Kamiko
A short action game about miko battling demons.
Flyhigh Works published Kamiko, an action game created by developer Skipmore. It launched on Nintendo Switch in April 2017, then arrived on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2019. Critical reception was mixed but leaned positive.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Skipmore
- Publisher
- Flyhigh Works
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Windows
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Genre
- Action
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Kamiko is an action game where players control a miko called a "kamiko" to fight demons and solve puzzles across stages. Three miko are available, each with a unique fighting style: Yamato uses a sword, Uzume a bow and arrow, and Hinome a sacred dagger and shield. Defeating enemies earns SP points that fill a Special Attack gauge; chaining combos increases SP gained. At 50 SP, a Special Attack can be triggered to hit multiple enemies at once. Stages contain sealed torii gates that must be unsealed by finding switches, after which a boss must be defeated to proceed.
Development and release
Development of Kamiko began in December 2016 after Flyhigh Works and Skipmore, who were developing Picontier, decided to create a smaller-scale work as a preliminary step. The original goal was to release Kamiko as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017, so the game was designed to be short and easily replayable, inspired by classic arcade games like Valkyrie no Densetsu and Dark Seal. Time attack elements were added. Development was 90% complete by March 2017, but the game missed its launch target. It first released in Japan on April 13, 2017, and worldwide on April 27. Initially, Skipmore planned a secret playable character from their Fairune series, but instead reworked the heroine into an original character, Hinome, available from the start. Ports for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 were released in June 2019, followed by an Xbox One version in August. A limited physical version for Switch was released in Japan in June 2020 by B-Side Games, with a normal and a special edition including a copy of the game, case, soundtrack, sticker, postcard, and acrylic keychains.
Reception
On the Nintendo Switch, Kamiko received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic. Circle Entertainment CEO Chris Chau reported over 110,000 copies sold by July 2017. Flyhigh Works later announced sales exceeding 200,000 copies on Switch by April 2018, and by June 2019, the game had sold over 250,000 copies on the platform. Nintendo Life's Morgan Sleeper praised the game for nailing a sense of general progression, noting that the three playable characters each offer a different flow, which boosts replay value despite the brief experience. Nintendo World Report's Daan Koopman described the retro aesthetic as lovely and the flow as grand, and while he disliked the game's shortness, he felt it fully owns up to its short length.
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