Katana Zero

Katana Zero's adrenaline pumping action is incredible and its presentation is stellar, but its story feels cut short.

Katana Zero's excellent writing, stylish and thoughtful combat, and gorgeous artwork make its unsatisfyingly short journey well worth taking.

Stylish and punishing, this is a darkly compelling treat.

Thoughtfully-designed levels and versatile combat abilities make Katana Zero worthy of a rewind despite cookie-cutter characters.

It’s a cynical and sometimes ugly story told with unusual warmth and sincerity.

Katana Zero starts strong on all fronts, but it doesn't evolve or cohere in ways that sustain the excitement of its early stages

For all its hurried stabbing and spilled blood, Katana Zero is a beautiful game, from the juicy text boxes onwards.

There is far more I can say about how much I love this game, including the audial delight that is Ludowic and Bill Kiley's soundtrack or VHS visual tricks the game employs as the narrative grows more fractured, but at this point, I've already gushed enough. It can be frustrating at times. It made me want to break my Switch in half. But even in its most aggressively exasperating moments, Katana Zero remains bleak, beautiful, bloody, and brilliant.

If you haven’t gleaned it already from reading up to this point, Katana Zero is unmistakably a game that you need to add to your Switch collection at earliest opportunity.

Overall, Katana Zero is an inspired effort.