Katana Zero (2019)

I really thought Katana ZERO would be a home run for me. To be honest, the first hour or so was pretty decent. The combat is fluid and brutal, there's a somewhat interesting hook for the plot, and the pounding electronic beats punctuate the neon-lit pixel art presentation perfectly. It's bursting with pizazz, but Katana ZERO totally failed to iterate on its own gameplay and develop an interesting plot from that point on.

From the get go I could see the Hotline Miami DNA. I loved that game. It's one of my proudest 100%s (not hurt by the fact that they named the final achievement 'Achievement Whore', which I love so much) and I still listen to its soundtrack regularly well over a decade later. This game feels like it lifts the bones out of Hotline, coats them in Celeste flavored icing, and then serves them up on a platter just like that. I love both those games but I really wanted this to find a way to further set itself apart from them.

The core gameplay is pretty tight feeling, with Zero dashing and slicing his way through dozens of gun-wielding baddies in each level. There are some throwable items, but they by and large all feel the same to use save for the molotov and smoke bomb. You hit an enemy with them, they die, that's it. It's fine, but I would have liked to have seen these greatly expanded on. Same with the enemy variety. And the lack of additional melee weapons was disappointing as well. Something to shake things up more past the 30% mark would do this game wonders.

It doesn't help that the heavily cliched story takes up a shockingly large amount of its already short playtime. There's a surprising amount of dialogue and while I can see the game has a great sense of humor now and then I just couldn't get invested in anything that was going on. Maybe that's for the best really. I was shocked to find that now 6 years since the game's release the free DLC which promised to actually finish the game's story still isn't out. Again, this would maybe bother me less if the story had felt more engaging, but as it is it takes up a bunch of space in an already short action-focused game and fails to deliver on most of what it sets up.

The dialogue system is also just kind of odd. When an NPC starts talking you can interrupt them if you choose to answer within a small window of time, but waiting a few seconds often gives you more choices that sometimes don't even really seem functionally different. Or you'll be forced to pick the one you saw first anyway. Maybe this has more value for someone speedrunning the game? I failed to see why I'd want to immediately choose to skip rather than see what my options were. Also, if you took too long the game would just select one of the options for you. This system is active for every dialogue choice, so it isn't like the game is trying to emphasize quick thinking for specific moments. It's just needless stress that stops me from looking away from the screen even during longer dialogue heavy scenes.

There's clearly love put into this game. And hey, it seems like most people like it based on the overall glowing reviews. I just don't know that I really get why, and that's okay. As for me, I'd rather use a screenshot from it as a desktop wallpaper or listen to its soundtrack than actually play it.

I started playing this game because I wanted a light experience to play in short-time sessions and I enjoyed it a lot.

You control a mercenary samurai that needs to accomplish what is ordered. Every contract is a level to complete, and each level is formed by different sections. You need to complete each one of these sections without dying, and if you do you must start the section again (don't worry you have infinite lives). The interesting thing here is that each section is like a killing puzzle, some of them really challenging. It reminds me of Hotline Miami but in a the a lateral view.

About the story, it is really interesting and catchy. Waiting for the next part!

The only thing that I can criticize is that sometimes the game is not as precise as some situations need and you feel like the character is not doing what you want to do. Still has great and fun gameplay. Liked this game!

"But burning those villages, watching those naked peasants cry... I see it every day. It's not PTSD, it's the drug. It's only been a week, but it feels like a year. Every word is getting longer, the mosquitoes are getting louder. When the drug runs out, time stops, and you're stuck in the jungle forever."

What a frenetic and beautiful but sadly short experience.

8/10 Great Game.

Side-scrolling Hotline Miami with some tricks up it's sleeve to make it stand out. The slowdown mechanic and the ability to hit bullets back at enemies is pretty fucking great. There are a few levels where they mix up the gameplay in some fun ways. The only thing that didn't work for me was the stealth level. I'm tired of games where the focus and fun is in killing people having levels where they don't want you to kill anyone.

The music is good and in-line with what you would hear in Hotline Miami. The pixel art looks fine, but there are a few moments where it is gorgeous to look at.

The story is cliche, but it's told in an amusing way. The character is losing his grip on reality, so the game has fun messing with your head by making you question if what is happening is really happening. It messes in time and space in the way the movie Perfect Blue does.

Katana Zero is a gorgeous game, the quick splashes of blood, the neo-futuristic skylines, and the bright flashes of color all make it a joy to watch, this in enhanced by its brilliant soundtrack.

The game play for Katana Zero is exceedingly tight, each level offering new challenges and obstacles to cross, but all falling back on the same very simple mechanics of jump, slice, roll, and slow time.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was that despite being a very quick game (I beat it in 5 hours), and mostly action, it tells an interesting story, which grows as the game progresses. The story isn't resolved by the end of the game, and I cannot wait for the follow up game!

Katana Zero is the perfect game if you are looking for something that hearkens back to the thrill of the old school platformer, while managing to insert new and improved operations, graphics, and sound.

After beating the game I immediately began replaying thru levels and sharing it with friends, I highly recommend the game!

I enjoyed almost everything Katana Zero presents. The pixel art is beautiful and fluid. The gameplay loop drives you to keep going. The katana action definitely lights up my brain with dopamine. I like going to bizarre therapy sessions. Hanging out with my neighbor is always chill. Throwing a statuette at a crony is a pleasure.

But man this game was over before it started. I take my time with most every game I play and almost always walk away feeling like I got my money's worth. I bought Steam World Dig 2 at the same time as this and played it for a cool ten hours before seeing the credits. I spent a little more on Katana Zero and only played for four hours on it. For myself, and I think most people who play games on a budget, this is a little too steep price-wise.

There are a couple of things I don't love about the plot, and I think the game indulges in the Hard M rating a bit much. Overall the game is pretty, funny, responsive, and short. Too short.

Should you get Katana Zero? Watch the trailer. If that lights up your brain like it did mine, I'd say go for it. If you are at all hesitant, wait for a sale.