A Strong Story Struggles To Carry Akatori
“Fate is a comedy when seen from afar, and a tragedy when you stand at its centre.” This poignant quote is not only a criticism of the inflated sense of worth humans as a species can throw on trivial matters, but also the opening line to a seemingly harmless pixel-art platformer, Akatori.
You take the mantle of Mako, a young monk who must journey across five distinct realms to stop all living things from becoming corrupted. This initial quote is pivotal in understanding the importance of perspective to the narrative, and lends itself to what is undeniably the best aspect of Akatori. Mako is a rather naïve teenager, lumped with this incredibly high-stakes task which sees tragic deaths and acts of violence consume the world. On the other hand, the evergreen gods are historical and cosmic entities, watching from afar, as if a dark comedy.
Movement That Never Quite Feels Right
Having a strong narrative is all well and good, but how does it translate into gameplay? Unfortunately, not very well. If there’s one thing a platformer must get correct (especially a Metroidvania) it’s movement. Akatori not only gets this wrong, but it severely brings the title’s overall quality tumbling down with it. Players will spend hours upon hours with the protagonist, with each second needing to feel satisfying to control, and ultimately Akatori simply lacks this. Whether it is the simple act of running which feels off, or the incredibly floaty jumps juxtaposing the one-hit-kill platforming design philosophy Akatori opts for in so many cases, the move-set is limited and lacklustre.
So your traversal may not be the most engaging or fulfilling, but what is the aim of Akatori? The game follows the typical hero’s journey structure in not only narrative, but gameplay as well, leaving further moves and abilities unlocked later in your playthrough, with the overarching goal of progressing through stages to reach the final battle. This means travelling over various biomes, engaging in combat with a plethora of distinct foes, and searching for collectibles through new and old areas alike.
As you can likely deduce from these traits, and as alluded to earlier, this leaves Akatori falling into the Metroidvania style of platformer. Akatori once again fails to capture the magic of so many of the fabulous adjacent titles in the genre, pushing the backtracking aspect to one side.
A Metroidvania Missing Its Defining Ingredient
One of the defining characteristics of a Metroidvania is quite famously (or infamously) the backtracking. Something about using your new powers to reach previously inaccessible locations in areas you thought were fully explored, seemed to captivate so many. Akatori’s cardinal sin then, is sidelining this crucial aspect into an optional adventure hunt.
There are plenty of systems the game attempts to put in place to redeem these issues, yet none seem to land. Your ability tree for example seems as though it would be the saving grace and allow for player customisation, yet upon a further inspection, it’s just a recap of every move learnt so far in the game. Potions fall into this trap too, seeming as though scenarios could be approached with various unique ideas, yet the potions boil down to generic “Heal X amount of health” or “Increase damage dealt”. Despite the foundations set by decades of design preceding Akatori, the game plays as if a tech demo for a future which has already passed.
Frustrating Level Design
This also brings me on to my further critiques of Akatori, in particular its level design. It is said that a platformer can only be as good as the playgrounds it allows players to use their abilities in, and in this case Akatori has neither going for it. Not to say the environments and stage design are downright terrible, but they’re certainly at best mediocre, and don’t merge well with the floaty move-set Mako is provided with. Take for example the pits of doom, filled with spikes that will impale and instantly kill, they’re a necessity to avoid. The design begins to look as if on route for a welcome change once these traps cover both floor and ceiling, and this would likely have been effective if an accompanying move-set accentuated the challenge. Instead, the light and loose controls leave them a frustrating challenge as you drift in a direction not planned.
This criticism perfectly sums up the gameplay and design of Akatori. Nothing on display here is downright terrible, in fact it will occasionally surprise you, yet upon each element coming together it creates the painful, dull mediocrity which can often be more sleep inducing than a downright flawed title.
A Mediocre Metroidvania With A Good Story
What stops Akatori from becoming completely dull (aside from the narrative) is the presentation and care put into the title. Whether it’s the retro charm of the art, the perfectly ambient music, or the smooth navigating menus, your eyes and ears will at least have a consistently pleasant experience.
Akatori’s scales are heavily weighted towards uninspired mediocrity, being a generic indie platformer. Akatori takes a spot as another Metroidvania on the hugely saturated scene, and does little to set itself apart. Yet if you dig a little deeper, and you value narrative in your games, Akatori may have something to offer you in the storytelling department.
Important Links
Grab Your Staff And Explore The Mystical World Of Akatori – https://www.thexboxhub.com/grab-your-staff-and-explore-the-mystical-world-of-akatori/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/akatori/9NMDT29V25WL/0010
