 |
|
|---|---|
| Title | Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess |
| Developer | Koei Tecmo |
| Publisher | Koei Tecmo |
| Release Date | July 14, 2015(US), July 17, 2015(EU) |
| Genre | Action |
| Platform | PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita |
| Age Rating | ESRB – Mature |
| Official Website | |
Here we are with another look at Deception IV. That is, the best Kevin McCallister simulator out there. Koei Tecmo decided to revisit it and make a few welcome additions to the game. I will be focusing on some of the improvements, as the core gameplay is literally the same. For info on that, check out my older Deception IV review.
First and foremost, this game looks great and is smooth on the big screen. The Vita version already looked pretty good, but being able to play it on a bigger screen makes the experience a lot better in my opinion. So, what do you do in Deception? For those of you completely unfamiliar with the series, you are in a specific environment (castle, playground, gym, amusement park, etc.) where people come in, and it is your job to inflict as much pain and torture as you can until they either attempt to run away or die. The interesting thing with Deception is that it is a combo-based action game without you attacking enemies directly. So, don’t expect to pull any Bayonetta-style combos. Instead, you are setting traps across the map and luring your foes into them.
This game has a new subtitle: The Nightmare Princess. They are actually not referring to Laegrinna from Blood Ties. There is a new woman out for power and destruction and her name is Velguirie. She is a redhead who is even more ruthless than Laegrinna and has her very own mission mode which is the main draw of this game. Unlike before, where you fought enemies in waves and watched cutscenes, you are instead thrown into a series of missions with one main goal, usually to kill the enemies. You are also given some extra missions to perform such as “Kill x enemy with x trap” or ‘Perform x hit combo.” Succeeding in these missions will unlock new traps and, sometimes, more missions.
Velguirie controls the same as Laegrinna from before, but has some new abilities, such as the kick. I know I said the game does not involve direct attacks, but the kick is not very powerful and is mainly used as a way to help you push enemies into your traps. Eventually, you will come across Laegrinna and have to fight her. During this fight, she will also be able to use traps and you have to not only get her to fall for yours, but avoid the ones she is placing.
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess features a lot more traps than the previous game. Now you can use horseheads or toilet seats to humiliate your foes along with launching them into basketball hoops or swings. There is also a new mode called Deception Studio, where you can create your own characters, give them backstories and determine their stats. This is in case you ever want to pretend people you know are in the game and torture them. See, this truly is the ultimate game for sadists! Long-time Deception fans will be very happy as there are some great unlockables for them. I will not spoil it completely, but you all will be very happy and pleased with some of the callbacks from previous games.
Overall, Nightmare Princess builds on what was already a solid experience before. The game includes the campaign from the previous version, so there is no longer a reason to get Blood Ties over it unless you happen to find it dirt cheap and want it for collecting purposes. Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess will set you back $50 on PS4 and $40 on the Vita. There is enough here for players of Blood Ties to do the upgrade and for those of you who waited on Blood Ties, THIS is the version to pick up.
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |   |
Review copy provided by publisher
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is available on Amazon:
