Yurukill: The Calumniation Games

A super strange Danganronpa/Zero Escape like with good ideas and a rather solid execution. The shmup phases are a bit anecdotic, but it's a cool ride. I feel bad I didn't thumbs up this earlier, I really wish I could see Izanagi's next production.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games consists of two parts of gameplay: the puzzle-solving room escape and bullet hell. The puzzle-solving part is engaging, and the story flows pretty well along, although both are quite simplistic for my taste. But there is a pacing problem within the bullet hell section where there are puzzles interweaving between shooter parts, just when you are immersed in blasting the enemy and bam, it sends you to solve another puzzle. Anyway, I like the UI where when the characters talk, it conveys their emotion. It's a nice touch from the devs. I still recommend this game even though I don't like the design choice they made in the shoot 'em up segment. Getting it while it's on sale would be your best bet..

Good SHMUP elements and OST, Mediocre story and pretty bad puzzles. Worth playing for the SHMUP sections, and the interesting ideas of trying to mix them with a puzzle game. The lack of a budget holds the game back in the non-shmup parts; There are several scenes that feel like they should have had cuts to illustrations, and they just fade to white and then back to the scene you are in, with the implication that things happened during it. Which felt jarring. In terms of story, these types of games are often held up by the villain/mascot, and Binko tends to just be annoying or uninteresting for most of the game. In the VN sections there are a lot of scenes of characters saying things you already know, which tend to drag on. There is also a distinct lack of violence/gore which you would expect in this sort of game, which isnt necessarily a negative, just kind of unexpected. The puzzles range from busy work, to mildly interesting. While they are often well themed they never really become difficult or nuanced, and there arent that many puzzles throughout the game. The SHMUP elements are well designed and integrate the puzzle and story into them in cool ways, by far the best…

Yeah, this game ain't even worth my full review. The story is pretty meh. There are some interesting characters, but most of them are two dimensional and I don't mean just their sprites. There are two kinds of gameplays. Puzzle solving and Shoot'em-ups. This was probably my first SEU and I would say it's alright? Really have nothing else to compare it to, but there are definitely better pick then this one. The other section, where most of the story happens, is the puzzle solving. You go through several rooms, solving puzzles ranging from "paper telling you how to order items" to nigh nonsensical (looking at you 6NE). There are may 2-3 interesting puzzles, but over all the puzzle sections are not challenging and i do not reccomend buying this game if you are avid mystery or puzzle fan.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a strikingly ambitious hybrid title developed by IzanagiGames in collaboration with G.rev Ltd. and ESQUADRA,inc., and published by IzanagiGames. From the outset, the game establishes itself as something deliberately unconventional, merging visual novel storytelling, puzzle-based investigation, and intense bullet-hell shoot ’em up gameplay into a single cohesive structure. Set within the sinister confines of an abandoned amusement park called Yurukill Land, the story revolves around a group of prisoners who claim innocence and their paired executioners, each bound together in deadly trials where truth, lies, and emotional trauma collide. The narrative is the backbone of the experience and unfolds through lengthy visual novel segments that explore themes of guilt, revenge, public perception, and the destructive power of false accusations. Each chapter focuses on a different prisoner–executioner pair, allowing the story to examine multiple perspectives on justice and victimhood. Dialogue is dense and emotionally charged, often lingering on character motivations and inner conflicts rather than rushing toward plot resolutions. While the structure may…

I would only play this if you are a fan of, or could tolerate a lot of bullet hell sections. They aren't especially good, and I would say act as filler between the actual parts of the game (they try to serve the same purpose of danganronpa trials of bringing all the knowledge you have together and it doesn't completely work). I think this is one of those flawed games you can play as a study of sorts, and it's definitely higher quality compared to games of similar genre.