Samurai: Way of the Warrior Review for iPhone and iPod Touch

I don’t know too much about Bushido (aka the Way of the Warrior), the Samurai code, but if it means slashing your enemies with a really sharp sword, occasionally beheading them in one swipe, and flinging blood all over the screen of your iPhone, I would say Mad Finger Games have captured the concept beautifully in their release, Samurai: Way of the Warrior.

Review

Samurai: Way of the Warrior is a hack-and-slash game built specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch using the Unity engine. You are a Samurai warrior named Daisuke Shimada, and your ultimate goal is to defeat the evil warlord, Daimyo Hattoro, who rules the province.

The story begins with a series of sketchy comics-style cut scenes. You then begin your quest, walking through a beautifully rendered Japanese feudal-era village. You control your character by simply swiping the screen to move him around. A quick series of swipes, and he wields his sword and starts hacking the evil warlord’s henchmen. Various swipe patterns will supposedly execute specific moves, but in the first couple chapters it didn’t seem to make a big difference which way I swiped, the enemies fell quickly, usually spattering the screen with their bright red cartoon blood. As you progress, more moves are unlocked, and by the time I got to the third chapter, the difficulty level really ramped up, and I started implementing some of the swipe patterns for maximum damage. You can view all the available swipe patterns (or Samurai Skills) at anytime during the game by tapping the scroll icon in the upper right corner.

Accompanying your vicious hacking and dismembering is a rather Zen soundtrack of traditional Japanese music. While it may not seem to match the violence of the game play, it perfectly complements the quaint village scenery. Somehow all these seemingly incongruous elements work well together to capture what I imagine to be the spirit of the samurai.

You can also sharpen your sword skills by playing the Dojo mode, where you take on your enemies in a circular arena. In Dojo mode, all the Samurai Skills are available, so it’s a good place to practice for the higher levels of the story mode.

Recommendation

The stunningly original graphics and accompanying soundtrack are easily my favorite part of this game, but learning the swipe controls was also really easy and fun. The first couple levels are almost too simple, and the jump in difficulty in the third level was a little frustrating, but I will definitely be sticking with it through all seven chapters.

The graphic cartoon violence makes this game appropriate for players aged 9 and up.

Easily worth the regular price of $2.99, Samurai: Way of the Warrior is on sale in the app store this week for just .99.

Gameplay Video

Photos

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