Katana ZERO

I enjoyed the gameplay a lot, but I'm not sure about the story, as in I literally don't know, because the third act is just missing, I want to rate this higher but I can't encourage this kind of sequel baiting

I’m sure I’ll keep going back to it just to finishing it but it's becoming a chore. I like the story but think it would have been nice if voiced, as the concepts are abstract and surreal they might flow better. Gameplay is frustrating for me, I don't enjoy the game play as there is limited routes to go, unlike Hotline Miami where you have lots of different ways to do the same thing, in this game it feels very limited and in harder areas it's a single route. I felt part of me was expecting a more gunpoint or Hotline Miami, the playbacks also miss the mark a bit as they don't look as cool as you'd expect. With people saying this is a game of the year for them i get feeling it might just be not for me.

Just got this today, three levels in and it's awesome game. Awesome art style, music and the control is smooth and perfectly weighted. Alot of fun figuring out different methods of completing a stage and perfecting a run. Highly recommend it, you'll be hooked in no time.

Warning! You know when games warn you for flashy lights, strobe effects, flickers and stuff if you have epilepsy? Well, this is THAT game. While the graphics stick together as a whole, the video replay thing is completely unnecessary and a bit annoying in my opinion. There are some parts where it is essential for the story telling, but otherwise… Speaking of which, the story is interesting but a bit of a “trip”, meaning it is not for everyone and requires a certain state of mind. At first you feel a bit underwhelmed, like “is that it, just jumping around, and slashing?”, then you get the hang of it, and just when you start to really enjoy it, the game gets difficult, and the fun is over. Difficulty alone would not be the problem. The problem is the fun does not increase proportionally with the difficulty. There is one truly beautiful thing about the game though that is unparalleled by anything similar. When you die, with just one click you can retry in 1 second. There is nothing more annoying than when you die in a game, you get some stupid death animation, and tattarattaaaa music or evil laughter or something, then a pause screen, then respawn, then you enter the fight screen and the boss appears, and flexes for like a minute, maybe he tells you about his weekend plans or something. And this game has none of that nonsense. Which is simply marvelous. Overall, it is a nice piece of art, but if you crave a decent retro style game this will not satisfy your thirst.

Katana Zero is a Hotline Miami inspired 2D action game. The gameplay is pretty good. You don't have many options per level though, so it feels a bit limited in that regard. The game is short, 4-5 hours for me. There's like one hour of optional stuff you can do. The atmosphere is incredible. The soundtrack is great, the pixel art beautiful, and the story and pacing are awesome. That said, it does end abruptly. I hear more content is coming, though I don't know in what form. If you appreciate weird and dark storylines and immerse yourself in the atmosphere, it's a great experience for its price. Not perfect though.