A game for Japanophiles and folks who prefer combat to free roam.
Of course it is best if you have an interest in Japanese history (I am a Chinese historian who fancies a bit of Japan from time to time), that way you will become more immersed in the gameplay and storyline. Next up, don't make the mistake of many small minded gamers out there and go about expecting a 'Samurai Skyrim', the game itself lacks free roaming on a large scale and random quests strewn about the place but it focuses on short gameplay that culminates in several different endings (about 24 or so) which do not come as a random choice option at the end but rather the result of every choice you have made. The same thing applies to combat, it takes awhile to get used to it but in the end it is a very sophisticated little system which is good fun. One other great aspect is the unlockables which you obtain from gaining samurai points every time you complete the game, these range from: new head styles, body styles, weird cheats, blood colour and even the option to play as any NPC you happen to knock out in game (even the grannies). The only drawback to this game is its really repetitive job system which consists of pretty much the same few jobs repeated over again from about 3 job vendors over all.
Many people have critisised the game for its graphics but I concider them to be alright, the Japanese creators of this game and of other not so popular games outside of Japan clearly didn't care so much about graphic but focused on gameplay so if you are a graphics whore then this is not the game for you.
Overall I will have to say I have enjoyed this game to its fullest extent and I feel the need to play it again. So as I said before, if you are interested in Japan or a good game that focuses on choices and heavy combat then give it a go and see how you like it.