Hot DAMN, this game is good! This game is excellent at giving off a supreme sense of "flow" when everything goes right, a zen-like state of leaping from one action to another. Open a door by cutting someone down, at the same time toss a cleaver diagonally to hit an enemy on next floor from below, slowing down time to slash a bullet away at the gunman on the other side of the room and finally leap over the last, shielded enemy in slo-mo to cut them down from behind, all fluidly one after another! That is the essence of what makes Katana ZERO's quick-twitch, one hit kill gameplay work so well!
It feels a lot like a blend between the difficult, checkpoint-based platformers like Super Meat Boy and Celeste and action-platformers or even character action games, such as Ninja Gaiden with a hint of No More Heroes. Room-based action where your goal is to kill everyone and get to the exit, turning it into an almost puzzle-action game where it is all about planning out the most efficient route of murder. Your toolkit is largely simple: You can jump, slash with your sword or grab certain stage objects to throw as projectiles. But the game mixes this all together to create some wicked areas, especially with the secret sauce of the game's last mechanic, which is that you can slow down time by holding down L2 (or w/e button you want) on a limited, regenerating timer. Slow down bullets to send them back with your sword, roll around opponents, but don't abuse it too much since you'll still die just as quickly. I BELIEVE the game can technically be beaten without ever using it, but only if you're a god at it, instead working out when and how to use it is a pretty strategic and tactical choice. The checkpoint-based retries encourage exploring multiple paths to completing your killing spree and helps with the frustrating that might otherwise arise, this game is very clearly designed with it in mind.
Enemy variety could definitely stand to be a little better, at the least in terms of visual appearance it feels like more could have been done at the end, but ultimately there is plenty enough to challenge your knowledge of the tools at your disposal and bosses end up challenging you in unique ways, since they're 1v1 killfests rather than room-based challenges, with more of a focus on tight dodging and attack windows. Given the svelte playtime, I finished in 4 hours 40 minutes on the nose, it doesn't overstay its welcome at all throughout the run time. The levels keep throwing different challenges at you as well, which helps with keeping things feeling fresh: Even your standard thug or guy with a gun can be fun when they're in a room designed to make you tackle them in different ways, after all!
But while the gameplay is great, it was the story that ended up really drawing me in to the point I would say that by the end I was much more interested where that was going then on the next gameplay challenge! I'm not going to spoil it, as I think it's probably best enjoyed without that, so allow me to just say that it is a lot more than you'd normally get out of this kind of game, something I quite enjoy in a 2D Platformer. Funny enough, the other games that come to mind for this also have "Zero" in the title: Mega Man Zero. I will also say one thing I loved was how the game's mechanics are so woven into the story, with pretty much all of it coming in-universe, even stuff like the checkpoint basis! Hell, even the soundtrack is almost entirely diagetic, either being played by someone in-universe or listened to by the protagonist on his headphones which even brings up the title of the song as if you were using a cyberpunk iPod.
And ooooooh man, the music, the graphics, this game is slick when it comes to aaaaaaall that. Synthwave-inspired, so many tracks fill in nicely with the mood of a given scene and the thrill of the momentum-based gameplay, to the point I'd say the music is a critical part of how the game's "flow" works. It knows when to be bombastic, techno-infused and keeping you on your toes, but there's slower tracks best in tune with more quiet moments as well, a good blend. Some of my favorites are Overdose, Katana ZERO and Third District. This has to be a contender for best video game soundtrack of 2019! Visually, it's got a super neon look that feels right at home with games like Hotline Miami and Hyper Light Drifter, along with obvious inspiration from classic cyberpunk works. While some of the spritework is pretty simple, the aesthetic stylings do more than carry it along with some swift animations and stuff like how blood splatters on walls or injections look. I was also quite impressed with how this game utilized some "glitchiness" aesthetic, especially since the game already uses VCR stylings for menus or security tapes so it fits in really well.
There's a few things keeping it out of 10/10, one of which is the ending, which isn't bad (I'd even say I liked it) but feels like it is tacking too hard on a sequel or DLC. It isn't that it just has a sequel hook, but that it leaves too much kinda unresolved and hollow, desperately in need of completion, even if there is stuff about it I like. Another pertinent reason is that decent chunks of the final level dipped a bit too much into frustration rather than challenge, in particular there are multiple "Gotcha!" moments where if you didn't essentially know it was happening before it did you WILL die, which fits flavorfully but feels bad. One of them is rather easy to trip, too. And then there's just a few slight random quibbles that don't hurt the game much but add up overall, this game just would have been perfect if it went on another two hours, but it's a bit too short for the narrative.
