∀kashicforce is one of the most unique and confusing games I’ve ever played. This is a puzzle / rhythm game with some fighting game controls thrown in for good measure. I did all of the tutorial missions and read the manual and I’m still not 100% sure if I’m playing this one correctly, but I’m going do the best I can to give you some impressions on how it plays. If anyone out there can explain this one better, hit me up in the comments.
At first glance you may mistake this game for some kinda of Tetris clone with techno music. Boy would you be about as far away from what this game is as you could be. As Enemy Blocks fall you will shoot them to destroy them. If you line up 4 or more blocks of the same type they will all be destroyed at the same time. This is called a “Trash Wipeout” and you will have to think quickly to set these up cause the blocks come down fast. The other type of blocks on screen are called Hindrance Blocks. These will take more than one shot to get rid of, are resistant to the “Trash Wipeout” and will take more than one shot or a special skill to remove.
As you remove blocks on the screen your Method Gauge will fill on the left of the screen. This will allow you to do some character specific special moves. You will have to key in the correct command, these are fighting game commands, and press the method button to pull this off. These can be offensive or defensive and really turn the tide of battle.
What I found very interesting was that you could spend your time destroying blocks on your own side to try and keep them from building up too much, or you can attack blocks on your opponents side in order to stick them with a bunch of Hindrance Blocks. Then use your skills to control the buildup on your side. The character you choose and the skills they have will play a huge role in the strategy you use.
∀kashicforce features several play modes. Channeling is story mode, Mission mode will halfway teach you the basics of playing the game and some Versus mode options. These include CPU, Local Mulitplayer, and Championship, which has a special ruleset. You can choose 3 different characters and play as each of them in turn. You will need to know what skills each one has very well to win in this mode.
While I had a hard time figuring out exactly how to play ∀kashicforce it is one of the more interesting titles I’ve played. It’s very fast paced, has a fantastic OST and the visuals are quite pleasing to look at. I think casual fans of these types of games will be a bit overwhelmed, but if they find some friend to play with and learn together, I think a lot of fun could be had here at the low $12.99 asking price.
