KATANA KAMI: A Way of the Samurai Story Reviews
Katama Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is a well-crafted adventure that mixes rogue-lites with sword play in interesting ways.
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.
Katana Kami: A Way Of The Samurai Story attempts to bring back a beloved PS2 franchise with a new twist. However, its lackluster execution and heavy repetitiveness leaves very little excitement in its wake. Fans might find some appeal here, but only consider this game if you're looking for a repetitive and simplistic dungeon crawler.
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.
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.
Katana Kami A way of the samurai story is a nice throwback to the PS2 era, with an interesting combat system and plenty of replay value, but also plenty of repetition and a dull UI.
Review in Italian | Read full review
You’re not going to blown away by Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story. Don’t expect it to amaze you in any way. It is, however, a very enjoyable dungeon crawler that’s very easy to sink time into.
You don't need to love Way of the Samurai to love Katana Kami, it stands out on its own merits, and it does so brilliantly. Through its addicting gameplay loop to its humour, refined combos, and great range of weapons, you find yourself losing hour upon hour. It is great fun, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody wanting a bit of randomly generated dungeon crawling action.
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 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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
My one real concern with Katana Kami is that I’m not sure just how well it conveys its themes to people who aren’t already deeply into this stuff.
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 is a must-play for roguelike fans. The game loop of earning money by day and fighting monsters by night creates a fantastic gameplay experience. Still, there are some features that could use some clarity and confusing menus do more harm than good to its accessibility.