Kamiko is a 2D action game developed by Skipmore and published by Flyhigh Works. First released in April 13, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch, it was later released for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation 4.
Kamiko opens with one of the game's three playable characters—those being the kindhearted Yamato, the reclusive Uzume, and the hot-blooded Hinome—being summoned to the "realm of the dead", where a figure taking the form of an old man with deer horns and wings informs her that the gates connecting the realm of the living with that of the dead have been sealed by demons, and that the demons will take over the human world if they are not unsealed. Bestowing the chosen player character with one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, the old man sends her on a quest to unseal the gates and fight off the demons.
In each level of Kamiko, the player is tasked with releasing the seals on four sealed gates spread throughout the level. The player must perform a variety of tasks to reach these gates, including fighting demons, maneuvering through hazards, and carrying an item (usually an orb or a key) to a certain place without getting hit. Once all four gates have been unsealed, a portal opens which can be entered to reach the level's boss.
This game features examples of:
- All Your Powers Combined: The final boss can summon imitations of each of the first three bosses.
- And the Adventure Continues: The game ends with the player's chosen Kamiko being allowed to keep their Sacred Treasure and given the mission to "travel the world, discovering things that are as yet unknown."
- Attack Its Weak Point: Aside from the first phase of the final boss, each boss can only be damaged by hitting it in its weak point, which takes the form of a red orb with markings that make it resemble an eye.
- Bee Afraid: Giant, deadly bees are among the foes encountered in the Forest of Awakening.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: The first boss needs to be tricked into jumping onto four switches on the ground before it can be damaged.
- Boss Arena Recovery: Six black jars that can be broken for health pickups appear during each phase of the final boss fight.
- Bubble Gun: The giant frogs encountered in the Sunken Relics attack by firing bubbles out of their mouths.
- Charged Attack: Each of the playable characters has a special attack that can be charged up by holding the attack button down and releasing it (as long as you have enough SP).
- Chromatic Arrangement: The three playable characters are Yamato (blue), Uzume (green), and Hinome (Red).
- Defeat Equals Explosion: After being defeated, each boss explodes before turning to dust.
- Denial of Diagonal Attack: Hinome is the only character capable of attacking diagonally. The other two characters can only attack in a cardinal direction.
- Evolving Title Screen: After beating the game with Uzume or Hinome, that character will replace Yamato on the title screen until you close the game.
- Excuse Plot: As a game modeled after classic arcade action games, the plot of Kamiko is very thin, with the only dialogue taking place at the beginning of the game, before the final boss fight, and during the ending.
- Fiery Redhead: The red-haired Hinome is described as having an "energetic personality" in the manual.
- Flunky Boss: All of the bosses are accompanied by black versions of the enemies from their levels which die in one hit but endlessly respawn.
- Heart Container: Items that increase the player's health and SP can be found hidden throughout the levels and before each boss fight.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: While none of the three playable characters really count as the de facto protagonist of the game itself, the sword-wielding Yamato is presented as the "face" of Kamiko, being the character who normally appears on the title screen and appearing on the forefront of the physical release's boxart.
- High-Altitude Battle: The final boss' second phase is fought on a platform high in the sky.
- Horned Humanoid: Yamato and the old man who bestows the three player characters with the Imperial Regalia both have white, deer-like horns.
- Kill Streak: The more enemies you defeat without getting damaged or letting the combo meter run out, the more SP you gain from each defeated enemy.
- Nature Hero: The manual describes Uzume as living "deep within a remote forest".
- One-Winged Angel: After their first phase is defeated, the final boss transforms from a humanoid figure with three faces and six arms into a mechanical abomination with a four-eyed, deer-horned skull for a face.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: In the game's intro, each of the three protagonists have muted hair colors. Being given the Imperial Regalia makes their hair much brighter. As they're never shown without the Regalia again, it's ambiguous whether this change is permanent or depends on them having the item.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: Hinome fights by using the Mirror of Yata as a boomerang which returns to her whenever thrown.
- Public Domain Artifact: The three player characters are each bestowed one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan to use as a weapon.
- Rain of Arrows: Uzume's special attack has her fire a massive barrage of homing arrows at everything around her.
- Retraux: The game is made to resemble a classic arcade game and features a pixelated art style and a chiptune soundtrack.
- Rewarding Vandalism: Health pickups are found exclusively by destroying jars, which are guaranteed to drop them, and bushes, which are more common but only have a chance of dropping them.
- Ruins of the Modern Age: Appears to take place in this setting. The last level in particular features ruined modern-era buses and vending machines, as well as futuristic-looking buildings and devices.
- Segmented Serpent: The second boss is a snakelike creature divided into six segments, one of which contains its weak point.
- Spin Attack: Yamato's special attack has her spin her sword in a circle for a brief period of time. While doing this, she is invincible and will quickly kill any enemy in her path.
- Sword Beam: One of the enemies in the final level is a humanoid figure wielding a sword that it can fire a wave of energy from.
- Technicolor Death: After the final boss' second phase is defeated, six beams of light erupt from their body before the entire screen is filled by their explosion.
- Warrior Monk: The Kamiko the title refers to are shrine maidens who have been bestowed one of Japan's Imperial Regalia by the gods, giving them the power to fight demons.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: The old man at the game's intro speaks like this, as does the final boss.
