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 Eternal Palace Sakura on Nintendo Switch 2.
Stop me if you've heard this one before but it feels like I have been playing a lot of roguelikes on the show lately. Eternal Palace Sakura is that but it also felt like a Mystery Dungeon game so it has something else going for it. Long story sort, we play the role of Retla as she makes her way through the Eternal Palace Sakura.
At the start of the game, I'd say play the tutorial. The controls at the start are a little finicky and take a little getting used to. It also teaches you the basics of the game so learn them first. I like it when games like this give you an enemy lock on. The rooms have quite a few enemies in them at times so being able to lock on and attack/kill one quickly is a good thing.
During gameplay you'll be able to track your progress and unlock new sills and equipment based on your achievements like long combos and such. I like the attacks that do multiple attacks quickly. As I mentioned before there will rooms with quite a few enemies in it so you'll want to be able to throw hands! Also having a ranged attack couldn't hurt for the same reason.
There were some minor tech issues while I playing through. There were times when the screen was a little blurry when one enemy remained. I had to refocus the camera to resolve it. The other small issue was when you finished the room and the background went black, but you could still see Retla. It's a minor thing that doesn't hinder the gameplay but should be known about.
The floor layouts of the Eternal Palace is an interesting idea and why it feels like a roguelike/Mystery dungeon game. You'll be able to make your way to different spots on the map and have different things happen when you get there. One might be a shop where you can buy thigs. One might be a campfire where you can rest up. One might be an enemy encounter and so on. It's interesting because on some of the spaces, you have to spend something to get something. Make sure you have hit points to spare because you'll have to spend them. As you progress, you'll be able to do things and have the Mugen level of the dungeon increase or decrease. As that goes up, things become tougher for you. It will make progression so much tougher. You might get your experience cut or enemies could be stronger.
Eternal Palace Sakura is an interesting take on the roguelike formula. It just needs some minor tweaks because it's already super addictive. I'd like to thank the devs for a review code. Make sure you check out the hands-on video below!