Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief

Undeniably novel, it won’t be a game for everyone but for the right audience it may be fun

Fans of the Yakuza series will find something to like about Kamiwaza. It has a lot of the absurd and over-the-top humor and bouts of intense drama seen in those games. Gamers who grew up playing Tenchu or the Way of the Samurai games will especially adore Way of the Thief.

If you are Tenchu lovers and you are curious about its premise, Kamizawa: Way of the Thief is a really different and unique proposal. However, be very aware that it is a product that the years have not been particularly good for it.

Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a very original game, combining Stealth with a scoring system from action games, making it have a faster and more frenetic gameplay. A simple and fun game, that suffers a bit from the simple remastering and some inconsistencies in the mechanics.

Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a game that shows its age in a ton of different ways: from its rough graphics, janky controls, and bizarre structure. However, it’s a game with charm and it provides a gameplay experience that I don’t think I have ever seen before. It combines action game genres into a fast-paced, janky stealth experience. If you can overlook a lot of its flaws, then I would actually recommend checking it out if it goes on sale.

Overall, Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a really fun game. Really niche, yes, but also really fun. The stealth aspect is pretty fun, and the stylish points earned through your actions are an interesting take. The gameplay loop is pretty easy to get, allowing you to hop right in to your thieving ways, and you will probably find yourself easily racking up mission after mission. While this may be a re-release of an old PS2 title, it has aged surprisingly well, if not in graphics then in gameplay. It’s fun and quirky, and I definitely suggest you give it at least a chance.

As wonderful as it is to get older Japanese titles localized, Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief might be a tough sell to anyone that didn’t grow up playing PlayStation 2 era games. That isn’t to say that young people wouldn’t enjoy it. But the outdated graphics and repetitive gameplay can easily wear on anyone without a bit of nostalgia to dull the nerves.

Though that Tenchu shaped hole in my heart remains unfulfilled, I do appreciate how NIS America have reached back some sixteen years in time to bring Kamizawa: Way of the Thief to an all-new audience. Sure, it's very much a relic of its time that struggles to escape the gravity of its PS2 era origins, but for those willing to invest the time and patience, Kamizawa: Way of the Thief is a steadfastly warm-hearted stealth yarn that satisfies so long as you can forgive its largely archaic/nostalgic design.

Kamiwaza was a forgettable game in 2006 and, unfortunately, it still is.

Kamiwaza is, no doubt, going to be written up as a “product of its times,” but I think that writing it off like that is missing the mark a little. It’s true that even in this “remastered” state it looks like a PS2 game (excellent aesthetics, but primitive technical execution). However, Kamiwaza is an ambitious and boundary-pushing game. By turns surrealistic and funny, sincere and layered, it’s one of the most eclectic and interesting titles you’ll play this year, and it is a very good thing that it has finally been localised. You’ll understand why it never managed to influence too many other developers, but without fascinating and experimental things like this, we’d live in a very boring world.