| MSRP: $4.99 | Category: 2D Pixel Art Castlevania-like |
| Publisher: TuanisApps SRL | Developer: Danny Garay |
| Reviewed on: iPhone 14 Pro iOS 16.2 | Also on: PC/Steam (coming to Switch 5/2/23) |
Released Mar 1, 2023
Description
This is not the story of a heroine who seeks to protect people. Xandria, for selfish reasons, goes on a dangerous mission to Dracula’s castle.
In Transylvania, the story is told of a legendary alchemist named Vlad Tepes (Dracula), one day he was sentenced to death for having made a pact with a Toziuha, and thus acquiring demonic power. Years later, several alchemists from The Order have been found impaled outside Dracula’s castle, and it seems that somehow Vlad Tepes has been resurrected in search of revenge.
Find out more about this tragic story of a girl who fights with a whip of iron chains, a cruel reminder of a tragic past.
Toziuha Night is a side-scrolling action platformer. It runs through different linear stages set in a dark fantasy world; such as a gloomy forest and even Count Dracula’s gloomy castle.
Play as Xandria, a beautiful and skilled alchemist who, using an iron whip, fights against the most fearsome demons.
Review
The premise of Toziuha Night is rather interesting, taking the basic Castlevania-like “let’s kill Dracula” story and injecting alchemy and other elements that set it apart. Not all if it lands, necessarily, but it’s still nice to see the developer try and put some effort into its story, and differentiate it a little from its (obvious) source material.
The pixel art graphics for Toziuha Night look 16-bit-ish and perform well on both mobile and other platforms. You even have CRT-like filters if you want to go that direction, which look pretty good on larger screens but are largely unnecessary on an iPhone.
The audio for Toziuha Night isn’t going to win any awards, or influence generations of musicians to come (like Castlevania did), but it isn’t bad at all and certainly fits the mood of the game well. Think of it like an average SNES game soundtrack – not bad, but not super memorable.
The controls for Toziuha Night are a mixed bag. The touchscreen controls are usable (much more so than Konami’s own Symphony of the Night port on iOS) but still can result in some missed attacks or jumps due to their placement.
While you can control the opacity of the buttons, and you may be tempted (like me) to make them as transparent as possible, I don’t recommend it. You will want to see where they are from time to time, and it’s best to just keep them visible. While it would have been nice to have the ability to adjust the placement of the buttons onscreen, that isn’t an option at this time.
If you can use a Bluetooth controller to play, you will have a much better time with the game, as the control itself is very tight and well tuned.
You can watch some of my gameplay of Toziuha Night on iOS below:
Finally, the most important part of any game is the fun factor. Considering how few Castlevania-like games there are on iOS, Toziuha Night is a welcome addition, and its few control issues don’t completely hold it back from being fun to play. Using a controller is advised to make it even more enjoyable, but you can still play with the touchscreen controls.
FINAL VERDICT AND SCORE
Toziuha Night Dracula’s Revenge on iOS is a competent Castlevania-like with usable touchscreen controls, good pixel art and music, and certainly scratches the itch for a playable Castlevania game on mobile.
If you can connect a Bluetooth controller you will enjoy it even more, as it gets MUCH more playable with a controller, although the touchscreen controls aren’t bad. (In contrast, the touchscreen controls for the iOS port of Symphony of the Night are practically unplayable.)
On iOS, Tozihu Night is one of the few Castlevania-like games available, and is worth its $5 price.
On other platforms, like PC and Switch, there are several Castlevania-like games that are much better than Tozihu Night, and it doesn’t compare as favorably.
PROS
- Good 16-bit looking pixel art
- Good music and sound fx
- Competent Castlevania-like on iOS
- Interesting take on the Dracula story
- Usable touchscreen controls
CONS
- Cutscene art could have used a bit more refinement
- Pits often positioned in a way that enemy knockbacks result in cheap deaths
- Touchscreen controls good but not tight enough to avoid frustration
7.3
| Graphics | 8 |
| Audio | 7 |
| Gameplay | 7 |
| Fun | 7 |
Gamatroid 