If every porkchop was perfect we wouldn't have hotdogs.
Pitched as a "Fortuneteller Simulator" it's really just a visual novel with a lot of extra junk getting in the way of your story. Went in expecting nothing and that's exactly what I found. Stars are just a very obtuse way to respond and bones are just hints. The writing is atrocious too and makes you feel you may as well not be there no matter how I responded the characters would just do whatever they wanted, which is very realistic, but is terrible game design! It feels like there is only one correct answer that is impossible to decipher and thus you must replay the game over and over again to find the correct series of responses. However the story is vague and uninteresting so after an hour I quit and refunded to save myself any more pain. Unless you REALLY love the theme of the game or REALLY love visual novels with useless mechanics thrown in, avoid this one.
If you think you might like this, just buy it.
TL;DR: It's a visceral neon soaked assassination game with a good helping of platforming action and a gripping story delivered through the eyes of a drug fuelled blade with legs while a rocking synth soundtrack plays in the background. If Hotline Miami is LSD then Katana Zero is DMT The 100 deaths per minute arcade play style of Hotline is complemented perfectly by the addition of limited slow-mo. Dashing through a room slicing apart 3 guys and then reflecting a shot back at the sentry that's out of reach will get your blood pumping and satisfies immensely. I love this game I have already finished it twice and have noticed a bunch of secrets I want to go through and try to figure out. The soundtrack is amazing, so much so that i'm dissapointed it's not for sale as DLC. The graphics are great too, typical pixel style but varied environments and the attention to the little details are a treat. Unfortunately you will be left wanting more. At the start you are given your sword, shown to dodge, jump and use slow mo and... that's it. That gameplay never evolves past this basic set of abilities which, while solid with tight controls and animations, apart from 3 special thrown items there is nothing else to use. The game even teases the player about this at one point. There is a certain level where the mechanics change and it's really fun and lets you think of new ways to solve problems but then it's gone never to come back and you feel cheated. All in all it's a must play game if you liked Hotline Miami or SUPERHOT and at the price you will get your monies worth even if you do wish there was more there. Looking forward to their next project.
Whilst i loved the graphics and animations the 'game' is so barebones I was left wondering where the rest of the game actually was. Race, eat, repair, race. There didn't seem to be any variety at all. The races are a cluster-*uck of random junk from laser turrets to brick walls but everything is so small and you move so fast you can barely register what you're shooting/hitting and i found myself just boosting around randomly to get ammo as the 'tutorial' was a seizure inducing text wall that flashed on screen for 3 seconds and never came back so i wasn't sure what would and wouldn't give out ammo. It's a lovely little game but it's just racing with some very minimal management seems more like a Flash game than a proper PC game.
