PSN Review: Malicious

We’ll be landing here in the middle of chaos. Thank you for flying Malicious Airlines.

By: Uma Smith

It should be no surprise that there are some games that made their first appearances in other geographical regions before reaching North America. Malicious is one of those games, developed by Alvion, which has yet to make its way to the US market. If you never heard of this title, let me fill you in. Malicious was first released on the PlayStation 3 as a downloadable title inJapan in October 2010 and has just recently landed inEurope, which means it’s time for us to kick the tires and see just what we’ve been missing.

CONTROLS (3.5/5)

Button layouts can be completely customized, which is helpful considering you have various commands such as light and heavy attacks, blocking/dodging, and jumping. As an added bonus, you can perform up to six double-jumps thereby giving you total aerial control. By pressing different directions on the d-pad, you’ll morph your cloak into various weapons.

Despite this customization, there are issues with the controls that handicap the experience. The most noticeable is controlling the camera: because you are unable to switch from one locked target to another, your view is limited during battles. Additionally, dodging and blocking are executed via the same button. Consequently, pressing the block button while moving with the left stick will make you dodge instead.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4.25/5)

By incorporating an artistic and unique design against the pastel colors, you get a visual presentation that serves to please — sort of like a wedding cake. Everything from the in-game action sequences, cut-scenes, and even the loading screens has a stunning appearance. The attention to detail is also evident when you take note of your character’s clothing as they rip and degrade, which is indicative of how much damage you’ve taken.

Complementing the beautiful graphics is the awe-inspiring audio. The sound effects are magnificent as they clash against the background of a well-orchestrated musical score.

GAMEPLAY (4/5)

Malicious involves a slayer who has been called upon to fight against the dangerous entity known as the Malicious. You’ll need to take out the holders of certain powers in order to enhance your abilities, thereby preparing yourself for a no-holds-barred battle against the Mad Queen.

You can choose to be either male or female, which doesn’t offer any differences other than their appearance. Instead of traditional swords or guns, you have a cape that morphs into various weapons. The further you progress, the more shapes and weapons your cape can change into. These include a sword, fists, and even wings. You can also shoot lasers, which are the initial weapons you’re equipped with.

Similar to the Mega Man series, you have five stages to choose from, which you can play in any order you wish. In this case, you enter straight into a battle against your chosen boss. And when you reign victorious, you will gain new abilities that you can use in later battles. The game plays out more like Devil May Cry where you’re slashing against enemies in a 3D fashion.

The game is absolutely merciless and “malicious” when it comes to difficulty. Every moment within the game will have you battling against enemies: either you’re fighting a boss or fending off against groups of weaker foes. And to top it off, the enemies keep on spawning until the boss is killed off!

Take note that this is not the type of game where you can just mash buttons, like Dynasty Warriors. Instead, you’ll need to incorporate some strategy to your approach. It’s all about figuring out the right pattern and determining the appropriate moment for attack.

Although each fight is allotted a 30-minute time limit, you’ll find that you’ll need more time. Luckily, you are granted an extra five minutes for each continue. Overall, Malicious should take a few hours for you to complete during your first time around.

In terms of replay incentives, the title does offer a Time Attack mode, thereby giving you a different way to beat the game. Nonetheless, the battles themselves are enjoyable enough to have a go at it again for repeated rounds of some “delicious” action.

OVERALL (3.75/5)

If you like to fight against bosses (I don’t mean at work though), then Malicious would be the “precious” that you desire. It’s true that the controls could potentially impede on the enjoyment, but taking into account the amount of challenge and eye candy waiting for you this is a good action game with depth.