Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is a three-dimensional strategy/action game released on PS4, PS3 and PSV. In this game the player joins the forces of evil. He constructs complicated traps that eliminate the just and good heroes who are trying to kill the main protagonist – the daughter of the Devil. The game was developed by Japanese company Tecmo Koei. It is an improved and expanded version of Deception IV: Blood Ties, a title that debuted in 2014 on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. The new version contains all content from the previous version and it adds new campaign, playable female characters and a level editor. Among the new enemies there are protagonists of previous entries in the Deception series, including Millenia (Kagero: Deception II), Reina (Deception III: Dark Delusion) and Allura (Trapt). The player also gains access to scenarios that take place in modern Japan (in a hospital, in a middle school and on a playground).

Plot

In addition to the basic story campaign from the previous version of Deception IV starring Laegrinna, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess for PS4, PS3 and PSV offers a new game mode – Quest mode. In this mode there are two protagonists. The first one is Valgyrie, a red-haired daughter of the devil. After many years of sleep, she awakens to reclaim her father’s domain. The second one is Ephemera, a mechanical servant of Valgyrie. She is trying to find her mistress at all cost. During the missions the player faces heroes and previously mentioned protagonists from other entries in the series (including Laegrinna).

Mechanics

During the game the player is facing various scenarios in which he must defeat all heroes that are attacking him. Each level is a three-dimensional sandbox on which the player can freely decide about the placement of available traps. The traps are the basic form of defense and attack. In order to use them, the player must lure the enemies towards them. Before the game the player selects a place on the map and builds a network of connected traps and torture devices. The traps are divided into three categories. The first group focuses on dealing damage and pain – among them there are rocks and spikes. The second group contains complicated mechanisms useful for creating long combos – various launchers, levers etc. The third group is filled with absurd traps that humiliate the victim – banana peels, cakes etc.

Pressing a button can activate each trap. If the traps are close to each other, it is possible to create long combos. The player is awarded for dealing as much damage to the victim as possible. The developers introduced some advanced gameplay mechanics as well. The victims can for example have armor that can be destroyed by focusing on weak points (specific type of damage). The player can also use the environmental objects, for example to take prisoners.

Technical aspects

The graphics of the game weren’t changed. Only the PlayStation 4 version was slightly improved – greater power of the machine enabled the developers to add some additional visual effects, better textures and shorted loading screens.

Last updated on 17 February 2015