Samurai: Way of the Warrior is a Couple Slices Short of Amazing

Mad Finger Games describe their first iPhone offering, Samurai: Way of the Warrior, as a hack and slash title. The term originates from analog rpgs like Dungeons and Dragons, in campaigns void of significant story elements. I first encountered the label hacking through the bowels of hell in Diablo. But when I graduated to its sequel (aka the gateway drug to WoW), it didn’t seem to apply as well. I greatly enjoyed Blizzard’s cinematic cutscenes, and became thoroughly involved in the tale of a drifting warrior seeking to reclaim the world from the clutches of evil.

So when I picked up Samurai: Way of the Warrior last week, I wasn’t sure what to expect. On the one hand, the screen grabs were gorgeous, and the discussion on Touch Arcade’s forums spoke to its gripping story – not so unlike Diablo II. On the other were no virtual buttons, no landscape orientation and no clue as to the pure rpg aspects of the game.

Having spent several multi-hour days with the title, I can say that my expectations may have been a bit tall. But as the somewhat inspiration-killing proverb decries “Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.” I find myself justified in taking the hype down a notch.

In Samurai, you control Daisuke Shimada, a wandering Samurai with no back story. Advancing through seven levels, you must slay hordes of henchmen in order to fight the baddest, most heinous Shogun of all, Daimyo Hattoro. The mundane story is presented in beautiful comic strip cut scenes following each level. And it’s littered with typos and grammatical misfires. It saddens me that developers with such a flair for presentation (to be later discussed) can’t take the time to double-check these things. The ending does contain an unexpected twist which speaks to the possibility of a follow-up title.

Movement in the game is controlled by tapping a location on screen, and alternates between walking or running depending on your finger’s distance from Daisuke. Attacks are performed by swiping combinations over the enemies position. E.G. a finger swipe left followed by a swipe right performs the burning blade, one of Daisuke’s default attacks. Throughout the game, you’ll pick up additional, three-step combos. I’m not sure what triggers the acquisition of these new moves, as there aren’t any character stats to keep track of, but the diversity is nonetheless appreciated. The combat system takes some getting used to, but I have to commend Mad Finger Games for managing to pull off a (virtual) button-less control scheme.

Returning to the question of Samurai’s “hack and slash” nature, the game can definitely be placed in the story-ultimately-irrelevant camp. From level to level, there are no powerups, no health boosts and no additional weapons to complement your blade. Each level consists of several “stages” which can only be unlocked by slaying all of the enemies present. And your health regenerates upon a stage’s completion. Samurai is no adventure rpg, but it’s simplicity is somewhat refreshing. With the single objective of slaughter, the player is forced to hone in on the strategy behind each kill. That’s pretty much all you do.

In addition to the campaign, dojo mode offers several rounds of increasingly-intense arena-fighting action.  Like in the story, there are no special items. Your health only regenerates after conquering a “boss” stage. The dojo mode is a fun challenge that adds some replay value to the game.

The game’s difficulty is perhaps best described through analogy. The first two levels are like being dropped into a kiddie pool, sans the hottie lifeguard from the Sandlot. You can dogpaddle your way around the asinine A.I., who basically just shuffle around Daisuke like a bunch of Sake-holics. By contrast, level three is like being dropped into the Pacific Ocean. It’s cold, tumultuous, and entirely unforgiving. The bad habits you picked up in the kiddie pool will haunt the shit out of you. It was here that I died about 30 times before the timing finally clicked and I realized that I couldn’t just wiggle my fingers all over the screen like I did in the previous two levels. Interestingly enough, the following levels taper off in difficulty. And the bosses are nothing more than henchmen with a few more hp. I guess once you learn to swim, you can make any body of water your bitch.

Samurai truly shines in the presentation department. So much so, in fact, that I can almost recommend a purchase based on looks alone. Is that shallow of me? 3d character models, vibrant, isometric backgrounds, and bubbling puddles of blood abound in Samurai. Combat is made all the more satisfying for each limb you sever, and the developers were keen to leave the aftermath behind for the player to ponder. Perhaps the only thing disappointing about the graphics are my expectations for the rest of the game to follow suit. Mad Finger Games has created a wonderful world that could very well be the setting of an EPIC adventure rpg, Zelda Samurai-a-fied. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for such a sequel.

Finally, Samurai’s audio is another mixed bag. The tranquil, feudal soundtrack is an odd choice for a game so chock full of gore. But this isn’t to say it’s not pleasant, and it doesn’t fall under the curse of repetition. The groans and grunts of the henchmen are by contrast ear-numbingly redundant. If it wasn’t for their purpose in time-correcting your counter-attacks I would have them slashed from the game (See what I did there?)

For the many grievances I had with Samurai: Way of the Warrior, there were an equal number of redeeming characteristics. As a result, I have to recommend trying the game on a friend’s device, or giving it a whirl if you have no qualms spending $2.99 for a plot-barren brawler with a few control quirks. As I always say, it pays to support indie developers, so hoot at Mad Finger Games if you’d like to see changes in their next update, or have any ideas for what they might pull off in the next installment.