Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! review

If you have ever wondered what Mario Party would look like if it was inhabited by the anime denizens of the Demon Slayer series, then Cyberconnect2 may just have the answer to your prayers. No strangers to fairly strange games, these are the same cats behind one of the most out-there titles I have ever played in Asura’s Wrath, and while Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! may not be quite as bizarre as that particular Capcom oddity, it is still intriguing, peculiar and well worth a look for fans of the anime, and of weird games in general.

A board game at heart, you pick one of the titular Slayers, and roll a dice to move around one of several uniquely themed boards, each of which have a whole different set of thematic hazards and quirks pulled straight from the anime. Monopoly this ain’t! Each square you land on can potential present one of several different outcomes ranging from dishing out some in-game currency, triggering off a minigame, or manifesting a status altering effect which can either help or hinder your progress towards the goal. But unlike nearly any traditional board game of this ilk – virtual or otherwise – there isn’t just one conventional endgame or target for all of the participants. The desired point you have to reach on the map is different for each player on each runthrough. Being first to the goal earns special ranking points (much like the stars in the Mushroom Kingdom equivalent) which you can use to level your character up.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! is split into two distinct sections: once you reach your aforementioned goal, things flip between day and night, and it is in the nocturnal segment that the demonic creatures come out to play on the board. If you land on a foe, you get a chance to spin a wheel to decide whether you have to fight it or not. Battles are a curious mixture of quick time event style inputs, and optional yet hit-and-miss Joy-Con waggling, the latter being perhaps my least enjoyed element of the game if you decide to go down that route. Slay a demon and then you are back into daytime mode, to begin again. The minigames are a mixed bag – some can be mildly engaging, but others are repetitive or hindered by the weird control scheme mashup. Some of them are also quite at odds with the anime, and seem a bit incongruous as a result. I also found that the actual demon encounters (whilst perhaps the most fun part of the game and often the most visually impressive) could be really simplistic and defeated just by mashing the buttons.

You can play on your own against the devilishly cruel CPU opponents, but this is best played with a bunch of pals – preferably those with a basic understanding of the anime, as it helps if you are at least partially emotionally invested in the source material. Repeat play can open up a series of rewards such as unlockables from a gacha machine such as different costumes, and characters – but your level of investment will be determined by your love of the Demon Slayer-verse, undoubtedly.

There are a few big, unavoidable issues with Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! however. Firstly, some of the visuals are pretty poor. The different boards are generally decent and can be instantly recognised by Demon Slayer fans as specific locations familiar to the anime, such as Swordsmith Village and the Mugen Train – each with their own menagerie and quirks. The character models on the other hand often exhibit a staggering lack of detail and just look dreadful, despite a good variety of recognisable faces. Some of the celebratory cutscenes also see the framerate divebomb into a sluggish mess, to the point that we could have probably done without them.

Pacing is therefore the main bugbear with gameplay – each playthrough can last for absolutely ages, to the point that it becomes a real slog and lacks the kind of zingy speed that the quickfire minigame format demands. The main reason for this is the odd delay between rolling the dice and the moves taking place, with no option to speed things up manually should you wish.

If you are a board game fan and a Demon Slayer fan then you are, almost inexplicably, the target audience for this one and will lap it up as a great bit of casual fun with some reverential nods to the source material. If you do not fall into this category then you may find yourself baffled by what is going on and wondering just how some of the discordant minigames fit into the demonic theme.