Hands-on: Samurai

Japanese software developer Acquire, known for its work on the Tenchu series, has recently released Samurai, its PlayStation 2 action title, in Japan. The game takes place in the early Meiji period, during a time when the services of a samurai are no longer in demand. You will take on the role of a lone samurai who happens to stumble upon a small mountain village, where two clans are in a feud over an iron manufacturing plant. You can choose from several different appearances such as the facial features and garment patterns for clothing.

The game pretty much lets you take any course of action. You can help the villagers by settling the clan's feud or even double-cross them, but since the game takes place in a span of two days, it's possible to finish the game without doing either of those things. When speaking with characters, you may be given several choices, and that can change the direction and outcome of a conversation. If you prefer not to talk, you can just draw your katana and start an ambush.

The controls in the game are straightforward. You can execute both small and large slashes, as well as blocks and jumps. A combination of these buttons lets you execute special katana moves as well. Blocking is an integral part of combat--depending on which direction you are pressing on the D-pad or the analog stick, you can shift your weight toward or away from an opponent. For example, if you block and shift your weight away while the opponent shifts his weight toward you, he will lose balance for a few seconds, providing you with an opportunity to slash. The katana also has different attributes, such as offensive properties, defensive properties, health bonuses (which are given to your character), as well as durability, which is displayed under your health bar at the bottom left of the screen.

This bar is divided into several blocks, which defines the durability, so if there are three blocks, the katana's durability is three. Using the katana during battle causes the bar to turn red, indicating the amount of stress put on the blade, but you can reduce the stress by not using the weapon for a period of time. If the bar fills completely, a block is depleted, dropping its overall durability by one. You can visit a blacksmith and have the attributes improved or have your katana completely repaired for a fee. You also have the ability to pick up an opponent's katana, which becomes quite valuable, since tougher enemies tend to drop higher-quality blades.

Replenishing your health in Samurai is a bit of a challenge since you have to look for vegetable farms or mushrooms, which are usually found near trees. However, you have to be careful when picking them up, because some of these items can have an adverse affect on your health.

While the premise of the game is fun and entertaining, other parts of the game could use a little tweaking. The graphics are average for a PlayStation 2 game, and there seem to be a few issues with collision detection. In addition, the camera becomes a little difficult to deal with during battle, but in normal situations, you can freely rotate with the right analog stick. There are no voice-overs for the dialogue sequences except for the occasional "uh-huh" and "ay." While most will be able to finish the game in a couple of hours, there is some replay value that comes in the form of samurai points, which you receive after dying or after finishing the game. These points add new textures in the character customization area and unlock extra features, like a versus mode.

Samurai is currently available in Japan. A North American release has not yet been announced.