Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory

Weekly Famitsu

7 / 6 / 7 / 7 - 27 [Dec 2004]

GameZone

With the poor controls and boring levels Rengoku doesn’t feel nearly as fluid as it could.

PSM Magazine

The cyborg designs are freakishly cool, but the bland surface textures and simplistic (but randomly generated) layouts make each room look like the last. [June 2005, p.85]

GameCritics

With its minimalist aesthetic and focus on customization and combat at the expense of all else, Rengoku might leave a lot of curious PSP owners cold. But, for those gamers looking for something a little further afield than the latest racing or sports update, this niche experience is most definitely worth looking at.

Game Chronicles

I can say without hesitation that there is no other game like this on the PSP and there probably won’t be another for quite some time.

IGN

It asks philosophical questions, but it should have put that heavy thinking into the gameplay.

Modojo

The drab look of the levels and the pedantic storyline make the game more boring than it should be, and while the controls and fights make this a solid game, it could have been so much more.

Worth Playing

An appealing idea for a game is present in Rengoku, and Hudson could create something powerfully addictive and fun if they just revised some basic aspects of the game design and moved it to a system powerful enough to do Suemi’s designs justice.

GamePro

Rengoku doesn't break down, but it doesn't' break new ground either.

Next Level Gaming

The boring levels mixed with the poor control scheme suck any fun that the action in the game could provide.

GameSpot

Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory all but completely botches the execution, delivering an experience that's clumsy, repetitious, and, thankfully, fairly short-lived.

eToychest

This game does nothing right, and wastes all of the good ideas that went into making it. It offers no replay value, despite randomly generated levels, because the gameplay is too tedious to warrant a first playthrough—much less a second.

Game Informer

The deep upgrade system is completely wasted by the action itself, which is some of the worst I've ever seen. [June 2005, p.136]

PSX Extreme

Seriously though, how important are these extras if the game itself is so mind-numbingly underdeveloped?

Play Magazine

Comes close to hitting the mark, but misses by the fine details that separate the good from the mediocre. [May 2005, p.69]

GameSpy

It feels a bit PS1-era, prior to the introduction of the Dual Shock, honestly. Once I messed around with the controls for a while, I got used to them, but I am not enthusiastic about them.

Gamer.tv

Rengoku's clunky control system does well to convince you you're a steel-clad cyborg, but unfortunately this rigid feel doesn't lend itself to an enjoyable game. [JPN Import]

Cheat Code Central

It's been a while since I've played a good, mech battling game. After playing Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory, it's still been a while since I've played a good, mech battling game.

DarkStation

This game is a pretty clear cut disappointment and there is really no other way to say it. It had the potential to be a sleeper hit, paving the way for action games on the PSP, but ultimately let down with an uninspired storyline and lackluster gameplay.

My Gamer

Not even worthy of a rental. Just stay away.

Thunderbolt

Here’s how Rengoku works: take something cool and mess it up. It’s that simple. They took robots and they made them boring and stupid.

games(TM)

With combat relying on clever use of items and plenty of RPG-esque searching and equipping, Rengoku does show some potential, but it’s far too little, and with so many better-quality titles already on the market, it’s definitely too late. [Mar 2006, p.116]

Game Revolution

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Rengoku’s few cool ideas are short-circuited by bad design and boring gameplay.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Fantastically unfun. [July 2005, p.118]

G4 TV

One of those games that wastes the best material on cutscenes.

TheSixthAxis

It is almost embarrassing to play a game with such a lack of polish and refinement.

1UP

The dictionary entry will read, "Rengoku \ren - go - ku\ n: 1 A game design flaw in which great effort is expended on concept art but little else. 2 An activity that presents itself as entertainment but is, in fact, a form of torture."

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

No other game in the PSP launch window is so miserably underachieving. [June 2005, p.101]

Gaming Age

Rengoku does offer Wi-Fi multiplayer action, but that just means you have to con up to three others to endure this ludicrous blunder with you.

Stuff

That's it. You can customize your 'bot a little, but frankly we haven't had this much fun since we ran over a bee hive with a riding lawnmower.