Princess Kaguya: Legend of the Moon Warrior

[h1] Poor hit detection and controls that are not so so. Overall looks good but plays bad. [/h1]

Fatal flaw of this short beat 'em up was the controls. Especially when you wanted to attack and it turned you in the wrong direction, which happened very often, and could get you killed. Otherwise, the controls were poor but workable. Cool and unconventional designs on most monsters. The intro in static panels dragged on. The story was nothing to write home about, but doesn't really matter in this type of game. Even the tutorial screen was blurry and hard to read. I played at easy difficulty and doubt I could have finished at normal.

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Princess KAGUYA, developed and published by Zoo Corporation, is a side-scrolling beat ’em up that draws its inspiration from Japanese folklore, blending traditional myth with fast-paced action and colorful fantasy. The game reimagines the legend of Princess Kaguya, a celestial maiden from the moon, and transforms her into a warrior heroine thrust into a battle to rescue her twin sister, Sakuya. It’s a concept brimming with potential—mythic origins, elegant design, and a protagonist who wields both grace and power—but while the game’s visual presentation and premise are immediately engaging, its mechanical execution and pacing sometimes struggle to match its ambition. The gameplay structure is rooted in classic beat ’em up tradition, combining side-scrolling progression with waves of enemies and environmental hazards. The controls are straightforward, giving players access to melee attacks, ranged abilities, and special moves that can be used to clear crowds or deal heavy damage. Princess Kaguya can alternate between a kendama staff for close combat and a bow for ranged precision, adding an element of tactical choice to encounters. At its best, the combat feels rhythmic and satisfy…

At this time, I can see there are a lot of negative reviews, but I must say I genuinely enjoyed this game. The art, music and theming are all great—you play as a princess beating up yokai with a kendama, bow and arrows. The story is cute and simple, told mostly through cutscenes. Concerning gameplay, movements are indeed janky and combos are sluggish, but I learned you can animation-cancel by blocking during an attack, allowing you to defend yourself, move around, and chain combos a lot more easily. There are only four levels (and a bonus mode) and Hard mode is quite challenging, revolving around finesse, quick-thinking, and mastering each enemy and boss rather than simple button-mashing. That said, I would still only recommend this game to those who are willing to put mechanics second, and the overall vision first.

Nice art, top tier character design (inner and outer side boob is nice), presentation has charm to it. But the game is short, real short. Four stages short. You just start to get into the game and then it ends. Hit detection isn't the best, found Kaguya suddenly turning around to attack with the bow more often than I would like. Stages are short, but padded with enemies. Could use more music variety. Really not worth the asking price. Despite all of this, I still like the game and say you should wait for a sale... assuming you're still looking to buy a 10 year old game.