Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story

It's just not good enough for a game that revolves around loot and item management.

Way of the Samurai returns with a smaller, more restrained, spin-off title that's an interesting experiment of how it would fare as an isometric roguelite, yet it never manages to capitalize on its ambitious gameplay systems.

No one should play this. Whatever your genre or thematic preference, there are assuredly several better options.

Katanakami: A Way of the Samurai Story is on the easier side of the spectrum for a Mystery Dungeon title, but the way it infuses the genre with decent swordplay.

Katama Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is a well-crafted adventure that mixes rogue-lites with sword play in interesting ways.

Despite decent music and my love for samurai games, I cannot recommend Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story. There is little pay-off to finishing the game, aside from a cut scene and a new post-game dungeon. The bugs and clunky menus encountered along the way make the journey an absolute slog. There are better roguelites, loot-driven RPGs, and samurai games out there.

Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is likely going to still be a cult classic like its predecessors. This experiment has proven to be a huge success. Even gamers who are turned off by the words 'procedurally-generated' and 'roguelike,' might actually enjoy this new take on ronin simulation. It is mostly elevated thanks to the combat, and the attention to detail of choices that can be made to tip the scales in one's favour. Don't expect something like Ninja Gaiden 2, since the combat here is more methodical and gritty.

Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story will most likely not satisfy fans looking for the next Way of the Samurai, due to the smaller scale and its genre.

Basically, this is a PS2 game running on the PS4 with a veneer of next-gen graphics. In 2020, that's unacceptable even as a throwback to a different era. To come full circle, the idea for Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is solid. The execution is not.

Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story manages to balance, in a very competent way, a simple, dense and efficient gameplay with a differentiated system of resource and objective management. It brings a very direct story that has its greatest asset in the setting. Menus, canvas elements and even the artistic style bring good ideas, but they also present some problems, and the repetition of iterations can be more tiring than it should.