Afro Samurai Preview

Forget movie-licensed games—pulling from television is all the rage now. Afro Samurai continues a trend that sees more and more games based on popular televised programs, particularly those that are animated, make their way into the world of videogames. The blood-soaked saga of an unlikely samurai makes for an ideal game premise, which is why Namco-Bandai has eagerly taken up development of a hack-and-slash adventure based on the stylish series.

Namco-Bandai's take on the animated series follows the first season, although the story here does more to fill holes in the plot than to backtrack over familiar territory. As the titular samurai, your endeavor is to become Number One--the greatest warrior in the world. Afro Samurai currently ranks as Number Two, which gives him the sole right to challenge Number One in combat; however, this confrontation is more than about ranks and titles. Justice, the current Number One, brutally murdered Afro's father and he intends to seek vengeance. Getting it will be challenging since it isn't just Number One that Afro has to contend with, but an entire legion of wannabe warriors who want the title of Number Two themselves.

Afro Samurai strikes you with its unbelievably stylish graphics. The visual style combines the animated qualities of cel-shading with the uneven nature of hand-drawn sketches. Textures feature thin, wavering pencil lines as though each has been sketched by hand. Visual effects such as light bloom and particle effects abound, differentiating it from the flat, yet altogether stylized presentation of the televised series. Even more, various filters applied during combat and blood splatter from fallen enemies lends a sophisticated visual touch to the action.

It's by means of these amazing graphics that the story unfolds. In the game's opening sequence, he wakes in a small house to discover his dreams stolen by a young woman named Okiku. Naturally, you need to chase after her to recover your dreams; unfortunately, Okiku has sold them off and taking them back is in order. The thugs who bought your dreams from Okiku are now targeting her, however, and you end up having to fight to protect the very thief you were tacking down. No worries, as there are more than enough bad guys to slice and dice to quell any animosity harbored against the tricky woman.

Straight up hack and slash action makes up the majority of gameplay, although there's a bit of platforming thrown in for good measure. Afro jumps with a tap of a button, while the other face buttons dish out light, heavy, and kicking attacks, respectively. There isn't anything difficult at all about the platform sequences in the game, as they're mainly included as a way of transitioning from one location to the next. In the short level on display, Afro hopped through a rocky alcove to reach a group of enemies eager to shed some blood. Too bad they didn't realize it would be theirs. Before taking the straw hat farmers-turned-samurai on in battle, Afro jumped up several rocky platforms. He's capable of grabbing onto ledges should you fail to land perfectly, so there's a bit of room for error.

Upon reaching the assembly of enemies, Afro whipped out his katana for some blood letting. Combination attacks can be pulled off with rhythmic button presses that vary light and heavy blows; of course, you're always free to simply mash buttons. Should you unsuccessfully defend Afro against enemy attacks and his health wanes, he'll enter focus mode. Beyond exerting a super-washed out filter over the screen, focus mode powers up Afro's attacks into one-hit kills. A press of either attack button unleashes instant death; however, it's only temporary until a spot of his health returns.

Through the course of the game, attack upgrades can be unlocked. Exactly how this works--whether you need to purchase enhancements using a form of in-game currency or if they are unlocked at set intervals through the adventure--remains under wraps. We do know that Afro won't come into possession of any alternative weapons, sticking solely to his katana in an effort to remain faithful to the animated series. Bringing in the voice actors from the show including lead Samuel L. Jackson also helps in keeping things tied together.

Much of the promise of Afro Samurai comes from its incredibly stylish presentation. Outside of that, there's not much that distinguishes it from any other action game. Depth is lacking in the combat system, not to mention the omission of additional weapons limits the variety. Without knowing how upgrades are handled, we can't even discern whether they will be sufficient motivation for hacking enemies to bits through the entire course of the game. Ultimately, Afro Samurai looks to cater to fans of the series more than anything else. A pretty game doesn't translate to a fun one, so until we get a better, closer look at what this adaptation has to offer, we're remaining cautiously optimistic on this one.