It's True, Maids Do Kick Ass!
It's that time again for a new episode of Chichuki Plays, the show where I go hands-on with upcoming games and show them off. Usually, it's about an hour or so but I don't want to spoil too much of the game for you. This time we're looking at Maid of Salvation on Steam.
If you've ever wanted an action RPG where you get to play as a maid, this is the game for you. You get to play as Shizuka, one of the maids of purgatory. The Overseer of the Sanctuary gives Shizuka a mission and we have to solve it. Along the way, Shizuka will run into other maids in various locations. Those maids as well as other interesting characters will give her quests to complete. On the plus side, you can take on missions right when you find them and have them when you find the solution to the quest. Sometimes, in games like this, you can only take on one quest at a time.
Combat in the game is pretty straight forward as you have attacks as well as dodge rolls. You'll want to master those skills quickly because they will help you in battle. The exploration is my opinion is similar to a topdown view Legend of Zelda game like A Link to the Past. You'll have basic weapons like a sword and the ability to find better weapons like a scythe or bigger sword. You might get rewarded from boss fights with better weapons so keep an eye out. You might also find special attack and Secret art attacks. These will help you perform combo attacks in battle. You'll also gain access to a gun that you can use in addition to weapon and secret art attacks. You'll be able to reload the gun with attacks. The same goes for the magic power. There is also a skill tree where you can learn new skills and abilities so make good use of that. You will need Wedge stones to get new skills so look out for them. Another nice feature in combat is the lock on system. It makes fighting monsters so much easier. You will want to master the dodge roll because there are some bosses that have large attack ranges and dodging will keep you in the game longer.
The game also has RPG elements in it such as leveling up and gaining skills. You will need Karma to upgrade. You collect Karma by defeating enemies. Similar to games like Dark Souls, you only have the option to level up at certain statues. Usually, you'll find fast travel portals and save statues here too. You can level up vitality, strength, mind or activity here so pick the one that goes into your playstyle the best. Vitality increase HP, strength increases power, mind increases MP, and activity increases stamina. Find out what works for you and plan accordingly. You can also backstab enemies which feels great because some of these enemies are a pain in the ass to deal with. Sneak up on them and stab them in the back.
The Sanctuary is like the hub world of the game where you have all kinds of options open to you. You can take a portal to another world, if you have access to it. You can run into other maids and get quests or buy things if they're selling. You can also craft things you might need on your mission in the Sanctuary too. The locations in the game are interesting and not massive. Exploration will take some time but shouldn't feel like a chore to go through. Another great feature is when you finish a quest, you can fast travel back to the maid who assigned it right away. Being able to dodge in the air gives this game a leg up too. Sometimes, you don't get a dodge/air dodge for a long time so it's nice to not have to wait super long for it.
Maid of Salvation is a fun take on the Metroidvania/souls-like formula. I really like the character designs and how they interact with each other. The combat is smooth and the enemies/boss fights are challenging. You might have a new kick-ass waifu to add to the list folks!
Make sure you check out the hands-on video below!