This is a gem. It's not that there's no handholding (there's a very well-made tutorial); it's more like there are no hands. You've got claws, instead. Or maybe you do have hands; and an extra set of them. Or maybe you have two hearts and so you can sprint faster. And maybe you're a nomad, wandering rock deserts, or a lone gunman in a post-apocalyptic world; maybe you shoot fire from your face, or ice from your hands. And maybe you just died in that cave - or, have you? Maybe it was just precognition and now you've rewound time and know what awaits you in there. And these are just the results of having played for my first couple of hours (and 3 dead characters afterwards). It's a must-buy, must-play for anybody who isn't intimidated by its essential (but absolutely striking!) visual presentation, music and sound effects are cool and on point, all the rest is pure genius. Recommended.
I owned this game on the Amiga 500+, back when I was a teen. Spent countless summer afternoons with my brothers & friends on it, hacking, slashing, dying, cursing monsters, cursing the tavern dices, cursing the Wizard atop the tower, cursing the Dragon and the Black Knights. Part boardgame, part hack'n'slash beat'em-up, part RPG; great music, wonderful presentation, excellent graphic and animation still standing nowadays. I'd say this game needs a remake, but it really doesn't - it just needs to be playable, because it still is a hell of a good time. Though you can easily find it in abandonware sites, don't pass the opportunity to buy it and own it on GOG. I'm not suggesting it - 14 years old me is suggesting it, after bringing that damn Dragon to the ground (and believe me, it CAN be done!)
Seriously, if you ever so slightly liked Planescape: Torment or Tides of Numènera or if you like CRPGs or if you like computer games - hell, if you like to read, if you like interesting stories, non banal settings, problematic characters... i could go on all night. This game will make you see the dawn a lot of times. On working days. The writing is really, really good. The voice acting is ace. The art style is not afraid to get in your face (and i love it) and you can have conversations with your thoughts - as in, literally. This is a no brainer, buy it, and make sure you get Underrail for free with it; it's not even remotely on the same level but does many many things well in its own right. Support these developers, because they need to do more games like this, they absolutely need to.
Disclaimer: i own this game on PS3, and the previous entry in the series on XBOX 360. That said, the game is very well worth its price tag, as long as you don't expect cultural adherence or accurate historical references; it doesn't take itself very seriously. The sword combat is unique, and very customizable, as long as you make sure to spend enough time in learning the various styles and, above all, learn to counter. Weapons are craftable/customizable too. There is a story, but you don't want to play a "Way of" game for the story, trust me. Suffice to say that it has branching paths, it has alternate endings (quite a lot of them, quite difficult to get them all, really) and that you're free to ignore it entirely and just wander doing ... whatever you want, really. This is one of the rare games where you can attack/try to kill just any character you see, regardless of their narrative importance. There is lot of content waiting to be unlocked, mainly aesthetic parts that you can use in your samurai creation. There is a ranking system for every playthrough you end. Death is permanent. There is a "sexy" minigame, though it's absolutely T-rated at best. You can open up a dojo and train common criminals (after beating them to the ground) to be your students. You can choose lethal/non lethal swordplay. Overall, if you have even a slight interest in the Bushido and if you're open-minded enough not to be disturbed by the oddities, just get this one. You'll be glad you did. Also, there is a disturbing lack of samurai-themed games in this world. We need more.
