Originally released on Apple's iOS devices and Windows Phone 7, Press Start Studio's Twin Blades has just recently been released on the PlayStation Network as a Mini. Compatible with both the PS3 and PSP devices, it pits players into the role of a zombie killing nun named Angelika, who is trying to save her female lover from the grasp of evil. Aid her in her quest by taking out the zombie hordes (and heinous boss creatures) that are threatening the safety of her town, Lacombe. Fulfill this task by the use of a trusty blade (scythe) or the use of several different types of firearms. You're the last defense against the evil onslaught that is threatening your once peaceful town and monastery.
At its core, Twin Blades is a side-scrolling hack n' slash game with ranged weapon elements added in. Angelika's movement is limited to walking and jumping, with the potential for an upgraded aerial attack which sees her slam her scythe down towards the ground, attacking any enemies in its way. As you move from left to right (and sometimes right to left,) zombies will shamble towards you from ahead and behind. Using a combination of your scythe and whichever weapons you have equipped, you must annihilate all of the zombies in each level in order to progress.
Its campaign takes place over 12 levels - 3 of which are boss battles. These levels' varied environments range from a market and the woods outside town to the interior of a butcher's shop. A day/night cycle is included into the game to give it some more length, making you return to completed levels after sundown to clear them out again (usually with more zombies involved at night.) Additionally, players can visit Father Riciardio at his monastery whenever need be, in order to purchase (or upgrade) new types of firearms. Angelika can also be upgraded at the monastery, allowing for increase This is done through use of the game's currency - zombie hearts.
In addition to the campaign, there is a secondary mode called Survival Mode. Instead of working your way through different levels, this mode presents a continuous cycle of days where you must try to survive against hordes of zombie foes. With each new day, the horde becomes larger and gets tougher to fight. Players are scored based on how long they last within this game type. Unfortunately, there is no online leaderboard support.
Despite having a unique premise, Twin Blades' gameplay unfortunately falls flat. I tried to get into the game, but never really could. There are some good ideas implemented into the experience, but they aren't developed or polished enough, leading to a very basic experience which I found dull. Most of the time you're just fighting the same slow zombies who never seem to change and aren't very scary at all. Though I did like the variety found within the weapons (such as an ice gun, a holy gun and more traditional weapons such as a pistol, machine gun and flamethrower.) The game's basic design also had potential, though its difficulty ramps up very quickly.
Controlling Angelika doesn't require a lot of basic combos or anything. As with almost all games these days, the left joystick controls movement. All of Angelika's moves are pulled off with the face buttons, with X being the jump button, square acting as your melee combat button and triangle being used as the firearm button. The R1 and L1 buttons cycle through the guns that you have purchased. For the most part, this control scheme works quite well, although Angelika's jumps are quite floaty. That becomes problematic at times because you sometimes require a precise jump to get away from a pack of zombies. If you land on a zombie, he's sure to bite you.
The best aspect of Twin Blades is its manga-inspired visual style. The game looks a lot like a moving piece of anime. All of the characters and environments look hand-drawn and are extremely colourful. It's an interesting and creative look that looks decent and works pretty well. The incredibly colourful visuals provide an interesting contrast to all of the blood and carnage that is unleashed within. I was especially impressed with the variety and design of the backdrops for each level. However, the animations are quite stiff at times, and there is little variety within the zombies' movement animations. Throughout the game, you see the same zombies over and over again, which can become tedious, but there are some special zombies with protection, which are harder to take out. Additionally, the bosses look pretty interesting.
Twin Blades' sound design is very basic, which is something that I found disappointing, especially when its visual presentation was relatively strong. Its original score is very simplistic and upbeat, which is something that I don't think worked well with the game's action/horror theme and ultra-violent gameplay. Said score has the potential to become grating after a while. In addition, the game features some basic sound effects, but the same ones are repeated over and over again for Angelika's attacks and the zombies' guttural cries. Those sound effects and their simplicity would have been much less noticeable if they weren't constantly being used during each level. I wish they would have toned them down a bit, or added more variety, so that there was less of a chance of players becoming annoyed and turning the game down. No voice acting is included, as all of the game's story is told through text-based dialogue.
Though I tried to like Twin Blades, its repetitive and overly difficult gameplay left me sour and uninterested. It's unfortunate because there is potential behind its premise and some of the ideas that the developers tried to implement. The main issue at hand is the fact that the game never alters or evolves, remaining very repetitive. Casual gamers may find some interest in it, but its difficulty is something that may turn them off. For four dollars and fifty cents, there is a bit of fun to be had, but it's a game that I find hard to recommend. It's too bad because I expected to enjoy it going in.
Rating: 3.5/10
Twin Blades was released in mid February 2011, for the PlayStation Portable and PS3.
