The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia

The first thing to be said of this title is that it presents us with a real challenge thanks to differentiating mechanics. You’ll find yourself fighting to survive a bullet hell, on top of typing out exorcisms: the only way to attack enemies.

So then, The Textorcist is a bullet hell in which the keys on the keyboard are your weapon – but don’t expect the phrases and sentences you have to type out to be straightforward. You take on the role of Ray Bibbia, a private exorcist fighting off the demons that are invading the city. In addition to the bible that goes everywhere with you, your means of attack are in the form of exorcisms and texts which appear on screen. This makes for a frenzied experience given that you have to avoid attacks whilst also typing in English and Latin.

It cannot be denied that the difficulty of the game is what makes it ridiculously fun. Not only are your reflexes put to the test, but also your ability to adapt to various enemies and confrontations. There are ten bosses in total, each with their own moves and environments and they will all have you working up a sweat.

Combat is pretty varied and therefore really enjoyable as you gradually get to grips with the mechanics. Combat essentially involves evading attacks and typing using the keyboard. As you complete each stage of the exorcism, the enemy weakens. However, if you take a hit, the bible will fall to the ground, and you will die if you do not manage to recite the full exorcism.

Although the game is extremely difficult, the combat mechanics make it really fun. It’s not simply a bullet-hell classic where you have to avoid attacks and shoot – the keyboard mechanics make it unique.

Visually, it’s like watching a 16-bit title, with well-designed sprites and environments bursting with pixels and colour. The soundtrack is designed to give us a rush as we play, and it’s pretty successful in doing so. In terms of graphics, it’s great – dark, just like one would expect for an exorcist/demon genre.

The way the story unfolds is also quite striking – it is somewhat dark and serious, but still humorous, which makes it even more appealing. It’s a great game, absurd in some respects, but enjoyable from start to finish.

Finally, the difficulty curve is very well levelled, so you can still show off your keyboard skills at the end of the game. Let's get exorcising!