straight into the action with rapid-fire combos and fiery special attacks. Playing as exorcist Homura Hime, you try to take down five different archdemons that threaten the world and its citizens. You’re performing elaborate combos to take down each foe, and there is a heavy emphasis on parrying attacks as you see a red glow from each enemy’s strike. It’s a fast, thrilling experience as you weave through attacks and relentlessly pressure the demons in your path.
The bullet hell segments of Homura Hime are so cool
Homura Hime seems to take inspiration from many great action games. It has bullet hell elements seen in games like NieR, and you are being ranked similarly to the Devil May Cry series. It becomes a bullet hell, mostly in boss scenarios, in which orbs are thrown in every direction during intense moments. It really stands out visually, making each boss battle feel thrilling. You can also launch projectiles to break through enemy shields. During fights with bigger enemies, you’ll need to parry at certain elements to continue the action in QTE-like events, creating excitement for the player.
The boss battles are the highlight of the game. The animations are spectacular, and there’s a gravitas to each fight–it’s clear there was extra effort put into these segments of the game. You’ll have to parry frantically with most battles and learn each pattern well. Thankfully, they’re not as difficult as Soulslike bosses, but they do have an element of challenge, making it more fair.
The boss battles are the highlight of Homura Hime
Something that Soulslike games reward is exploration, and you get that in Homura Hime. If you look around the corner or into a secret room, you’ll get all manner of upgrades and rewards. There’s also a creature that grows in the hub shrine you go to after every level if you collect a certain amount of a collectible; this feels genuinely rewarding to see.
The gameplay feels responsive and snappy. The combos feel great to pull off, and the fiery visuals look amazing on screen. It makes me wish Genshin Impact could get a far more elaborate combat system like this to make battling in that gacha far less boring.
However, there are way too many waves of similar enemies being thrown at you, especially towards the second half of the game. It becomes quite repetitive once you’ve seen all the enemy types and have two or three more hours of the game to play. Despite that, the sheer quickness and reflexes you’ll need to take down each wave of foes is thrilling. It also helps that you gain new abilities and even a transformation as you continue the storyline.
The combat is not the only attraction offered by Homura Hime. The platforming is quite stellar. In the middle of each level, the two protagonists, Homura and Ann, are sent to another realm. In these dream-like sequences, you’re jumping, dashing, and swinging your way through each section in bliss. At a later point in the game, you have to even parry in mid-air to continue your way through the level, and that’s when the platforming truly feels at its best as the game keeps challenging you. Some air circles also speed up the hero and propel them into the sky, creating more excitement.
There are fun platforming segments in Homura Hime
Two or three more hours of gameplay gets tacked on at the end, based on levels you’ve seen before. They’re slightly shorter iterations, but the same boss battles return once more with no significant changes. These parts feel like they’re stretching the playtime too far.
Unfortunately, the storyline is messy and hard to follow. While each character has an intriguing backstory to tell, complete with decent flashback cutscenes, the game’s overall plot is absurd, especially towards the end. But that is also part of its charm, in a way. There’s a twist you see coming from a mile away, but it helps the main character (and you by connection) feels redeemed. You feel connected to all the archdemons you meet without spoiling too much of the game. However, towards the end, the plot gets so ridiculous that you can’t understand the rules of the world very well.
Additionally, there is naturally some dialogue you will miss as the game is only voiced in Japanese. There are English subs, but while there’s a crazy boss battle happening, it’s hard to really look down while the frantic action is onscreen. An English dub would have really helped while the characters talk during battles. While the lack of a dub is disappointing, I found all of the Japanese voice acting compelling. The sidekick character, Ann, didn’t even get on my nerves, despite hating similar roles, such as Genshin Impact‘s Paimon.
Agasa the Skeleton Girl in Homura Hime
While you can tell Homura Hime is made with less of a budget than a Devil May Cry or a NieR title, the developer Crimson Dusk made a great effort. Each environment looks unique from the other. You explore a freezing tundra and a creepy temple, among other areas throughout the game. The art behind the decent anime-inspired graphics makes up for the lower budget.
Sadly, most of the soundtrack doesn’t live up to the intense action and pretty visuals. A lot of it sounds generic and forgettable, which is somewhat of a sin within the character action genre. However, it does step up in the game’s final act as the tension mounts. If there is a sequel to Homura Hime, I hope the developer commissions music that truly stands out and feels unique for each environment in the title.
Homura Hime isn’t perfect, as it can be repetitive at points, but it is certainly a lot of fun to play. The storyline, although crazy at times, takes many twists and turns throughout its 10-12-hour runtime. Thankfully, the combat is the best part of the game, feeling thrillingly fast and responsive. Parrying in this game feels so damn good. Lastly, the whimsical graphical style of the game truly brings you into the adventure, despite the indie budget you can detect.
Homura Hime is a great detour as we wait for bigger and better character action games to release. It’s refreshing to play an action title that isn’t a Soulslike yet still offers stunning, visually impressive boss battles. While the lack of English voice acting is disappointing, the characters are likeable despite a weird storyline that goes too crazy for its own good.
