Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is a sequel to TuanisApps’ previous game, Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge ( a game we covered here). While the previous game leaned more towards a Classicvania style of gameplay, Order of the Alchemists goes for the Metroidvania approach and takes influence specifically from the DS Castlevania games. The story here revolves around Xandria, an Iron Alchemist who must set out on a massive and emotional journey and along the way uncovers some amazing things.
It should be made clear to all looking for a new Castlevania style game, that Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists really embraces the difficulty of the classic games and Order of Ecclesia, the game that Order of the Alchemists seems to be taking the most influence from. You will need to be mindful of the game’s system for handling gear and level/damage scaling if you hope to succeed, and get ready to grind heavily. Fortunately, you will not be fighting with the controls as Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists handles extremely well, and it feels satisfying to take control of Xandria during her quest.
As a Metroidvania, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is one of the better titles, possibly due to patterning itself off a great game. The map layout is great with many diverse locations for you to go to and with secrets for you to find at every corner. There are some tricky sections here and there, where the platforming could be better, but it overall is decent. One thing Order of the Alchemist takes from modern Metroidvania titles is map markers, and this is extremely welcome because you will get lost and having map markers will definitely help you get back on track. You can also use these map markers to note areas that seem suspicious and where secrets might be, since while Order of the Alchemist does not hold your hand, it does give you the means to find things on your own.
Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists also does well when it comes to enemy design and boss fights, with some truly unique battles. The enemies here will give you a challenge , and while you can find abilities and gear to improve, the game does not make things too easy for you. The boss fights are a real treat and each one is unique with aspects that set them apart while keeping you on your toes.
Order of the Alchemists does have some issues, notably with enemy scaling and especially towards the end of the game. It is not too bad and can be planned for, although you will also need to factor in the backtracking, something that is an issue for many Metroidvania titles. This is not to say that Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists falls flat in these areas, but rather just some spots where it could have been more polished.
That really is a way to describe Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists, a game with a lot of good ideas and concepts but a bit rough and unpolished. At first release, Order of the Alchemists was a bit of a mixed bag and there were plenty of issues, but the developer has worked to fix the problems and make the game much better. I would not be surprised if further changes and improvements come and make Order of the Alchemists the best experience it can be.
There are plenty of other good things to mention, including that Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists has an art style that is trying a bit too hard to be like its inspiration, but to me it comes off as charming more than derivative, and as if it is paying tribute rather than ripping it off. I need to emphasize though, that Order of the Alchemists has an amazing soundtrack that stands with the best of the genre. Some of the tunes are so catchy that I find myself replaying them in my head long after I stop playing.
Overall, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is a well made Metroidvania title and does a great job in playing tribute to its inspirations, while taking more modern ideas to put its own spin on things. I really did like the experience, and while it was a bit unpolished, I am confident the issues will continue to be addressed and fixed to make the game much better and even more fun to play. Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge was a great starting point and Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists does a great job to continue the series and push things further. Now I cannot wait to see what comes next and what improvements and new ideas and concepts will be utilized if another game in the series is made. Until then, the Toziuha Night games and especially Order of the Alchemists are games that should be on the radar of any fan of the Castlevania series or Metroidvanias and Classicvanias in general.
Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists can be played on PC and Nintendo Switch
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
