Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Malicious gets to its point quickly: you are sent after five bosses, and the hub lets you choose the order. That choice is more than a bit of replay-friendly decoration. Defeat one target and every remaining boss grows stronger, turning your route into a meaningful decision. Go after the reward you want, but accept that you may be making another battle nastier.

The combat loop asks you to manage Aura before you can properly challenge a boss. Lesser enemies are not just clutter around the arena; they are your source of the points needed to amplify attacks, recover health, or trigger Burst mode. Since ordinary attacks only become effective against bosses during Burst, success depends on knowing when to farm Aura, when to spend it, and when to stop playing safely and commit.

You begin with a fast long-range projectile and hard-hitting fists, then take weapons and abilities from defeated bosses. That gives each cleared fight a practical payoff and makes the open boss order feel worthwhile. The structure will click if you enjoy studying tough fights and adjusting your approach, but the escalating-boss rule can make a careless early choice feel punishing rather than liberating.

Graphics

Malicious is played from a third-person perspective, keeping the Spirit Vessel, surrounding enemies, and the active boss confrontation in view. Its combat spaces have to carry busy clashes between weaker foes and a central boss, while the male or female Spirit Vessel remains the player’s focal character.

Story

The setup is simple fantasy with a useful sense of urgency. A thousand years after humanity failed to return divine power to heaven, the destructive Malicious threatens the world again. You take the role of the Spirit Vessel, charged with reclaiming those scattered powers and ending the renewed threat.

That premise fits the game’s boss-first structure neatly. Each major opponent is tied to the power you need, so the campaign has a clear reason for sending you from one confrontation to the next instead of padding the journey with unrelated errands.

Do not come in expecting the story to be the main reward. Malicious uses its mythic conflict as a clean frame for action and progression, and the real drama comes from deciding which empowered enemy to tackle next and surviving the consequences.

Overall Experience

Malicious is most compelling when you treat it like an action-game challenge box rather than a long fantasy adventure. The first hour’s pull comes from being allowed to choose a boss immediately, then discovering that the choice has teeth. Aura management gives the fights a distinct rhythm: build resources under pressure, then cash them in at the moment that matters.

Frustration can set in when the boss-strengthening system exposes a poor route choice or when a fight demands tighter resource discipline than you brought to it. Still, that tension is also why the game has personality. Winning is not merely about chipping away at a health bar; it is about creating and exploiting the brief opening Burst mode affords you.

At a 6.7, this is a qualified recommendation with a clear audience. Give it a chance if you want a short, demanding boss-action game that lets you shape its encounter order and rewards persistence with new tools. If you want a smoother power curve or a story-led fantasy journey, its harsh escalation and combat-first focus may wear thin. Free Battle and Score Attack modes add a reason to revisit it once the main run is complete.

Retro Replay Score

6.7/10