Night Slashers: Remake is …..interesting to say the least. The game uses aspects from the original Japanese release that were left out in the west, such as more detailed dialogue from enemies and more story elements that make things clearer, but of course there are changes as well. For a remake of a classic game, this is a much easier experience this go around, and I took the time to compare the remake to the now delisted port of the original game on Switch to verify. This may sound like a bad thing, but you must remember that Night Slashers was a brutal quarter muncher, where some enemies could take more than a a full quarter of your life meter in a single hit. Since the remake does not use a credit system, it only makes sense to tone down this difficulty., especially since you can earn more lives through gameplay.
The issue, however, is that in some instances it may be a bit too easy. I encountered situations where enemies just stood there and let me hit them, or just waited as I dealt with other enemies that were attacking. I am hoping this can be fixed with a future patch though, and that it will not stay an issue. It does bring up the other problem of Night Slashers: Remake, which is that the game simply needed a lot more polish and optimization before its release.
Many are complaining about the visuals and claiming that the new look destroys the animations, but this is not really the case. Comparing the remake to the original again, both have the same issue with somewhat limited animations giving attacks less of a feeling of weight, and the comic book art style is fully in line wither other revivals that have been well received. The art is very different from the pixel art style, but it really is not as bad as it is being made out to be.
One neat addition to this remake is Liu Feilin from the Fighter’s History series, another series from Data East. Liu Feilin feels a bit overpowered compared to the three original characters, but has better animations and also serves as a sort of easy mode due to being overpowered. Of course, there is a separate Easy Mode and Hard Mode, and Night Slashers: Remake will let you start from any level once you have reached it, which is great for those who just want to play certain sections, which is a great QoL addition.
Night Slashers: Remake had a lot going against it, but I am going to say now that it is NOT a bad game. However, it still feels a bit unfinished in terms of optimization and polish, with glitches occurring such as walking into areas you are not supposed to and some audio errors. The audio has both a new soundtrack and the original sounds, which is great but there are some hiccups here and there that I hope get fixed.
I think many are being too hard on Night Slashers: Remake due to the visuals, but that aspect is not what holds the game back. If the glitches, bugs, and optimization issues are dealt with, then I can see the game shining bright. As it is, I am not saying this is one to avoid, but rather that Night Slashers: Remake is a game to wait for fixes, some of which are already coming, and then play the game once it is perfected. It will be much better then, and this horror beat em up will finally get the chance to live again.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
