Game review: Yatagarasu, PDW: Hotapen

RICE Digital (www.ricedigital.co.uk) is a UK site aiming to bring the world of Japanese indie games to Western fans.

Yatagarasu

PDW: Hotapen, PC, £7.99

They have an intriguing selection of titles ready to download, including Yatagarasu, an old-fashioned 2D brawler in the same vein as Street Fighter II. There are eight playable characters, with special moves, for one or two-player bouts. Obviously at this price you can’t expect Tekken, and since everything is in Japanese it’s initially confusing – and skipping the manual is not an option (especially if you want to set up online fights) or you’ll be left scratching your head. But once you get past the language barrier, you’ll find a very playable, well designed fighting game with a quirky Japanese sensibility.