Katana ZERO

Want to spend a night going through the terrors or war in a gritty neonoir? Enjoy bashing your head against a wall perfecting the same actions and reactions? Enjoy Hotline Miami and the like? If so, this is for you.

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Katana ZERO is an unique game with many elements going for it. Personally, I love when a game is able to weave the narrative into the gameplay mechanics. Katana ZERO melds the two flawlessly. The game features the same hectic combat, akin to Hotline Miami, you die in one hit and so do the enemies. In addition, I found the narrative to be extremely engaging in overarching story, writing, and choices. To boot, the pixel art and music round out the $14.99 package. I can not wait to see what else Akiisoft can bring to this world they built. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for frantic action combined with a unique cinematic expience.

If you are wondering what the game is, it's sort of like a side-scrolling Hotline Miami, but not quite. You die from one hit, so do the enemies. Stages can be completed in multiple ways, though there is a somewhat "by design" way to go through them. The game relies on multiple retries, but the cool thing is that this is tied to the story (won't spoil anything). And the story is actually very good. It's quite dark really, but there is some humour. The game has a very good level of challenge, but the difficulty raises gradually, you probably will not consider this a hard game after the first hour, but it changes late and the boss fights are very hard, requiring a perfect run. That said, aside from a few tedious fights, nothing really feels unfair. I think an average skill player, should be able to complete the game without too much frustration. There is also a slow-mo mechanic that makes things a lot easier, but it's not really required and I used it rarely. All the things you can do in slow-mo, you can also do in real time, if you get the rhythm right. Most importantly though, the game keeps you playing, it hooks you early on and doesn't let go. The pacing is also near-perfect IMHO. I don't want to write to much, not to spoil anything. The trailer alone shows what the gameplay involves and how everything looks and sounds, and it looks, sounds and plays superb! So, should you buy it? Will you have fun with it? Hell yes! Unless you particularly dislike these types of games, but even if, I think Katana Zero might actually change your taste. Outstanding title!

Rarely has a game grabbed me like Katana Zero. The challenege, level design and story are all incredibly engaging. The levels are paced incredibly well. The soundtrack is top notch. This game is a must for any action/platformer and neo-noir fans. The game checks all the fo the correct boxes and checks them well. Do not heistate to pick this game up! IT IS AMAZING!