Koei Tecmo’s first attempt at filling the Monster Hunter void on PlayStation systems was 2014’s Toukiden: The Age of Demons. While it was a decent portable offering, it didn’t end up being very memorable. It didn’t have much to offer the hunting genre besides simplified combat, and despite spending time with it when it released, I couldn’t remember much about it three years later.
The original game may have failed to make much of an impact, but its sequel won’t suffer the same fate. Toukiden 2 is an intelligently designed hunting game that manages to move the genre forward in many ways, while still staying true to its Monster Hunter roots. Developer Omega Force has streamlined many elements that have defined the grind associated with such titles, and have managed to put out a highly enjoyable action game. Perhaps the biggest surprise that Toukiden 2 offers up is that it has a compelling story. Players fight demons called oni in order to protect a village that’s divided by class warfare. Split between the native residents that compose the Guards, and the newly arrived Samurai, tensions are high between the two groups of warriors. Even if it’s not exactly breaking new ground, the game handles these timely themes of equality well, and hopefully the message will resonate with its audience. Not all narrative elements are a hit, though, as the main character once again finds himself suffering from amnesia for the second straig...