A game that has something to do with swords would typically end up to be a hack n slash game. However, Sakura Samurai takes a different route and would introduce a more tactical way to engage in a fight. It chose to follow its own virtue, but does it succeed? Read our review and find out!
The game is set in medieval Japan when people dressed in Kimono and the soldiers wore armors and carried weapons. Princess Cherry Blossom, a daughter of the cherry blossom god and guardian of the land, was kidnapped by an evil being. Her abduction caused violence in the land, and people started fighting and killing each other.
Eventually, the princess was forgotten by many and only a Kappa that lived in a Sakura tree remembers her. At the start of the game, you will come to meet this Kappa, some sort of tree fairy from the Japanese folklore. The Kappa will introduce you to the basics of fighting and then send you off on your journey to rescue the princess and fight against the princess's abductor and his henchmen.
Sakura Samurai presents an overworld map similar to Super Mario World. You go from point A to B, enter that level and you'll be inside a small world to fight enemies. The overworld is decently wide, but not at all big.
The battle system consists mainly of dodging, blocking, and attacking. Dodging enemy attacks prove to be the most important thing that you'll have to learn in the game and it takes a while to master. It's nice how the game tries to hook you up to perfection with this feature, though you will often need to find the balance between wanting to finish the game, and dodging all enemy attacks.
During battle, you will most likely spend the first few seconds of the fight learning your enemy's attack patterns. It's a classic rule of knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, and you don't need to fear the outcome of every battle.
When you get hit, you will enter a temporary state of invincibility. However, you can't go on going amok with your enemies as none of your attack will go through unless you catch them off-guard.
For every level you finish you get a (half) piece of heart. Collecting two heart pieces that matches a full heart shape gives you an extra life, contributing to your chance of survival during a fight. Fighting bosses are no different, and proves to be more important during the times when you face one.
There's a limited number of items that you can use in the game. There's a sushi to replinish some of your health for example, a stone that you can use to sharpen your blade and a few others that could aid you in battle.
After unlocking and finishing a few missions, you'll eventually be able to visit towns where items and services are sold. You can rest in an inn to recover HP and save your progress, you can upgrade your sword so that you'll need fewer attacks to kill enemies, and you can also play minigames.
Minigames allow you to earn money or items based on the deal you make. It's pretty much a gamble since you'll have to get used to the games and be really good at them in order to win. All the mini-games involve slashing with the sword, and usually operates with a Kappa throwing stuff at you. It's on third-person view, which somehow makes it hard to estimate how high and far the things thrown at you are.
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword has an amazing art direction. The game uses a style that will appeal to many people because it's something that can simply be perceived as art. Everything in the game is presented beautifully from menus to the actual game itself.
Because of the game's slow-paced nature, it's nice to turn the stereoscopic 3D effect on for a longer time. You may have to switch it off during intense battles, but overall the 3D was very good in this game.
Still, it feels like something more could have been done on the graphics area. It certainly doesn't push the 3DS to its limits and there are better-looking eShop games. The type of graphics this game has could probably even also run on the first-generation PlayStation (PSOne). Having said that, it reminds so well of the classic Brave Fencer Mushashi game.
The music in Sakura Samurai is mostly composed of strings, flutes, chimes and drums. The music reserves a style very true to the Japanese culture. The sound effects bring out the true clashing sound of swords and a familiar tearing of flesh that is not very realistic but suggestive in a way.
The game controls are reasonably fine. On the world map, Sakura Samurai mostly makes you use the circle pad for moving around the character and the A and X buttons for confirmation and bringing up the inventory screen on the overworld screen. The button layout is slightly the same during a fight. You move around using the circle pad, dodge with the B button, attack with the A button and the DPad for using items.
The game doesn't make use of the 3DS's touchscreen feature. Not for the selecting a location on the map, and not for using items. It's alright though since the physical controls fit the game just fine, but it's a clear waste of the device's feature and a disservice to the players.
Aside from the main game, there are other things to distract you. As you progress in the game, you'll be able to unlock Thug Challenges which pits you against a number of enemies at once. The game also has a Rock Garden mode where it utilizes the 3DS's motion sensors. As you take your 3DS with you everyday when you go out on the road, you can dedicate your steps to Sakura trees and the trees will bear leaves. More plants will also start to appear as you dedicate more steps.
Although you'll be fighting thugs most of the time and the attacks you can do are pretty much the same from the beginning alto wards the end, nothing in the combat system felt repetitive.
If there's anything to complain about is that the game is very short. The number of bosses can be counted with your five fingers and it doesn't take too much time to reach each one of them. You can unlock expert mode by finishing the game for the first time, and that could help take you a while to reach each boss again if you're up to the challenge. But in today's busy world, you're just more likely to jump to another game.
The Verdict
If you're looking for another eShop game to buy that could occupy 3 to 4 days straight of your time as well as to see something fresh, Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword will make a great choice. It gives an ample amount of challenge, but it will be easy to add to your "completed games" list. The graphics is not something to buy it for, but it has a good support for stereoscopic 3D. The plot is also not something to celebrate for as it's very shallow. However, this game definitely deserves your attention.
Rating for Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword
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| Game Info: | Platform: Nintendo 3DS Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: 02/02/2012 Price: $6.99 Rating: E10+ No. of players: 1 Online: No Official Site |
The Good
- Unique Samurai gameplay forces you to be a perfectionist
- Challenging bosses
- Extra features (Thug Challenges, Rock Garden mode)
- Mini games
- Good 3D effect
- Lovely music
- Easy controls
- Shallow plot
- Game is too short
This Sakura Samurai review was based on the North American digital version and played on Nintendo 3DS XL. If you liked the review, please like it on Facebook or share on Twitter! It will really help a lot.
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