This is a forgotten PS1 Konami game that takes a bit of inspiration from RE but with much more action-focused design. It stars two routes featuring a male ronin and a female ninja fighting through a demon-infested town while also pursuing their own personal goals.
There’s limited healing supplies, fixed cameras and a map to explore like in RE, but the inventory management and tank controls give way to a much more varied and in-depth combat system (you even have a fighting game-like meter that lets you pull off super moves), to the point that it ends up feeling more like a 3D beat ‘em up. The ronin, Kotaro Hiba, focuses on straight-up sword-fighting and has a pretty good selection of supers, while the ninja, Lin, wields a smaller sword but has also access to a great variety of throwable items. I don't mind Lin, but I do think Kotaro is a decent bit more fun. The game does still make good use of the exploration it allows, allowing you to find healing items and even secret weapons if you go out of your way to look around.
Overall, Soul of the Samurai is surprisingly fun, relatively simple but punchy and well-paced, and while the story isn’t really anything special, it’s still enjoyable and I like how you learn half of it in each playthrough, and then finally get the true ending once you’ve done both. I'm surprised at how this game that received an official translation and came from a pretty popular studio hasn't really seemed to gain any attention, not even as a "cult classic" of sorts. I think it's quite good.
My full playthrough of Soul of the Samurai up to the true ending took me 3.5/4 hours, and while there isn't much (or any) side content, I would definitely recommend checking it out.
There’s limited healing supplies, fixed cameras and a map to explore like in RE, but the inventory management and tank controls give way to a much more varied and in-depth combat system (you even have a fighting game-like meter that lets you pull off super moves), to the point that it ends up feeling more like a 3D beat ‘em up. The ronin, Kotaro Hiba, focuses on straight-up sword-fighting and has a pretty good selection of supers, while the ninja, Lin, wields a smaller sword but has also access to a great variety of throwable items. I don't mind Lin, but I do think Kotaro is a decent bit more fun. The game does still make good use of the exploration it allows, allowing you to find healing items and even secret weapons if you go out of your way to look around.
Overall, Soul of the Samurai is surprisingly fun, relatively simple but punchy and well-paced, and while the story isn’t really anything special, it’s still enjoyable and I like how you learn half of it in each playthrough, and then finally get the true ending once you’ve done both. I'm surprised at how this game that received an official translation and came from a pretty popular studio hasn't really seemed to gain any attention, not even as a "cult classic" of sorts. I think it's quite good.
My full playthrough of Soul of the Samurai up to the true ending took me 3.5/4 hours, and while there isn't much (or any) side content, I would definitely recommend checking it out.