Sumioni: Demon Arts Critic Reviews

I have to say that Sumioni: Demon Arts is easily one of my favorites on the Vita despite its less than stellar inner workings.

Sumioni: Demon Arts is one of those hidden gems of the Playstation Vita that the market analysts radar unfortunately make it increasingly difficult to locate.

All in all, Sumioni is a very good game, but one hurt by its limited scope. It allows you to do a nice variety of things with the touch screen, and even made great use of the back panel, but its strict formula gets old pretty quickly. Its $20 price tag feels a tad steep given that, but most of what's offered is done really well, so I think you'll get your money's worth out of it if you like hack and slash games with some platforming and even a touch of bullet hell shooter gameplay thrown in.

Sumioni won't set the world on fire, but it finds ways to be challenging and entertaining and I see it taking the road that leads it to becoming a cult classic.

With a bit of sprucing up here and there, Sumioni: Demon Arts could be a keeper. In its current form, there's still plenty to enjoy.

Sadly, the frantic combat is never as graceful as it should be.

A gorgeous game that plays well and offers a unique experience all around. The frustration of going back to see all it has to offer, though, is a huge barrier to entry. While the price point of $20 is appealing, a simple stage select or a modern save system would have vastly improved the experience.

Were this priced right, the bite-sized platforming combat would be worth checking out, but $20 is a little too steep. Unless you're really hungry for some new Vita games, it's best to wait for a sale before giving it a shot.

In its many trailers Sumioni: Demon Arts promised to make perfect use of the PlayStation Vita's unique capabilities and it actually does just that. Unfortunately the game is a bit of a one trick pony and turns into a grind pretty quickly.

Its clever premise is really nothing more than a series of annoying bottlenecks for the gamer, and with so little in terms of in-game diversity, no reasons exist to actually see and do everything unless you're a dedicated completionist or Trophy hunter.

Painting destruction becomes tiresome in the repetitive Sumioni: Demon Arts.

It's quite repetitive, and even if visually pleasant, there's little fun to be found here. Somehow it feels incomplete and we can't really recommend it unless you try it first for yourself.

It demands a level of precision that is tough to pull off with the cumbersome control scheme, making it hard to muster the effort.

Sumioni: Demon Arts isn't a bad game, but it's not a visual wonder. Very repetitive and loose in its gameplay, this PSVita downloadable hasn't many ideas and sometimes the control fails.

A beautiful game to look at, but horribly flawed deep down. The art style and good use of the Vita’s touch screen is enough to draw you in, but the poor story and constant repetition will certainly alienate players before the game really has a chance to truly get started.

Stylish visuals can't save this from being a repetitive and uninspiring experience.

For some, the idea of fighting through repetitive levels will be just that: a slog.

Sumioni is a mixed bag. While it is a solid action game in terms of its foundation, the overall execution of the idea and obtrusive touch screen controls prevent the complete package from excelling.

It gets old, repetitive and unsatisfying in short order. Playing it lost all fun after an hour.

If you have to give Sumioni: Demon Arts something, it’s that it’s a beautifully flawed game. The bold art direction makes way for occasionally uninspiring backdrops, repetitive gameplay, and irritating music. The nonsensical story provides characters you don’t care about and a world you must save that you know nothing of. The developers clearly thought that the art style and touch screen controls were enough to make up for the issues, but they're not. This is a let down on nearly every level.