Demon Slayer: Sweep the Board! is a completely passable board game that Demon Slayer fans looking for some casual fun will eat up. Though the matches can drag a tad, there are a good deal of unlockables and some rather enjoyable minigames to take part in, making this a solid enough alternative for Mario Party fans.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board!
Developer: CyberConnect2
Price: $60
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review.
When I think of the Demon Slayer anime, board games aren’t necessarily the first thing to pop into my head. That being said, I’m always down for odd fusions of series and genres, so Sweep the Board! had me intrigued. It’s about what I expected, which is an overall pleasant casual board game that can provide you and your friends with a few fun hangout sessions.
You can play as several of the most iconic heroes from Demon Slayer, from the primary trio to the different Hashiras. Four people (who can be replaced with computer players) play together with the goal of earning points, which is primarily done in two ways: by traversing the board to find mission orders or by slaying demons at different locations on the board. Gold can also be accumulated to buy items and to climb the ranks, with gold primarily coming from landing on certain spaces and winning minigames.
Each board is based on a different section of Demon Slayer, with the fierce demons and colorful settings all reflecting the various arcs. These diverse boards, combined with the unique day and night system that is such a central part of the main game, help Sweep the Board! to stand out a bit compared to other Mario Party-esque games. The Infinity Train and Entertainment District ones were my personal favorites, though they all worked well enough thanks to the unique arc-specific touches strewn throughout each stage.
“The minigames are all quite fun, and they can be played outside of full matches, allowing you to play your favorites to your heart’s content.“
The minigames are a highlight of Sweep the Board!, ranging from simple team-based memory and drawing games to exciting and quick snowball fights and kendo matches. They’re all quite fun, and they can be played outside of full matches, allowing you to play your favorites to your heart’s content. New costumes for the characters, reaction stamps, and player card pictures/designs can be unlocked using currency gained simply from playing, which provides you with further incentive to play on past trying each board out once.
The primary issue present is that the default 10-turn option feels a bit too long, while the five-turn option is just slightly too short. With 10, you are likely to run into the same demon encounters more than once, leading to repetition. With five, you may not see them all or get the chance to get ahead if you have an unlucky start. Making demon encounters more diverse in terms of gameplay, or providing more flexibility in turn counts, would have been the ideal choice, though what’s here is still a good time for at least one go.
The Final Word
Demon Slayer: Sweep the Board! is a straightforward but pleasant Mario Party-esque title that Demon Slayer fans will obviously get the most out of. The minigames and boards are full of neat ideas, and the unlockables give further incentive to replay boards alone or with friends. If you’re looking for a breezy board game with Demon Slayer theming, Sweep the Board! will get the job done.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
