I was sent a free copy of Ikki Unite to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy these reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a quality budget headset, check out the Fifine H9 Gaming Headset using my Amazon Affiliate link. Make sure you check out my full review. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
What is Ikki Unite?
Ikki Unite is a pixel art, bullet hell action roguelike out now on Steam ($11.99) and Switch ($14.99).
Join up with your friends and fight against hordes of enemies in the most time-crunching and intense fight of your life. Try it solo, or team up with up to 16 as you defend the town from locusts, monkeys, and other beasts. Make sure you beat the bosses before time runs out. How far can you and your friends get?
Gameplay
The loop for this game is simple. If you play solo, you choose your character, load in, and start fighting swarms of enemies as you attempt to complete the quest before time runs out. The loop is the same in multiplayer, but you get a random hero that you can reroll once.
The game auto attacks, but players need to maneuver characters carefully to keep them alive. Enemies will occasionally drop coins, and players use these coins to buy random upgrades. Players can buy a random weapon, stat boost, or companion to make runs easier. As enemies get tougher, the choices you make for upgrades start to matter more. Make sure you always choose carefully. You won’t need a guide to get through this game, but it pays off to be mindful from the start.
The run is over when a player’s life points go to zero, or time runs out. Players can extend the time limit by completing quests. Quests are not marked. Ikki Unite’s main challenge is finding the balance between farming the endless mobs of enemies and searching for the bosses within the always fleeting time limit.
Bad RNG will absolutely ruin a run. While I do feel the RNG is consistently fair, there were one or two runs that were impossible from the start. Some heroes are worse than others. While this may be an issue with playstyle preference, a bad hero will ruin a run just as badly as the game’s RNG. I recommend you try all the heroes out in single-player first so that you know when to reroll if you ever find yourself in a multiplayer game.
Multiplayer in my region is dead, and I can’t speak about the online experience. From what I’ve read, the game’s performance varies by region. If you want to play this game in multiplayer, you’ll need to play with friends. The solo experience is valid, but I can see this game being more fun with friends.
Review
I enjoyed this Ikki Unite. Not as much as Brotato, but well enough that I can recommend it. The game has an adorable retro vibe with a terrific soundtrack. The gameplay is chill, but it can be challenging if you aren’t paying attention. The characters are unique and the attacks are quirky and flavorful. This is a solid game for those looking for a game with a retro vibe with a modern feel. I see this game being better if you have friends to go in with you, but the solo experience is valid. I am a little disappointed that I never found an online match, but maybe you’ll get lucky.
I found the gameplay relaxing but with enough of a challenge to keep things engaging. While this isn’t a game I can nolife, it is a game I can pick up when I want a change of pace or want to have a wacky time with my friends. If you’re in the mood for an action roguelike, Ikki Unite is a solid choice.
You can pick up Ikki Unite on Steam ($11.99) and Switch ($14.99).