Video games based on animes tend to follow a quite strict formula: take everyone’s favourite characters, and put them into a 3D arena fighter. On the Nintendo Switch itself, we already have several games of this nature to choose from, such as Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy and My Hero One’s Justice. Show While these can be appealing titles for fans of each respective series, they don’t often offer the same depth as a traditional 2D fighting game. That said, they do allow fans to re-live (and participate in) the most iconic moments from each franchise. That’s pretty much the case with Kill la Kill – IF, a game that may have some appeal, IF you’re a fan.  Kill la Kill – IF kicks off on a very high note. The original anime is an action-packed adventure with a very stylised presentation – and its own doses of sexualised characters – and that’s exactly what IF delivers when you first start the campaign. Divided into two parts, said campaign involves following similar events from the standpoint of the two main characters: Matoi Ryuko and Kiryuin Satsuki. Instead of recreating the original animation, IF chooses to present a kind of ‘what if?’ storyline, whereby pivotal events in the anime have slightly different outcomes. The result has both positives and negatives. For the fans, it’s a good thing to be able to witness something new and fresh. However, IF doesn’t do a good job of presenting Kill la Kill to newcomers. It quickly throws you into the middle of the action, with no explanation as to who the characters are or how the universe works. The campaign is also very brief, only taking between four and five hours to complete. You’ll likely spend more time watching the anime cutscenes than playing yourself. Even for a 3D arena fighter, IF’s combat system is unfortunately extremely simplistic, offering little more than three combat options while fighting. Close and ranged attacks can be used to perform combos and increase your special meter potential (which can then be used to perform special attacks), and you can also activate a ‘breaker movement’. There’s a kind of rock-paper-scissors system between all these options, but IF doesn’t really offer any additional depth than that. The way in which special moves are performed is flashy, and pays tribute to the anime, but they aren’t impressive for long. In terms of visuals, though, developer A+ Games maintains the high quality of other titles published and developed by IF‘s publisher, Arc System Works. You will watch the most iconic characters from Kill la Kill recreated in a cell-shaded anime style, closely resembling the work done in titles such as Dragon Ball FighterZ. During both gameplay and story cutscenes, IF looks as if it’s the game that every Kill la Kill fan has been waiting for. Unfortunately, as discussed, other elements of the game don’t keep to that same high standard. Kill la Kill – IF only has a total of eight playable fighters from the show. With additional survival and versus modes, Kill la Kill – IF may deliver enough fan service for those interested. However, just like the original anime, its full package is more about style than substance. Kill la Kill - IF£49.99Summary At a first glance, Kill la Kill – IF manages to deliver an impressive-looking representation of the anime it’s inspired by. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer much more than fan service, due to lacklustre gameplay and barebones content. THIS GAME CONTAINS CONTENT YOU HAVE ASKED NOT TO SEE: Some Nudity or Sexual Content The developers describe the content like this: Costumes with moderate nudity appear frequently. Want to update what type of content you see on Steam? Update Content Preferences Kill la Kill The Game: IF looks good, but lacks mechanical depth, narrative nuance, or a breadth of content to match. Read full review Kill la Kill The Game: IF isn't a balanced fighting game experience, but it delivers plenty of incentive for fans of the anime to play through the single-player content. Read full review Kill la Kill: IF succeeds in translating its namesake's hyper-kinetic universe, wild action, and extreme characters into a fun experience, but is held back by lackluster side-content and flaws inherent to its own design. It's worth your time if you're already a franchise fan, but those yet to be ensnared by Life-Fibers should wait until this particular couture number moves to the reduced rail. Read full review Arc System Works delivers a great combat system and a fun story mode, but 8 fighters and 6 levels are too few, even if you are a big fan of the anime. Review in Spanish | Read full review Kill La Kill -IF- may just be the perfect anime video game. It almost flawlessly manages to embrace the style and energy of the original anime, and translate that into an enthralling arena fighter that is just as much fun solo as it is competitively. The art is incredible, the music is astounding, and the story mode goes above and beyond to deliver a fresh narrative that fans of the anime will eat up. Whether you're a Kill La Kill megafan or just a fighting game enthusiast, this is a must play. Read full review This colorful burst of anime goodness may not be flawless, but it's exemplary for the genre, and another of Arc System Works' great efforts. Read full review A game that will be appealing just for anime fans due to some gameplay issues and a bad pacing at his storytelling. Having only 10 fighters doesn't helps a lot with that. Review in Spanish | Read full review It's a gift for the fans of the anime – definitively not suited for those who aren't – with a well crafted combat system: simple but deep mechanics that can reward players who can read correctly their opponent, even if their execution level is not top class. What is so great about Kill la Kill?The story offers plenty of action and a cast of characters you'll love to hate, plus one who's motivated by justice in a sea of corruption. On the whole, it's not a bad mix if you're OK with the edgy stuff, but do keep kids away. Is Kill la Kill kid friendly?SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON: Its deffenitly VERY VERY gorey and sexual. While the extreme gore goes to the point of comedic (it rains blood at one point) its still very prominent. VIOLENCE: Nui's arms are chopped off, and in a flash back she loses her eye. A character off screen removes his eyes. How long is the Kill la Kill game?When focusing on the main objectives, Kill la Kill The Game: IF is about 4 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 12 Hours to obtain 100% completion. What's the message of Kill la Kill?A tale of women's growth and maturation, Kill La Kill is a cry of resistance to normative sexual practice and female imagery, at first emphasized by Satsuki's rejection of mass sexual values over her outfit, then joined by Ryuuko. |
