Devil Kings is a stunning game. Visually the in-game graphics are fairly well done and go a long way to add to the overall confusion of battle. The various cut-scenes also come off well. Not only are there fully animated anime scenes to set up each battle, but major story points are punctuated with full fledged pre-rendered 3D movies.

The use of all three cut-scene styles helps to keep the story fresh and adds a lot to the game’s overall feel. On the battlefield, the environments are expansive and the models (from grunts to cavalry to commanders to the army leaders themselves) are full of detail. Even though there is a label above each character denoting their class (solder, commander, etc.), you don’t really need it because the models are different enough to be easily recognizable, even in the heat of battle.

Devil Kings sounds great; clashing swords and galloping horses all sound just right and the game’s background music is full of energy, doing a great job of pumping you up. Voice work for both the rendered movies and in-game action sounds great. The only real issue that seems to come up is that the lines the various characters say while hacking their way through enemy hordes can get slightly repetitive. Thankfully, the situation changes so frequently in the battles (as does the list of applicable statements) that you don’t have to deal with the repetitiveness too much.

Devil Kings is a hack and slash action title at heart. Though your characters are the leaders of armies, you don’t really have any control over the military. Instead of being the general that stays safe away from the fight, you will lead your men into battle and be the leading force as you take out your enemies’ cavalry or tear down their gates.

You take control of one of several leaders as you try to do nothing less than take over the world. In Conquest mode, you move from stage to stage attempting to overrun the enemies. It’s in this mode that you will unlock most of your equipment. After winning a battle, you will view a stats screen that not only tells you how many of what type of enemies died, but also how much experience your character gained in the fight.

Free Battle mode lets you jump in for a “quick” fight. Here you will be able to use your characters in an arena that has been won in Conquest mode and unlocked.

When going into a battle, be it Free Battle or Conquest mode, you will be given an objective. This will be anything from storm the enemy’s gates, to hold them off and keep them from breaching your walls. As you run across the field, you will find yourself slashing your way through pretty much anything that moves. But you will need to be careful since there is such a thing as friendly fire and you can easily take out your foot soldiers or commander. The battle really heats up when you run into the opposing general.

Then the game takes on more of a fighter feel to it. Even though there are fights going on all around you, most of the time the other characters on the field will leave the two of you alone. But if you want to stand a chance against the big baddie of these conflicts, then you will probably have to direct your fight into an enemy group, so you can take them out as well and build up your Fury Meter.

Once you’ve gained sufficient fury, you can activate your character’s ultimate moves and tear down pretty much anything in your path. These attacks include Devil King’s (the character, not the game) Whiplash, Scorpio’s Flame Drill, or Venus’ Guiding Light. Each of these attacks are impressive, last a few seconds, and go a long way to clearing a path through your enemies.

Devil Kings is not an easy game. Early campaign battles are tough and will take several repeats just to make any real progress. But because of Devil Kings’ semi-open styled battle modes, you won’t ever really get frustrated with a fight since you will be able to try various different tactics and eventually find the right strategy to overcome your foe.

Because this game is so tough, its gameplay time is greatly increased. If each battle was easy, then it wouldn’t be a problem to finish the game and you could just breeze through the campaigns and unlock everything. As it is, not only does the game’s complexity make each battle long, but the sheer number of armies you must defeat is also staggering.

Devil Kings uses the same control scheme for each of its playable characters. You can jump or mount a horse with the X button, use your normal attack with the Square, or execute your character’s special ability with the Triangle. If you’ve spilled enough blood and/or been hurt enough, you can activate your Fury Drive Attack with the Circle. While on horseback, you attack with the Square and speed up your mount with the Triangle.

An interesting mechanic is the game’s RPG-like battle preparation system. In this pre-conflict menu you can select weapons, armor, items, and attacks allowing you to refine your leader’s fighting style to fit your needs.

Devil Kings isn’t for everyone. This hack and slash is tough and will probably deter a few gamers who are looking to just go in and win a few quick battles. Most hardcore action gamers who will be able to pour a good amount of time and effort into this title will want to pick this game up, while those on the fence might want to rent for a weekend and see if the challenge is more frustrating than refreshing.