Tokyo 42

But even with the occasional camera-related annoyance and a couple of less-than-stellar timed platforming challenges, Tokyo 42 is a thrilling game. Its satirical storytelling and corporate spin on sci-fi mesh quite well with the open-ended approach to gameplay that allows players to define their own assassin. The litany of weird gadgets (like a cat who detects nearby enemy assassins) and colorful characters keep everything fresh and unpredictable right up until the end. This spin on Tokyo is breathtaking to view and full of memorable moments, all of which are worth dying over and over for.

While I am primarily a PC keyboard and mouse loyalist, I felt the isometric camera made WASD movement a bit wonky.  It’s like trying to play Q-Bert, you need to press SD, SA, WA and WD for diagonal movement.  Luckily, Tokyo 42 supports controllers natively.  I used a USB Xbox One controller and immediately the game controls extremely well with the analogs.

There’s something about Tokyo 42 that makes it quite engrossing. Playing it often feels like hard work due to the annoying camera, but it’s strangely rewarding. You feel a great sense of satisfaction when you pull off a successful hit without being spotted, and as you climb the assassin ranks you get access to better weaponry and equipment  that enables you to be more creative. Add in a fast travel system that allows you to move around the world with ease in the moments of downtime, and it’s hard to not be charmed.

Welcome to the cyberpoppunk world of Tokyo 42, where death is an outdated concept. UPDATE: Now, with multiplayer thoughts!

Searching for meaning in the big bright city.

An isometric shooter with a vivid sense of style.

Thanks to the imprecision of its shooting controls and the cheap behaviour of its AI, I could never really develop any confidence in Tokyo 42’s frustrating combat. Which is a shame because, glitches aside, I really loved exploring the wonderfully crafted world and the simple yet still challenging nature of its stealth-based assassinations. This tiny hitman game dresses smart, packs the right kind of ammunition and certainly aims its sights high, it just doesn’t quite nail the execution.

Blending stealth and action elements is a formula built for success. However, does Tokyo 42's unique take on the genre result in a worthwhile isometric open world adventure?

While I was originally extremely excited for Tokyo 42's stylistic cyberpunk world, I found myself dreading it after an hour or two. The city may look great, but it gets in the way of the game itself. Combine this with a poor aiming system, crazy difficulty spikes, and an uninteresting multiplayer, and you're left with a game that rarely manages to be enjoyable.