AMEDAMA is a 2.5D side-scrolling sandbox action game that revolves around possessing people and animals to save your little sister. Read on to find out our first impressions of the game, as well as everything else we know so far about it.
AMEDAMA Demo Review
AMEDAMA Demo Review Explanation
| Overall | The AMEDAMA demo shows that the full game will be an interesting side-scrolling action title that uses its core gameplay mechanic, possession, quite well. It also has a great-looking art style that does not only call to mind pixel art indie games but also classic games such as Valkyrie Profile. |
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| Story | AMEDAMA’s a simple story with a good hook - Yushin’s quest to find his beloved sister within seven days is a tale many can get behind. The demo also shows that we may end up seeing through Yushin’s eyes the stories of multiple characters, each with their own dramas and motivations. It’s not the deepest of stories, but it’s enough to get you going. |
| Gameplay | So far, we’ve seen AMEDAMA’s gameplay divided into two parts - traversal and combat. The traversal part is good so far - there are many targets for possession, and you’ll need to possess the right people to have an easier time with the game. As for the combat part, it’s decent though I can’t help but feel that it’s too easy (at least in the parts that the demo covered). |
| Visuals | AMEDAMA’s visuals are a unique mix of clean 3D backgrounds with a well-implemented feudal Japanese aesthetic, pixel models that give it an indie vibe, and nice anime-style character designs. Perhaps the game would’ve looked more cohesive on the visuals front if not for the character designs, but they add a certain charm to the game that keeps it from looking too melancholic. |
| Audio | Though there’s no voice acting, the soundtrack carries the game’s atmosphere a lot. Traditional Japanese instruments like the Shamisen, the Koto, and others, drive home the feeling of a Japan shrouded in myth and beauty - with shadows hiding in every corner. So far, the music has been very immersive. |
| Value for Money | It seems that AMEDAMA will not be too long of a game, based on the gameplay loop we’re seeing so far. We’ve yet to see what its ultimate price will be, but you’re getting an interesting game with decent action and a good mystery to solve in exchange. |
Pros of AMEDAMA Demo
| Things AMEDAMA Got Right So Far |
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 Good Use of the Possession Mechanic Eclectic Visuals and Sound Design Engaging Story and Overarching Mystery |
Good Use of the Possession Mechanic
AMEDAMA is a game about possessing people and animals as a spirit, and it’s great that it’s not just a gimmick. You will need to swap bodies over and over not just because certain people can get you access to certain areas, but because there’s a limit as to how long you can stay in a body depending on how many enemies you’ve already defeated called the "Soul Glow." The more enemies you kill, the more your soul glow diminishes, and once it hits zero, you won’t be able to control that particular body anymore.
So it’s not just a matter of possessing a very powerful character and using them to clear an area, but possessing them at the right time and picking your fights carefully so you can keep using a body until it’s safe to switch over to another one. Depending on who you possess, you can get into certain areas, gain allies, or end up fighting multiple groups of enemies at the same time.
There’s a real sense of strategy when it comes to picking the right possession target, and even if you get into the right body, you’ll have to pick the right dialogue options when speaking to certain characters to convince them that there’s nothing wrong with you. So far, I like what I'm seeing with AMEDAMA’s possession mechanic. Hopefully, the full game has more creative uses of it to keep the gameplay loop full of surprises.
Eclectic Visuals and Sound Design
AMEDAMA is a nice-looking game with a great indie charm to it. The visuals are a mix of pixelated 2D and 3D sprites, creating a clean 2.5D aesthetic that shows Feudal Japan against a backdrop of rainfall and the gentle strums of a Koto.
So far, we’ve seen rain-drenched streets, homely tenements, coastal areas, and even the ruins of an ancient castle, all rendered in 3D with a stylish depth of field. In the foreground, we have 2.5D character sprites that look like pixelated protagonists sometimes seen in indie games, but never in the style AMEDAMA has done. There are pixelated samurai retainers, pixelated geisha, bandits, bakuto gamblers, and everything else in between, all bringing the fictional town of Aihana - the game’s setting - to life.
As for the soundtrack, I liked how cohesive it is with the aesthetic. Shamisens, kotos, and wind instruments aplenty give off a clean, serious vibe that doesn’t oversell itself on how "traditional-sounding" it is. Even though the game doesn’t have any voices, the combination of rainfall and the instruments add a lot of atmosphere to the game already.
Engaging Story and Overarching Mystery
The plot of AMEDAMA is easy to get into. Yushin and his little sister Yui are minding their own business when, all of a sudden, Yui is kidnapped. Yushin, meanwhile, is cut down for his trouble - but his soul manages to stay on Earth. From there, he has to possess the right people to get closer to solving the mystery of where his sister was taken, and he only has seven days to do it before the cycle repeats itself.
Of course, what’s really going to happen is that Yushin will have to repeat those seven days over and over again, possessing the right people to get the correct information he needs. That means he’ll have to solve the mysteries involving them as well - to ensure that they stay alive long enough for him to find out what they know about his sister’s whereabouts. So far, the demo only shows one story, but we expect to see the stories of other characters as the game unfolds.
Cons of AMEDAMA Demo
| Things That AMEDAMA Can Improve |
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Combat Is Too Simplistic Some UI Elements Are Non-Responsive |
Combat Is Too Simplistic
The combat is your typical side-scrolling hack-and-slash action, with a slight twist - Yushin will typically do more damage when he’s counter-attacking rather than hitting enemies head-on. That’s because AMEDAMA has a guard mechanic where, if you guard just before an enemy strikes you, you can counter-attack them with a "guard counter" and cause massive damage.
So unless you’re very very bad at positioning yourself, the combat will be mostly you blocking attacks and guard countering until all the enemies are dead. It can get a bit repetitive, though we’re hoping that there will be enemies that we’ll have to deal with in ways other than simply killing them with guard counters.
Some UI Elements Are Non-Responsive
A minor gripe, but whenever I try to access the pause menu in the demo, it does not let me get into the "Options" tab no matter what I press on the keyboard. I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with the button layouts or the UI, though hopefully this will be fixed before the full-release version of the game is out.
Everything We Know About AMEDAMA
AMEDAMA Story Plot
Yushin and his sister Yui live peaceful lives as they run the local umbrella shop in their village. However, on a rainy day, a group of men raid the store and kill Yushin, before abducting Yui. Still, even death itself seems unable to stop Yushin - who has gained the ability to possess different beings. Though this newfound power will help him track his sister’s whereabouts, he must find her within seven days, no matter who or what he has to possess.
AMEDAMA Gameplay
AMEDAMA’s main gameplay mechanic is possession. With Yushin being nothing more than a spirit, he must go around town possessing different beings from frogs to dogs to swordsmen and even courtesans and geisha. Each of his potential possession targets has its own unique abilities, which Yushin can then use to get through the game’s challenges and find clues as to his sister’s whereabouts.
Game8 Reviews
AMEDAMA Product Information
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| Title | AMEDAMA |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2023 |
| Developer | IzanagiGames, ACQUIRE Corp. |
| Publisher | IzanagiGames |
| Supported Platforms | PC |
| Genre | Sandbox, Action, Hack-and-Slash |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Rating Pending |
| Official Website | IzanagiGames Official Website |