Homura Hime is a great detour as we wait for bigger and better character action games to release. It’s refreshing to play an action title that isn’t a Soulslike yet still offers stunning, visually impressive boss battles. While the lack of English voice acting is disappointing, the characters are likeable despite a weird storyline that goes too crazy for its own good.
The game throws you straight into the action with rapid-fire combos and fiery special attacks. Playing as exorcist Homura Hime, you try to take down five different archdemons that threaten the world and its citizens. You’re performing elaborate combos to take down each foe, and there is a heavy emphasis on parrying attacks as you see a red glow from each enemy’s strike. It’s a fast, thrilling experience as you weave through attacks and relentlessly pressure the demons in your path.
The bullet hell segments of Homura Hime are so cool
Homura Hime seems to take inspiration from many great action games. It has bullet hell elements seen in games like NieR, and you are being ranked similarly to the Devil May Cry series. It becomes a bullet hell, mostly in boss scenarios, in which orbs are thrown in every direction during intense moments. It really stands out visually, making each boss battle feel thrilling. You can also launch projectiles to break through enemy shields. During fights with bigger enemies, you’ll need to parry at certain elements to continue the action in QTE-like events, creating excitement for the player.
The boss battles are the highlight of the game. The animations are spectacular, and there’s a gravitas to each fight–it’s clear there was extra effort put into these segments of the game. You’ll have to parry frantically with most battles and learn each pattern well. Thankfully, they’re not as difficult as Soulslike bosses, but they do have an element of challenge, making it more fair.
The boss battles are the highlight of Homura Hime
Something that Soulslike games reward is exploration, and you get that in Homura Hime. If you look around the corner or into a secret room, you’ll get all manner of upgrades and rewards. There’s also a creature that grows in the hub shrine you go to after every level if you collect a certain amount of a collectible; this feels genuinely rewarding to see.
The gameplay feels responsive and snappy. The combos feel great to pull off, and the fiery visuals look amazing on screen. It makes me wish Genshin Impact could get a far more elaborate combat system like this to make battling in that gacha far less boring.
However, there are way too many waves of similar enemies being thrown at you, especially towards the second half of the game. It becomes quite repetitive once you’ve seen all the enemy types and have two or three more hours of the game to play. Despite that, the sheer quickness and reflexes you’ll need to take down each wave of foes is thrilling. It also helps that you gain new abilities and even a transformation as you continue the storyline.
The combat is not the only attraction offered by Homura Hime. The platforming is quite stellar. In the middle of each level, the two protagonists, Homura and Ann, are sent to another realm. In these dream-like sequences, you’re jumping, dashing, and swinging your way through each section in bliss. At a later point in the game, you have to even parry in mid-air to continue your way through the level, and that’s when the platforming truly feels at its best as the game keeps challenging you. Some air circles also speed up the hero and propel them into the sky, creating more excitement.
There are fun platforming segments in Homura Hime
Two or three more hours of gameplay gets tacked on at the end, based on levels you’ve seen before. They’re slightly shorter iterations, but the same boss battles return once more with no significant changes. These parts feel like they’re stretching the playtime too far.
Unfortunately, the storyline is messy and hard to follow. While each character has an intriguing backstory to tell, complete with decent flashback cutscenes, the game’s overall plot is absurd, especially towards the end. But that is also part of its charm, in a way. There’s a twist you see coming from a mile away, but it helps the main character (and you by connection) feels redeemed. You feel connected to all the archdemons you meet without spoiling too much of the game. However, towards the end, the plot gets so ridiculous that you can’t understand the rules of the world very well.
Additionally, there is naturally some dialogue you will miss as the game is only voiced in Japanese. There are English subs, but while there’s a crazy boss battle happening, it’s hard to really look down while the frantic action is onscreen. An English dub would have really helped while the characters talk during battles. While the lack of a dub is disappointing, I found all of the Japanese voice acting compelling. The sidekick character, Ann, didn’t even get on my nerves, despite hating similar roles, such as Genshin Impact‘s Paimon.
Agasa the Skeleton Girl in Homura Hime
While you can tell Homura Hime is made with less of a budget than a Devil May Cry or a NieR title, the developer Crimson Dusk made a great effort. Each environment looks unique from the other. You explore a freezing tundra and a creepy temple, among other areas throughout the game. The art behind the decent anime-inspired graphics makes up for the lower budget.
Sadly, most of the soundtrack doesn’t live up to the intense action and pretty visuals. A lot of it sounds generic and forgettable, which is somewhat of a sin within the character action genre. However, it does step up in the game’s final act as the tension mounts. If there is a sequel to Homura Hime, I hope the developer commissions music that truly stands out and feels unique for each environment in the title.
Homura Hime isn’t perfect, as it can be repetitive at points, but it is certainly a lot of fun to play. The storyline, although crazy at times, takes many twists and turns throughout its 10-12-hour runtime. Thankfully, the combat is the best part of the game, feeling thrillingly fast and responsive. Parrying in this game feels so damn good. Lastly, the whimsical graphical style of the game truly brings you into the adventure, despite the indie budget you can detect.
by Chris Penwell
