‘Toukiden: The Age of Demons’: Epic Monster Killing Fun on PlayStation Vita

If you are into hunting giant monsters, Playstation Vita has something special for you. Following from the Ragnarok Odyssey and God Eater 2, here is Toukiden: The Age of Demons, a reason to invest in the Vita if you’re crazy about demons and dragons. The developer Omega Force of the Dynasty Warrior series fame contributes to our expectations on what Toukiden has in store for us. Here is a brief rundown of the game:

The Plot (4/5)
Toukiden is an adventure in a medieval Japanese fantasy world. In the preamble, we are told that a great demon emerged from the underworld and laid siege to the land of Nakatsu Kuni 8 years ago. Nakatsu Kuni is traditionally protected by warriors known as mononofu. It is up to the protagonist and other characters from Utakata Village to lead the final battle against the oni demons.


The Gameplay (4/5)
Toukiden is a third-person game. Each player is able to customize their choice of weapons, armor, and skills. Collect ‘mitama’, or souls, during the game to acquire special skills. The oni monsters are also divided into several categories, and slaying each one rewards you with collectibles and upgrades.

As soon as you enter the game, you have to fight off a gigantic monster without any prior training. But this balanced by the fact that being killed by the monster is highly unlikely. Toukiden excels in this respect by other games in the genre by taking you straight to the action, instead of giving you hour-long walkthroughs.

Other Tips
It is worth noting here that if you have been following the Monster Hunt games, you will find Toukiden’s combat mechanics familiar:

• The left and right sticks control movement and the camera
• Holding down the Left Trigger enables lock-on
• Square launches light and fast attacks
• Triangle launches slow and strong attacks
• Circle launches “special attack” depending on the weapon equipped (these drain the character’s stamina)
• X is the all-purpose button

In addition, most weapons allow you to chain these attacks according to your preferences. What else? The life and stamina bars are at the upper left corner of the screen. Note that the stamina only depletes when characters perform actions like running and dodging, and especially while launching special attacks. The bar itself doesn’t need no maintenance.

Final Thoughts
Considering the demos released in the US, Toukiden is nothing short of a massive, fantasy, dragon slaying experience. You will immediately find yourself indulged in weapon crafting and upgrading, adding sockets to weapons to equip ‘mitama’. Not to mention, the online and multiplayer and modes offers tons of team action.

All in all, Toukiden is the best choice for Vita players who are new to the Japanese dragon hunt genre. Since the game takes you right to the ‘battle zone’, new players will find it highly convenient to see what the genre is all about. Of course, this also means that Toukiden may not please diehard fans of giant monster hunts, but it is worth your time and money. Go through the demo today and do download Toukiden on your Vita.