Most of Afro Samurai is an embellishment, and often a complete retelling, of the original story. While it makes prior knowledge a prerequisite for comprehension, it also opens the doors for new boss-fights and some exciting tweaks to the familiar ones, such as a battle against the flamethrower-toting Brother 6, and a freefalling clash against Afro Droid. Sadistic pleasure aside, boss-fights are the only reason to practice your swordsmanship. In one fell swoop, you go from decimating the battlefield to plowing through an infinite supply of continues as you work your way through the attack-patterns by trial and error. The boss-fights certainly are memorable, but I think someone might have set the difficulty switch to overkill.

In complete contrast, the platforming segments of the game are breezy, one-way romps across fantastically textured cliffs and rooftops. I would compare these segments to a lighter version of Prince of Persia if not for Afro’s sticky feet, and an even stickier camera. Afro will tic-tac gracefully along a rocky wall and over a monumental chasm with ease, but then struggle to hop over a knee-high rise in the ground. When combined with a camera that needs constant adjustment, you can be sure that cheap-shots from behind and countless trips to bottomless pits are in excessive abundance. At least the respawn points are equally plentiful.

I could further bemoan the lack of character customization, the mash-a-licious combat system, and the (mostly) fluid yet barebones platforming, but sometimes we all need a little simplicity. Like a Jason Statham action flick, Afro Samurai won’t change your life in any meaningful way, but it’s perfect for those days when you want to sink into the couch, turn off your brain, and watch some bloody entertainment.

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