The game plays as a 2D brawler, similarly to the Shinobi games or Ninja Gaiden. The levels require tactics and precision, with almost no room for error, as you only have one hit point. However, you have infinite rewinds, which is cleverly explained as the main character Zero playing out the combat in his mind. When you succeed in passing an area, you see a replay, but contextualized as Zero actually performing what he has simulated in his mind. The game calls it precognition, and it is central to the story. Pretty clever.
Image source: gameplanet.co.nz
Log entries
- I bought this future samurai game on my own Nintendo account as a Christmas gift for myself.
- The future noir setting of Katana Zero is incredibly dark and grotesquely violent, but it still fills me with fuzzy nostalgia because it reminds me of old Blade Runner-inspired games such as Rise of the Dragon. The attention to detail in the story sequences makes this more than just an action game: with tiny intricate environments brought to life by great sound design, the game creates a world and an atmosphere, that's hard not to get sucked into.
- Certain scenes in this game are so well-drawn and atmospheric that I feel transported back in time to how I felt when playing games as a child. Areas like Zero's apartment are so incredibly detailed, it's pure joy for a pixel art lover.
- Completed the game. I completed this game in the plane home from Brazil. The ending was almost too violent, but the plot finished up in a satisfying way.
2019-12-24
2019-12-25
2019-12-26
2019-12-30