Katana ZERO

It's a masterpiece. everything about it is just right! The story is really engaging, mixing Russian mafia, government conspiracies, Samurais, and a Vietnam-ish backstory. The dialogue is amazing and interactive, so it offers some replayability to experiment with different dialogue options. The soundtrack is one of my favorite things from this game, it's just as good and fitting as Hotline Miami's OST. Synthwave and Techno are used for the action parts of the game, and some kind of blues with Japanese vibes is used for calmer parts or dialogue. Gameplay-wise the game offers just the right amount of elements and skills to master, the game is never easy, but neither is it ever frustratingly hard. There's a specific skill that makes some parts of the game easier by slowing time down, but you can use it only for a couple of seconds before it needs a cooldown. The art style is a mixture of Hotline Miami (neon-noir), the messenger (japanese) and Mother Russia Bleeds (russian mafia, drugs and secret laboratories) The game itself is not very long, and ends with a huge cliffhanger, but it manages to stay original and without ever being repetitive through the whole game, which is something really hard to find nowadays. Definitely one of my favorite games of this year. I know I'll be replaying it over the next years and can't wait for a sequel or DLC.

Good Story, amazing gameplay, did not encounter any bugs whatsoever. I have nothing to critique. It took me ~5 hours to beat the game, though your milage may vary based on skill (the harder bossfights took me ages). Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, but a well done one. 10/10. Love it.

"Katana Zero" is a pixelart game that uses time as a game element. The player will have to die a thousand deaths, slow down time and memorize a lot to create the levels. There is also a great story about forgetting, memory, drugs, military and obedience. The best thing is by far is the soundtrack. Partly driving, partly melodic electro beats by different artists. As soon as GOG offers the soundtrack for sale, I will also add it to my collection.

Very close to finishing it, but I highly encourage it. I rarely go out of my way to review things, but I just felt compelled to make an exception in this case. All around, one of the most fun and brutal games I've ever played, with super tight controls and overall gameplay. The real kicker for me was the soundtrack, I'd compare it in many ways to Furi, where you have intense gameplay with sounds that just urge you forwards at a breakneck pace. Really out of this world experience. I hesitated a lot before buying this game because I thought it might be too hard for me (I'm kinda trash at games), but compared to Souls games or even games like Hollow Knight, I'd say this game is much more approachable. Even the hardest sections allow for a great deal of creativity, which was something I wasn't expecting. Nothing ever felt linear or forced. All in all, highly recommended, and I can't wait for more from this guy.

So, I expected a side-scrolling Hotline Miami and Katana Zero delivered on that. What I didn't expect, with so many 5 star reviews, is a 2-4 hour game. Like HM, K0 have some cryptic story, fluid engaging gameplay, cool art style and music, but beyond one story mode run there is little to nothing for you to do. Most of the levels feel the same and there are not that many of them. There are speedrun mode, harder difficulty and some secret swords, but that's just replaying the same ten levels over and over.