Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is an interesting case where a tie in game in game isn't necessarily great nor is it bad. The game takes place towards the final minutes of the final episode of the final season of Samurai Jack where it diverges from the show where Jack is stopped from escaping the evil Aku's influence and is instead dragged into a pocket dimension where he is forced relive and battle through some of his most iconic moments from the show. The game does require a little before hand knowledge of the Samurai Jack IP for you to understand the characters and their motivations as this game doesn't really provide much in the way of context, it just kinda expects you to know the world of SJ. The characterization of certain characters is on point, and many (if not all) of the voice actors return to reprise their roles for this entry, so you will feel right at home as a Samurai Jack fan. The visuals are also as accurate to the show as a you'd expect a 3D rendition of the show could be, and sometimes it can leave you breathless with how beautifully some set pieces transition to a 3D space. That can't be said for every environment however, as many of the levels, while interesting to go through can be pretty barren of details to keep your attention. It also doesn't help that a lot (if not all) of the game's animations are mo-capped which can look great in other games, but for a show like samurai jack that uses limited animation to it's advantage the fluid mo-cap feels a little weird from fans coming from the show. The gameplay is another point of contention I have for this game as the combat feels pretty stilted. I'm not really an elitist when it comes to action games, as I have a pretty high tolerance and appreciation for stiff combat (I love how the legacy of kain series and original NieR games play for example.) But this game can feel particularly stiff, especially at the beginning where you haven't leveled up Jack's skills at all. Certain animations can not be stopped once started such as for the dodge animation which can really break the flow of gameplay especially since the dodge is particularly slow. If you can master the timing on the animations though it makes it less of a headache to deal with but is still annoying none the less. When you do a dodge roll or get knocked down you have to wait until the complete animation executes before you can pull off another move whether it be an attack or another dodge and it can really throw you off if not prepared. The balancing also fluctuates a little too much for this game as in one room you can clear 20 enemies with ease but 5 minutes later your on a moving train fighting a boss rush where no matter what weapons you use you can only chip damage them. Thankfully there are things such as skill upgrades, and weapon upgrades that should help you on your journey but this game could definitely benefit from having better balancing overall. In conclusion Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a fun, but mediocre romp through the world of Samurai Jack that takes the story on a little detour to enjoy some of the series' most iconic moments. It's certainly a game for the fans as I feel an outsider would be hard pressed to find much enjoyment out of the gameplay alone. But if you are a fan of Samurai Jack, and love the series for what it is, it certainly is far from the worst tie in game ever made, and it certainly is far better than other of the Samurai Jack video game offerings.