The graphics and motion are exactly what you'd expect from the trailer video.
Personally I was annoyed that:
1. There was no Easy mode and the game was too difficult for me to fully enjoy. After 10 minutes it was going to be a problem.
2. I didn't like being forced to use the mouse, I would have liked to just use the keyboard. Yes, it does have gamepad support which I didn't try.
I can tell the game devs put effort into this title and the music is good. I wanted to like it and others might love it.
The best way to describe the gameplay woud be satisfying. It makes you feel really cool with all the risky moves you can do whenever you slow time. It's also got a story that really engages you and encourages you to play the game, and the music is perfect and compliments the game nicely. Also the sound is good as well and makes getting kills even more satisfying. If you're wondering why its only almost perfect it's because the AI is a bit weird sometimes but thats barely worth mentioning or taking a star off for. One other thing I should mention is that the game has not concluded the story and they are still updating it. Also if you're concered about playtime don't worry with the hard mode and secrets to find you'll get at around 20 hours of content and probably even more (Like I did).
Now that I've talked about the game I think we should look at some of the negative reviews (which there were only 2). The first one I found was one that was calling the gameplay monotonous and that it goes from really easy to almost impossible. I disagree with this as the gameplay is very tense and action packed and the difficulty goes up at a pretty normal rate. The game does get challenging by the end though but thats how I like my games.
The second negative reviews says the game is great but it's weighed down by bad gimmicks like boring stealth sections and lackluster boss fights. There's actually only one stealth section that's required by the game and its really easy (It took me 5 minutes at most) and the only other section barely does anything to change the story and is just there if you like the stealth. I disagree on the boss fights I think they're great but this is just difference in opinion so thats all I can say in response.
In conclusion I think Katana ZERO is a great game that you shouldn't hesitate the pick up ESPECIALLY if its on sale.
SPOILER FREE / GAMEPLAY:
Katana Zero is Hotline Miami-esque game, where you play as a katana-wielding contract killer, who's able to slow down time. The main attraction is the aforementioned bullet time, which you must utilize wisely to dispatch your enemies.
The gameplay is very fun: the controls feel good, and the timeslow doesn't make it too easy, as it only last a couple of seconds and takes time to recharge. But even if you do get killed alot, you will only be brought back to the starting point of the current segment. Overall, this helps the player keep up their flow even in the most difficult levels, and afterwards you get to see you successful run in "real time" before preparing for the next challenge.
The game is short, but it's going to get a continuation... sometime... I don't know when, it's been out only like two months.
VERY MILD SPOILER / WHAT THE PLOT ISN'T:
Due to what I heard of the game, I thought that the game would have "it was all a dream" kind of story. Thankfully that wasn't the case, so to anyone who shares the same kind of dread of unfullfilling plots, no fear. It was very fun, albeit short and weird but not indecipherable, little story.
