Yurukill: The Calumniation Games

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At a certain point we may need to accept that we’re running out of new video game genres to invent. We’ve got first-person shooters, farming simulators, dating simulators, industrial strategy games…at this point we’ve got a sizable variety of human experiences right at hand. The next step, then, is going to involve combining genres to create something new entirely.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a prime example of an attempt at doing just this – amusement parks, attorney simulators, puzzlers, and shooters – and it might surprise readers to find that it actually works out pretty well.

via YouTube

Amusement parks are usually a great time! Well, sort of. I’m not a huge fan of rides, myself, so…anyway, the point is that most people love these things. Yurukill Land, though, might be a little unpleasant for even the most ardent amusement aficionados. This park is packed to the brim with bizarre puzzles and deadly traps, and we’re going to follow several groups tasked with exploring the park. The groups are paired up as Prisoners, criminals accused of crimes they claim to have not committed, and Executioners, the alleged victims of those crimes who hold the Prisoners’ life in their hands. The Prisoners need to work with their captors in an effort to prove their innocence, while the Executioners have to determine what they really believe.

If that sounds a little like Ace Attorney or Danganronpa, you’re right! Well, sort of. There’s certainly plenty of investigation to go around as each group explores the various Yurukill Land attractions. If you’ve played either of the aforementioned series you’ve probably got an idea of what you’re in for here, though there’s quite a bit of escape room energy going on here too. Search for clues, find useful items and figure out what’s going on in order to proceed. Generally, Yurukill’s puzzle design is pretty okay, though every so often you’re going to run into some really nasty pieces of work that are remarkably tough even with the game’s generous hint system.

These difficulty spikes are so intense that it comes off as more of a translation error or perhaps a game design stumble than an intentional effort to make the game difficult. You might want a guide at hand just in case.

Puzzles aren’t the highlight of Yurukill, in any case. In an incredibly bizarre gameplay shift, each chapter’s climax takes the form of a vertical shooter where the characters engage in debate via the time-tested format of bullet hell discussion. Yes, seriously. It might be even more weird to say that these segments are remarkably good from a gameplay, graphical and narrative perspective. If you enjoy the intense trials that take place at the end of each chapter of Danganronpa, then combine those with the better parts of Radiant Silvergun or Ikaruga and you’ve got an idea of what’s going on here.

The developers clearly had some idea that this is what some players came for, since you’re able to go through the shooter stages at will as well as selecting characters and ships other than what you’d ordinarily be able to use. There’s even online leaderboards!

It’s a strange combination of genres, but Yurukill: The Calumniation Games works quite a bit better than one might expect. Though the odd incredibly difficult puzzle here and there might serve to break up the flow a little, that’s what GameFAQs is for. Fans of narrative-focused investigative games are bound to get a kick out of Yurukill, while shooter fans will appreciate the artistry put into these segments. It’s a win-win either way and an easy recommendation.

About the Author: Cory Galliher