Akane

While it might not share the intricate levels and levelling up mechanics of Hyper Light Drifter: Special Edition, Akane balances out its lack of topographical variety with a simple yet challenging set of rolling objectives and an increasingly tough variety of enemies to slay

With its gameplay backed up with stylish pixelated visuals and a banging soundtrack, there’s a lot to like about Akane. It’s a game that’s easy to pick up but hard to master, fun to jump into for just a few minutes of fast-paced action whenever the urge arises. Play it for much longer, and the feeling of repetition is sure to creep in. But thanks to its budget price, you’re guaranteed to not feel short changed by what’s on offer.

Another potential hurdle for Akane is that it takes place in a single square level and requires players to defeat the same enemies ad infinitum, which runs the risk of getting stale. Thankfully it's an intriguing gameplay experience, so players may not play it for long sittings but the desire to jump back in later is strong. One impression that came up time and again while playing is that this game would be perfect for mobile, with its limited setting, simple controls, and "jump in and play" mentality. While Akane is unfortunately not available on mobile platforms, it's made a solid transition to consoles and is well worth picking up.

Akane’s break-neck pace and cyberpunk setting is not one to overlook. The lack of variety isn’t a huge issue when everything it presents is impeccable and you get as much as you put in with the game. The arcade elements make for an addictive game play loop that’ll keep you repeatedly fighting through the night.

A strong debut title from Ludic Studios and one to play on and off when you want a sword fight with no strings attached.

Akane's gameplay mechanics and very simple experience coupled with its variety of objectives and highscore system means this game will easily grab the player's attention and become an easy go-to work for quick and short-term gaming sessions. Akane fares less well on a long-term basis, as its gameplay start becoming repetitive after a while but it has more than enough value to be something fun and enjoyable when it comes to a pick up and play experience.

Akane is a game that does one thing and does it exceptionally well; its biggest flaw is that there simply isn't enough of it. Give me more damn it!

Akane contains intense action with fantastic controls but the repetitiveness of it all ends up making it a somewhat limited experience.

Akane is unapologetically fast, tough, and challenging. It’s setting and general yakuza/cyberpunk themes mesh incredibly well together in telling the player everything they need to know about the games’ last stand.

Akane makes for a fantastic quick-playing rogue-like game on the cheap. What it lacks in depth of story it makes up for in stuff to unlock and style. It's worth picking up if you're a fan of rogue-like games or arena-based hack-and-slash games.