Eastern Exorcist Review (Steam)

Eastern Exorcist is a stunning 2D side-scrolling action RPG set in a fantasy eastern world with the vicious spirits and monsters. Play as a skilled exorcist against chaotic evil to fight your way through the brutal world, and experience different stories of joy and sorrow.

Pros:

• Beautiful hand-drawn graphics.
• Download size.
• Steam achievements.
• Controller support.
• Opening and ongoing tutorials.
• Graphics-fullscreen and resolution.
• Can rebind controls for both keyboard and the controller.
• 3 save slots.
• 3 difficulties-casual, normal and hard.
• Power-collected in-game from enemies and the environment and is cashed in at shrines to level up.
• Shrines-activate them to use as a save/checkpoint.
• Shrines have activities-character level up, challenge level, teleport, worship, and strenuous training.
• Charming soundtrack.
• Level up increases health and attack power.
• Can use a d-pad or analog stick.
• Challenge level-face off against enemies in set circumstances to get rewards.
• Strenuous training-pick an action and practice.
• Map uncovers as you play and discover areas.
• Deep combat with slashes, combos, aerial attacks, dodges, parries and exorcism arts, jump attacks, charged attacks.
• Defeated enemies go into a downed state and will attempt to reanimate when their bar fills back up, you can dispel them for power.
• Icons flash up to indicate a perfect dodge or parry.
• 2D perspective.
• Chinese/Japanese voice with English subtitles.
• Boss battles-take the defeated bosses’ power and use it as an exorcism art.
• Uses a stamina system for attacks.
• The main story along with optional side quests.
• Exorcism arts-special abilities that cost mana, you can have four equipped at any time and swap between them at will.
• Slick animations.
• Lightning-fast loading times.
• The action plays out on a screen by screen basis.
• Play how you want and explore at will.
• Satisfying combat.

Cons:

• No graphic options.
• Stop-start action.
• Never know when you are playing or when the game is doing it for you.
• The mission notifications and structure on the menu are just slow and clunky.
• Not all text lines up in the boxes.
• The map can be hard to make sense of.
• Slow starter.
• No combo counter.
• Has an exclamation point and the action stops to signal an enemy encounter, no need.
• Combat across multiple levels is painful.
• Anything flying is a pain in the ass.
• Can easily feel lost with it all.
• Difficulty spikes with the bosses.