Holy Hannah, I LOVE the Doom and Quake series. I still play them after all these years! I bought this for three bucks and I'm totally bewildered...is this really a game at all? HOLY SHEET! Why on God's green Earth am I being ambushed by mechanical frogs? What in hell's gate is the point here? I watched a cutscene about a Daikatana...no mouth movement...the characters looked like they were having seizures...then all of the sudden I'm fighting flies and frogs that sound like robots when they die? wtf? This game makes NO SENSE. I have to solve this stupid sewer puzzle, but WHY? what am I moving forward to? Why are there stupid characters running around screaming when all I do is walk into the room? This isn't even a game, it's just a bundle of ideas that fail miserably...why am I even playing this stupid game? I have a hard time believing this is John Romero's work...

The first (and unfortunately: longest) episode is the worst by far, but if you manage to get to the Ancient Greece part, the game gets significantly better.

Actually I liked how psychedelic and cyberpunk-esque is first episode but you need to like that kind of stuff to appreciate. It wasn't bad, just little weird, but hey even Painkiller Overdose and Dreamkiller, Kiss Psycho Circus was cool experience for me. Games like Daikatana should be played on their own merits and virtual world rules, and not compared to other titles.


Episode 4 is also set in future but compared to first is whole improvement. Every episode of this game is different stage of development and different set of people who coded/made graphics for it, so through game you can recognize what changed, it's like 4 games in one with their own themes, weapons, enemies and environments.

Heh, I'm so glad there's someone who still remembers Psycho Circus! :) I think it was a unique, underrated and beautifully surreal game. I'd be so happy if it could make its way to the GOG catalogue...

i still have the original Psycho Circus, and recently beat it again...I love the whip!

However, there is no reasoning behind this Daikatana game. I guess Romero wasn't anything without Carmack. I have gotten stuck in pipes and areas that make absolutely no sense in this game. It's simply the worst game I've ever played, and I started with PONG. I'm tolerating playing this un-fun game to make it past this level but it's taking all the patience I can muster. This game is HORRIBLE. No wonder Romero never made it back into the spotlight.

Okay, I can't believe I did this but I endured the first episode. The armor is worthless. I have been killed so many times now that i save after every encounter. I kept going because you stated the game gets better...well, that's why I endured this first episode. I now have the Daikatana and I'm on some island. I was so freaking glad to see that those two BOZOS are no longer with me, and I hope they never come back in this game!

Everything in E1 makes sense when you get used to it and memorize locations. As for sidekicks, they aren't F.E.A.R. AI but not retarded either, don't rely only on their pathfinding but coordinate them with commands personally because that what they are for. You will unite with "friends" later in E2 but areas are more open so they won't stuck that often. Instead of complaining learn how to give them orders, how to react on certain type of enemy and upgrade your character when available. Oh, and you don't need max your Daikatana as it's pretty useless on final boss but will get stronger through whole game if you use it on enemies. But if you do, you won't rank up with skill points like you use normal weapons and trust me, you will need them in later phases of the game (E3, E4).

Thanks for the tip! Do you mean that I should be leveling up my stats (like power, attack, vitality etc.) or is there a way to level up your weapons that I'm missing?

You can only level up your stats (by killing enemies). The only weapon you can level up is the Daikatana.

I found that high Power and Vitality are the most useful stats, with Attack coming third. I found Speed almost useless, and high Acro only useful during the final fight. (On Shougn difficulty the final boss is practically unbeatable if you don't have max. Acro. On normal difficulty it's not mandatory.)

Shotcycler not only can stun and damage final boss but also his spectres as it's basically freezer. It's even more devastating if you invest some points in Power (increase weapon damage) and Attack (more shots in less time). Don't try save and reload during boss battle as this will make him summon spectres immediately upon loading. Acro increases only your jump abillity, Speed how fast you move, vitality how much health you have.

If sidekick don't climb up ladder command him/her to come to you until work. Superfly aims better at ground enemies, while Mikiko is better at flying targets but of course they aren't that good in close face to face combat in corridors. Tier 5.0 Daikatana can instakill any unarmored targets and take few more to tank type enemies like Juggernauts but you must decide either stats or katana as there is not enough enemies in the game to get all maxed stats for character and special weapon.

PS. You can't kill Dopefish, it kills you, you will see. xd

So... did your opinion change in the meantime? I think that Episode 2-3 are quite enjoyable, with good weapons and levels. (Episode 4 is a mixed bag for me, though, with some good and some truly abysmal levels.)

Well, I have to admit that this game keeps me coming back, and I actually made it through plague village and am now at Alcatraz. If you put enough effort into this game with a determination to beat it, it isn't that bad.