Overall, though, these are more minor issues that keep it from a "perfect score" than anything to worry about. Absolutely anyone who is interested in this kind of action platformer should play this and it has enough going for it I'd even recommend it to people normally disinclined by that if they're up for trying it. Given this game has received widespread attention, I think this one's on track to truly be an action platformer classic as time goes on. Out of the 10 games I've completed to date this year, it was easily my favorite, so I'm very excited for where that (free!) DLC takes us, or even a sequel!
It feels a lot like a blend between the difficult, checkpoint-based platformers like Super Meat Boy and Celeste and action-platformers or even character action games, such as Ninja Gaiden with a hint of No More Heroes. Room-based action where your goal is to kill everyone and get to the exit, turning it into an almost puzzle-action game where it is all about planning out the most efficient route of murder. Your toolkit is largely simple: You can jump, slash with your sword or grab certain stage objects to throw as projectiles. But the game mixes this all together to create some wicked areas, especially with the secret sauce of the game's last mechanic, which is that you can slow down time by holding down L2 (or w/e button you want) on a limited, regenerating timer. Slow down bullets to send them back with your sword, roll around opponents, but don't abuse it too much since you'll still die just as quickly. I BELIEVE the game can technically be beaten without ever using it, but only if you're a god at it, instead working out when and how to use it is a pretty strategic and tactical choice. The checkpoint-based retries encourage exploring multiple paths to completing your killing spree and helps with the frustrating that might otherwise arise, this game is very clearly designed with it in mind.
Enemy variety could definitely stand to be a little better, at the least in terms of visual appearance it feels like more could have been done at the end, but ultimately there is plenty enough to challenge your knowledge of the tools at your disposal and bosses end up challenging you in unique ways, since they're 1v1 killfests rather than room-based challenges, with more of a focus on tight dodging and attack windows. Given the svelte playtime, I finished in 4 hours 40 minutes on the nose, it doesn't overstay its welcome at all throughout the run time. The levels keep throwing different challenges at you as well, which helps with keeping things feeling fresh: Even your standard thug or guy with a gun can be fun when they're in a room designed to make you tackle them in different ways, after all!
But while the gameplay is great, it was the story that ended up really drawing me in to the point I would say that by the end I was much more interested where that was going then on the next gameplay challenge! I'm not going to spoil it, as I think it's probably best enjoyed without that, so allow me to just say that it is a lot more than you'd normally get out of this kind of game, something I quite enjoy in a 2D Platformer. Funny enough, the other games that come to mind for this also have "Zero" in the title: Mega Man Zero. I will also say one thing I loved was how the game's mechanics are so woven into the story, with pretty much all of it coming in-universe, even stuff like the checkpoint basis! Hell, even the soundtrack is almost entirely diagetic, either being played by someone in-universe or listened to by the protagonist on his headphones which even brings up the title of the song as if you were using a cyberpunk iPod.
And ooooooh man, the music, the graphics, this game is slick when it comes to aaaaaaall that. Synthwave-inspired, so many tracks fill in nicely with the mood of a given scene and the thrill of the momentum-based gameplay, to the point I'd say the music is a critical part of how the game's "flow" works. It knows when to be bombastic, techno-infused and keeping you on your toes, but there's slower tracks best in tune with more quiet moments as well, a good blend. Some of my favorites are Overdose, Katana ZERO and Third District. This has to be a contender for best video game soundtrack of 2019! Visually, it's got a super neon look that feels right at home with games like Hotline Miami and Hyper Light Drifter, along with obvious inspiration from classic cyberpunk works. While some of the spritework is pretty simple, the aesthetic stylings do more than carry it along with some swift animations and stuff like how blood splatters on walls or injections look. I was also quite impressed with how this game utilized some "glitchiness" aesthetic, especially since the game already uses VCR stylings for menus or security tapes so it fits in really well.
There's a few things keeping it out of 10/10, one of which is the ending, which isn't bad (I'd even say I liked it) but feels like it is tacking too hard on a sequel or DLC. It isn't that it just has a sequel hook, but that it leaves too much kinda unresolved and hollow, desperately in need of completion, even if there is stuff about it I like. Another pertinent reason is that decent chunks of the final level dipped a bit too much into frustration rather than challenge, in particular there are multiple "Gotcha!" moments where if you didn't essentially know it was happening before it did you WILL die, which fits flavorfully but feels bad. One of them is rather easy to trip, too. And then there's just a few slight random quibbles that don't hurt the game much but add up overall, this game just would have been perfect if it went on another two hours, but it's a bit too short for the narrative.
Overall, though, these are more minor issues that keep it from a "perfect score" than anything to worry about. Absolutely anyone who is interested in this kind of action platformer should play this and it has enough going for it I'd even recommend it to people normally disinclined by that if they're up for trying it. Given this game has received widespread attention, I think this one's on track to truly be an action platformer classic as time goes on. Out of the 10 games I've completed to date this year, it was easily my favorite, so I'm very excited for where that (free!) DLC takes us, or even a sequel!
Reviewed on Apr 10, 2021