- Dumb AI sidekicks get stuck and require babysitting, but you can't finish the level without them.
- Can only save the game when you have a "save crystal" to spend.
- Too many irritatingly small and fast enemies, such as frogs, mosquitoes and spiders.
- Too many bad weapons.
- Pointless RPG stat system.
- Cringeworthy plot and voice acting.
The weapon design is hands-down my biggest critique of this game.
Five of the six guns you acquire in the first chapter alone can hurt you through either ricochet or splash damage. The C-4 launcher has a really short range, but the grenades have a huge blast radius - given the cramped level design of chapter 1, you are almost guaranteed to take damage from it. I completed the first chapter mostly using the Ion Blaster because it was the "safer" choice...but even that gun can kill you if the projectile ricochets back at you, or you try and fire it underwater. It's like your own weapons are plotting against you. Also, why does the shotgun fires 6 times when you pull the trigger? Did anyone think this through when developing the game?
You earn experience from killing enemies, which can be spent on upgrading stats that improve your weapon damage, rate of fire etc. Most of these stats have negligable impact on gameplay. You can beat the game without leveling up your movement speed or jump height, making 2 of those 5 stats worthless. In fact, I'm pretty sure you could beat the game without leveling, period. You can also level up your actual Daikatana sword once you get it, but it's so awkward to use it's really not worth it.
In fairness, I will say the music is good and I really enjoyed the Ancient Greece chapter. The levels defintely improves after chapter 1. The v1.3 fan patch also allows you to save anywhere and turn the AI sidekicks off completely (highly recommended!). That said, it still can't save this game from being fundamentally crap.
Don't waste your money. You're better off finding a Let's Play on YouTube than suffering through this tripe.