Nights of Azure (PS4)
By: Tecmo Koei
MIXING role-play with the straight-up action of Devil May Cry or God of War, Nights of Azure spins the yarn of demon hunter and priestess, Arnice and Lilysse, who attempt to save their world from the Ruler of the Night.
So far, so videogame. What makes the latest Japanese RPG stand out from the crowd is the fact that our protagonists are clearly in a lesbian relationship that blooms like a cherry blossom as the game progresses.
Our Sapphic stars aren't running around doing salacious girl-on-girl things, they just happen to be gay and nobody minds, showing just how far the medium has progressed, even if our heroines are the usual scantily-clad, chest-jiggling sword-swingers.
Set in the kingdom of Ruswal, where evil runs amok after sunset, half-demon warrior Arnice slaps the baddies around with ease by summoning Servan monsters into battle. Up to four of your bestial buddies can be called into play, each with unique offensive and defensive powers.
Pilfered wholesale from Pokemon, it's this added level of beast-wrangling that adds unique depth to the usual action tropes. Prizing sword-swinging monster-butchery over head-scratching stats, Arnice moves with liquid grace, cutting up demons like a hot katana through wasabi.
Leveling up involves collecting blood from defeated foes to splash on upgrades, and balancing where your claret currency goes is key to success. With an anime-themed gothic art design, Azure offers an eye-popping world, though it hardly troubles the PS4 hardware, and while it isn't particularly long or difficult (your Servans will carry you through all but the toughest battles), the focus on melee combat does become repetitive after vanquishing your umpteenth demon horde.
Incredibly stylish and utterly Japanese, Nights of Azure is a gateway drug for those who don't normally go in for this type of malarkey. It may not be the greatest hack ‘n’ slash game out there, and clocking in at around 10 hours, certainly isn't the longest, but there's enough thumb-numbing set-pieces on offer to bridle anyone's sword-lust.
And despite starring BFFs in frilly duds, the only thing that'll be tugged by this love story is your heart-strings. For that, at least, Nights of Azure deserves a tip of the velvet hat.
