It's over just as the gameplay is getting more involved and challenging, just as the story is answering questions, and right at the point where some personal stakes are thrown at the protagonist. It's not that you can't have a fulfilling game at 4-5 hours, it's that Katana Zero telling this story, with this kind of gameplay escalation, doesn't get to peak. What began with a fairly rigid structure is now breaking its own rules, and jump cutting everywhere, and dropping you into missions when you don't expect it, and building into something greater.Īnd this is where I come back to the story being a positive but also part of the issue here. All that worldbuilding starts to payoff, more extended gameplay sequences are informed by the scenario instead of being overpowered by it, you get a few boss fights and set-pieces, etc, etc. Then you get to the mid game, and as the story comes into greater focus, the scenarios also get more creative- weaved into and out of fractured storytelling- and the game hits its stride.
Early on, it's extremely narrative heavy when establishing the mission/therapist/home rhythm and overall tone, which is fine, but it has to be said that the short and simple combat rooms do feel outweighed by that story and leave you itching for more substantial action beats. I think I'm going to fall on the side of "Really good, but not complete" as well, and oddly enough I think the abundance of narrative here is actually both to blame and a huge boon to the game. There is just a huge amount of potential with the game's world and characters, and the gameplay would really sing with more challenging level designs and additional mechanics to lend variety to the action. But as many others have said, it all ends abruptly right as things are getting interesting.Īnyway, I truly hope that the game is successful enough to bankroll a much bigger, better sequel. It's in the final stretch that the difficulty finally ramps up a bit and demands a bit more thought from the player, and the story's many twists and turns in the final act are pretty great. The game's final few levels really highlight the game's unrealized potential, however. But when the core gameplay and game design is relatively simple without challenge to add more heft to the proceedings, the emphasis on story sequences makes the game's very short runtime feel even leaner than it already would. That's not to say that the story isn't good, because it actually is pretty intriguing and well thought-out. The ratio of gameplay to story is actually somewhat low in the game, which was somewhat surprising to me. The first 75% of the game consists of brief, easy gameplay segments that lack enemy/level variety and story segments between each of them. Normally that would be a compliment, but Katana Zero basically ends right as its beginning to hit its stride. I say that with the utmost respect for Askiisoft and what they were able to accomplish with Katana Zero, but this game more than any other in a long while makes me ache for more. It's just that the concept and setting are both so strong that it pains me a bit to see what could have been a seminal indie release hamstrung by the limitations of its mostly one-man development. Don't get me wrong, I still think that this is a gorgeous indie 2D action title with a strong and confident identity and vibe all its own and a pretty banging soundtrack. I say that to establish the context of my mild disappointment with the final product. I had been awaiting this game for quite a long time, ever since the initial reveal trailer years ago.
Now that I've finished the game, I'd like to briefly share my overall impressions.
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