The indie game industry has progressed to such a level that there are currently many genres, sub-genres that are further divided into smaller genres. However, one genre that is underrepresented is the anime-style character video game genre. On March 4 this year, just such a video game was released on Steam. She will be very interesting to fans of anime aesthetics, and her name is Homura Hime. The developers are the independent Taiwanese studio Crimson Dusk, and the publishers are PLAYISM. The story of the development is the classic story of the indie scene - it all started as a solo project of one man. Early prototypes of the game even went viral due to the impressive visual quality, so this solo developer (named Sam) expanded the team and founded the Crimson Dusk studio. The game took several years to develop, and the team used feedback from the demo versions to polish the combat mechanics and everything else in the game.
Homura Hime is by definition a 3D action game with elements of the hack-n-slash genre, but elements of a shooter have also been thrown into it. We are in the role of Homura, the so-called. Flame Princess. She uses a katana for quick attacks and close encounters, and uses fire missiles for ranged combat. The most important mechanic of the game is to avoid attacks, especially in boss fights where they shower us with missiles that we have to dodge. Ann, Homura's friend, follows us throughout the game, who is our guide. He tells us where to go and what to do.
The main part of the game is fighting, but there is also an exploration part. That part consists of segments in which we navigate various terrains in the style of a platformer. There is partial flying, rock jumping and path discovery. The fights are in the style of the arena, where we first destroy the waves of demons, which are the introduction to the boss fights. These fights are always spectacular and demanding.
The story is set in a world inspired by Japanese folklore. In this world, there is a coexistence of humans and demons. When people die, they turn into Archdemons. They are powerful beings that corrupt the world. The visual style is anime, and the gameplay in many ways resembles the video game NieR: Automata. The animations are fluid, and the speed and exaggeration in the cutscenes is reminiscent of the Persona video games. The end result is visually impressive. There is rarely a more elaborate and satisfying combat system in recent video games.
On Steam, the game holds an excellent 90 percent positive reviews. Her combat fluidity is praised. The feel and response of the controls are at the top level. Bosses are superbly designed. Each fight with the five main demons is special in its own way, and each is a spectacle in itself. No fight is easy, even on the simplest level of gameplay. But one big minus in the game is the platformer part - it often seems that the paths and levels are too linear, and that they are just some kind of empty corridors between battles. The voice acting is top-notch – the cast is Japanese, which adds to the aforementioned atmosphere of Japanese folklore.
Homura Hime is currently primarily available only on PC via the Steam platform. The price is 24.99 dollars. It was announced that the game will also be released in 2026 in a Nintendo Switch version. The game takes up about 34GB of space, and due to the intense visual effects, a graphics card in the minimum range of RTX 2060 or higher is recommended. Whether that $24.99 offers you enough is hard to say. If only an interesting anime-style combat system is enough for you, and the exploratory, platformer part is irrelevant to you - just go for it. Otherwise, wait for some discount on Steam that is surely in sight.
A copy of the game for review purposes provided by the publisher PLAYISM
