Grim Guardians: Demon Purge launches February 23, 2023

■ About Grim Guardians: Demon Purge

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a 2D side-scrolling action game focused on two demon-hunting sisters who challenge a demonic castle to save their school. Players take control of both characters with completely different abilities and progress through stages to confront the demonic bosses that await deep within. Each boss grants them new weapons, allowing them to undertake more varied explorations and open up new routes in later stages.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge features two-player co-op with special moves, expanded difficulty settings with the “Style System”, unique changes on repeat play, and above all, the quality and challenge players have come to expect from Inti Creates titles, this time with a new gothic horror aesthetic.

■ Release date

Grim Guardians: Demon Purgeannounced during the BitSummit X-Roads indie game event, will be available digitally on February 23, 2023 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S consoles and PC on the Steam platform.

The gothic horror-inspired action game launches for $24.99 on each platform’s respective digital store.

■ Story

The Kamizono family has a long line of demon hunters. Kamizono Shinobu and Kamizono Maya – the last to inherit the family profession – return to school one day after finishing a hunt, only to find a shocking scene for them.

Unbeknownst to them, their school had turned into a demonic castle in their absence. What could have caused this? And what about the other students? With mysteries looming and danger abounding, only demon hunters can set things right. The Kamizono siblings fight again.

“When demons are lurking nearby, we demon hunters appear!”

“Kamizono Siblings, Get Away!”

■ Feature #1: Swap on the fly as you travel through the demonic castle

Take control of both siblings of the tag team Kamizono. Get the best of long-range Shinobu and fight Maya Kamizono up close as you fight your way through the castle.

Shinobu Kamizono (voiced by Emi Uema)

Shinobu, the eldest of the Kamizono sisters, is brimming with confidence, but still makes careless mistakes. She’s a long-range attacker who slays demons with her anti-demon submachine gun! As a sturdy fighter with more HP than her little sister, Shinobu’s underweapons acquired in each stage grant her the means to attack in all directions, as well as the ability to restore HP.

—Elder sister Shinobu’s long-range attacks allow her to fight while keeping a safe distance, making her the ideal frontline fighter!

—Don’t forget to reload her anti-demon submachine gun when she runs out of bullets. She will be vulnerable while reloading, so time it wisely.

Maya Kamisono (voiced by Chinami Hashimoto)

Maya, the youngest of the sisters, supports her strong-willed sister from the shadows with her dependable personality. A close-range technical attacker, she crafts several powerful weapons from origami. Use these weapons to deal massive damage! As she unlocks more subweapons, she earns various special moves, making her a true attack specialist. However, she has much lower HP, so choose carefully when switching from Shinobu, as the opportunity to deal massive damage arises!

—Maya is an expert at close range combat. While her damage is high, her HP is low in return. Well-timed dodging is essential when using her.

— Maya’s short stature allows her to crouch under certain platforms, making her the master of exploration.

Cover your weaknesses by taking out siblings when necessary.

—When faced with an enemy who can guard against Shinobu’s bullets, show them who’s boss by switching to Maya! It is important to determine which sibling is best for each situation.

—Switching can be done at any time with no restriction or penalty, although it requires both of them to be fit for battle.

Each sibling has a range of unique sub-weapons, giving you a wealth of options to change your strategy when the time calls for it. Most of Shinobu’s subweapons can be used flexibly, allowing her to make up for her straightforward attack. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of it as long as you have Weapon Points in stock! On the other hand, Maya’s lower weapons mainly serve to close the distance between herself and demons, but in turn require technical precision. Some even have unexpected features.

Throw knives

Throws a knife at an angle. Especially effective against aerial enemies and enemies that are difficult to target.

Shikigami

Maya creates shikigami that can damage enemies. They can also block certain attacks, but will disappear faster as a result.

In the event that one of the siblings falls in battle, they can be resuscitated using the Sister Rescue feature, provided you can get back to where they fell.

—A fallen sibling can be reanimated by tapping the button while standing over her body, but demons don’t wait for the process to be over.

—Game Overs can be avoided as long as you can save the other sister. Never give up, even if you are alone!

No demon hunter comes along without some ultimate demon hunting technique either. The siblings can synchronize to fire a devastating bullet that wipes out most of the demons in an instant, giving them a significant advantage in their battle against the forces of evil.

—Shinobu and Maya can unleash a powerful attack when the Purge Meter is maxed out! The Purge meter increases naturally, but can also be sped up by picking up items along the way.

—Use this powerful move to exterminate demons!

■ Feature #2: Defeat bosses to obtain new subweapons, opening up a whole new layer of exploration

Defeating bosses unlocks new sub-weapons, granting the siblings exciting new abilities. These sub-weapons also open up new routes and methods of exploration in other stages.

—Lower weapons can be swapped at any time. Keep in mind that they require weapon points to use.

—New lower weapons not only allow you to take down demons that weren’t possible before, they can also help you reach previously inaccessible parts of the castle!

Close reconnaissance allows you to discover the castle’s secret passages, which can lead to power-up items for the siblings, not to mention locate the other students who are missing.

—With a keen eye, you may be able to find hidden routes and items behind seemingly inconspicuous walls!

—You can find power-up items by exploring carefully, turning the tide in your favor!

—Do you have what it takes to find and rescue all the students stranded in the castle?!

■ Feature #3: Enjoy the story your way with “Pure” or “Refined” Voice Tracks

Grim Guardian’s story focuses on two main aspects: the mystery behind the school’s transformation and the whereabouts of the other students.

Enjoy the original experience in “Pure” mode with all original Japanese voices for the story mode, or choose “Refined” for action-oriented English voice acting tailored for fans of the genre.

■ Feature #4: Adjust the difficulty to your playing needs with the unique style system

A total of three different styles – “Casual”, “Veteran” and “Legend” – are available for selection, allowing players to adjust the difficulty to their needs. This can be changed at any time after the start of the game and will not affect the story in any way.

-Casual Style: Unlimited lives and no recoil when damaged make for a fun, casual run.

—Veteran Style: Ideal for those looking for the challenge of action games from yesteryear.

—Legend Style: So intense it must be unlocked. Do you have what it takes to clean it up?

Additionally, co-op with both Shinobu and Maya is possible if two controllers are available. It is possible to jump in at any time during the game, so don’t hesitate to invite friends on your journey to conquer this mysterious demonic castle.

—By attacking together in co-op, you can deal extra damage! The sky’s the limit when it comes to combo options!

—Maya rides Shinobu! Jump on top of your friend’s character to get even higher and unlock new routes!