If you have played any of the Dynasty Warriors games you should be familiar with game publisher KOEI. The company’s long running series of historical third person combat games based in feudal Japan have seen many incarnations covering most console platforms. As a spin off to the franchise, Samurai Warriors: Katana mixes up that previous formula with a first person, sword wielding, light-gun-esque game for the Nintendo Wii. Unfortunately, due to its overwhelming repetitiveness, forgettable storyline, and boring control system this is one samurai that may want to do the honorable thing and fall on its own sword.
Katana can best be described as a first person action game on rails. To further expand on that description, the majority of the game takes place as if your samurai feet have been nailed to a magical rickshaw that propels you around each level as you hack and slash your way through the horde of enemies thoughtful enough to constantly stream into your attack range. The end result is an experience that feels much like an arcade light gun game but with melee attacks and some loosely added RPG elements. Rare portions of the game do exist that allow you to move a bit on your own however their mediocre implementation may leave you delighted to have those feet nailed firmly back in place once again on the following level. Katana’s three modes of play; Musou - story mode, a time trials mode, and a mini-game vs. mode, are nothing more than variations of the same core gameplay.
The main campaign mode or “Musou” mode as it’s referred to consists of four main story arcs. Each of these arcs is broken down into several scenarios, and each of these scenarios is further broken down into chapters. Each of these must be played in a linear fashion in order to unlock the next section. The story places you as a nameless warrior fighting for and against various historical big shots. Even if you are someone who has a great fascination with this period of Japanese history you are likely to quickly lose interest in the “plot” squashed between the action.
Chapters within each scenario are quite short, most of which have objectives that can be completed in less than five minutes. Objectives typically consist of variations in mass killing, followed up by a mini-boss. The last chapter of each scenario culminates with a boss fight. These boss fights, which are actually the most exciting portions of the game, feature unique character battles that require a bit of strategy to defeat. Both types of boss baddies often drop new weapons, equipment, and gold bars used as currency. Between each chapter you are able to visit your base camp where you can buy useful items and switch things up in your active inventory. You are also able to enhance your character and weapons with various upgrades and view your statistics. These RPG elements do little more than break up the arcade action of the game.
If you are looking for realistic melee combat utilizing the Wiimote you won’t find it with this title. Nearly all of your attacks are performed by pointing at your target and repeatedly pressing the A button with an occasional side to side or up and down shake of the Wiimote to perform a charge attack. Chaining together several normal attacks fills your “Musou” meter. When the meter is full you have access to a power attack that requires you to perform violent pet scaring spasms to both the Wiimote and the nunchuck. To round out your arsenal you have a block/counter-attack function and the ability to fire off ranged weapons, complete with the ever popular “point the reticule off the screen and fire to reload” light gun game mechanic. While these controls work it would have been nice to see Katana take better advantage of the Wii’s motion controls instead of relying so heavily on button mashing.
It’s no shock to anyone that games on the Wii typically can’t pack the same graphical punch as the Xbox 360 or the PS3, however even keeping this consideration in mind the graphics are last gen quality at best. Katana is plagued by overused character models with very simplistic animations combined with bland murky colored backgrounds. Sadly the gameplay itself doesn’t help detract your attention from these graphical shortcomings as can occasionally be the saving grace in other games.
In theory plenty of replay value exists with Katana but that tends to scale inversely with the fun factor. You can replay any of the previous chapters in Musou mode, you can take on the various time trials, and if you can sucker a buddy into playing at your side you can engage in some split screen multiplayer mini-game action. The problem is all of these various game modes boil down to the same exact experience of killing wave after wave of identical ninja type baddies until your thumbs or wrist gives out. It’s a shame there wasn’t co op built in to Musou mode as that would have kicked up the fun factor a few notches.
