Toukiden Kiwami was originally released in Japan on August 28, 2014. Americans have to wait nearly over seven months to get the localized version. While the game came out for the PSP and Vita in the Japan region, it will be released for the PS4 and Vita in North America. So is either of upcoming localized versions worth buying? Let’s evaluate several elements that may play a part in your decision.
Toukiden: The Age of Demons
Toukiden Kiwami is actually an expanded version of Toukiden: The Age of Demons, which came out on February 11, 2014 in the United States. For those who are uninformed, the original game plays similarly to the Monster Hunter series where you and others fight against enemies (in this case, Japanese demons). The monsters range from small grunts to bigger bosses. You can build your character by collecting “mitama” to gain special abilities in addition to finding items to upgrade armor and weapons from fallen monsters.
If you don’t mind its repetitive nature (since you will be spending a vast majority battling demons), Toukiden: The Age of Demons is a great experience, especially if you play playing cooperatively with friends.
Bonus Content Added to Toukiden Kiwami
With Toukiden Kiwami, the development team decided to add more chapters to the main campaign as you will learn more about the Slayers’ origins and Council of Elders in addition to experiencing the Utakata village events. Of course, Toukiden newcomers can also play through the story from the very beginning instead of continuing from the end of The Age of Demons. The campaign length, which took most players around 20 hours to finish without doing much of the side quests, should be nearly doubled as a result.
In terms of gameplay, you can expect to find new battle styles, characters, cooperative moves, enemies, mission types and weapons. So, even if you already play through the original version, Kiwami has more than enough content to upgrade.
Toukiden Kiwami: PlayStation 4 vs. Vita Graphics Comparison
For its western release, the development team decided to port the Vita version to the PlayStation 4. Aside from a higher resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels compared to 960 by 544 pixels), the PS4 game also includes better looking environments in addition to improved lighting. You can compare the two versions yourself with the screenshots below this paragraph. So it should come at no surprise that the home console has the visual edge.
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PS4 and Vita Cross Compatibility
While you can buy either the PS4 or Vita versions of Toukiden Kiwami, there are also some incentives to purchase both. One of which is cross save as you will be able to transfer your save data from the portable system to the home console and vice versa, so you have the luxury of playing on the big screen in addition to taking the expereince with you when you are outside. While there is no spilt screen, PlayStation 4 gamers will be able to play with Vita players online as the game supports cross play.
Price
One major factor you may want to consider is price if you are deciding which version to buy. The PlayStation 4 version has the same price tag as you would expect for most standard high-definition home console releases. On the other hand, the Vita version is priced much cheaper (at the same level as the majority of new games on the handheld system).
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a great co-op experience, then Toukiden Kiwami is definitely worth a look. For gamers who own both a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, you should get the version that best suit your tastes. You may value graphics and playing with the DualShock 4 over portability or vice versa. Of course, you can always buy both versions if you want to take advantage of cross play and cross save. You can preorder the two with these next links: PS4 version and Vita version.
You will be able to purchase Toukiden Kiwami on the two PlayStation platforms starting on the 31st of March.