Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Feudal Japanese slashing perfection.
Published: November 10, 2005
I get where developer Game Republic was going with their whole "untouchable badass" feeling with Genji's Kamui Mode, I really do, but it must be said that the whole of the game is just downright incredible. Don't get me wrong, using the power of my Amahagane -- my mystical little jewel that slows time to help anticipate enemy movements so I can cut them down a half-dozen at a time without a scratch - that part's just plain rad, but the rest of the game's just as solid.
Not bad for something some would call a Onimusha knockoff, eh?
It's not even that the game boasts all that incredible a storyline; most of what happens mirrors the effects of the Amahagane the game centers around, where the outcome of most plot points can be seen coming a mile away, though it's still plenty fun to watch (and hear) unfold.
Nor is it that the incorporation of RPG-style character progression, nor special weapon building that incorporates using Kamui moves on bosses to get special pieces, nor the streamlined interface that lets you map your most used items to the d-pad. Even the fun little scavenger hunts for hidden pieces of Amahagane Essence that in triplicate can help level up your health, attack and defense beyond your normal experience level gains.
All these things are wrapped around the core of the game, which is simple, fluid hack and slash gameplay. I want to make that perfectly clear: this is a game where you hack through enemies, sometimes using your power to slow time to take them out in badass fashion (especially when you send projectile attacks back at them), but nearly always with a lot of button presses. And it's awesome.
That such a simple mechanic works so well speaks volumes about the rest of the game, and when you combine that ultra-solid core with a perfect game length, nicely sloping difficulty curve and stunning art and sound direction, the rest of the gameplay additions just make it all feel that much more polished and complete. I love this game, and the entire time I blew through it in one sitting, I had a big dumb grin on my face.
Genji sets up the start of Japan's rule by the samurai code, taking place just after the Minamoto clan suffered the loss of their leader at the hands of the Heishi clan, which eventually would come to rule Japan by force. With the Minamoto scattered and in need of new leadership, a lone young man living a solitary life at the top of a mountain suddenly finds himself embroiled in a destiny he didn't know he had after an encounter with some Heishi soldiers demanding his family heirloom, which as it turns out is indeed a Amahagane.
As it turns out, this Yoshitsune Minamoto is rather handy with the swords, but when he's saved by a mysterious stranger, he quickly learns his past is far more interesting than he first thought. His father, Yoshitomo Minamoto lead the charge against the Heishi clan, and fell before his son could learn his true identity.
With this knowledge in hand, he vows to overthrow the Heishi, but ends up getting a little unexpected companionship from Benkei Musashibo, a seven foot tall mountain of a man wielding a massive war club. The two partner up, Yoshitsune with his agility and dual swords, and Benkei with his strength and massive clubs/staves, and quest off to save the day. And who doesn't like saving the day?
Aside from the speed and weapons differences, the two characters play alike. Both can use Kamui to slow time and take out huge groups of enemies, and both level up as they kill off enemies. Using Kamui reveals any nearby Essence of Amahagane pieces (the controller vibrates too as you get close), and the upgrades there must be divided among the players as you see fit.
And really, that's all there is to it. The pair go from place to place, collecting Amahagane from boss monsters and using a reclusive princess' help to combine them into a more powerful jewel to eventually take on the Heishi. The fun, then, lies in actually getting these things, and while the gameplay never really changes through the game, it's so damned fun, and the experience is so short but sweet that it never really seems to get old.
Should you beat the game and want to play again, you can, taking all the experience and life bar (though not Kamui) upgrades along the way, and this time unlocking special survival missions that give you nice items as reward if you can make it through 100 enemies. It's eerily similar to the Phantom Realms in Onimusha, but, uh, not quite as alien, and hey, it's fun.
Not bad for something some would call a Onimusha knockoff, eh?
It's not even that the game boasts all that incredible a storyline; most of what happens mirrors the effects of the Amahagane the game centers around, where the outcome of most plot points can be seen coming a mile away, though it's still plenty fun to watch (and hear) unfold.
Nor is it that the incorporation of RPG-style character progression, nor special weapon building that incorporates using Kamui moves on bosses to get special pieces, nor the streamlined interface that lets you map your most used items to the d-pad. Even the fun little scavenger hunts for hidden pieces of Amahagane Essence that in triplicate can help level up your health, attack and defense beyond your normal experience level gains.
All these things are wrapped around the core of the game, which is simple, fluid hack and slash gameplay. I want to make that perfectly clear: this is a game where you hack through enemies, sometimes using your power to slow time to take them out in badass fashion (especially when you send projectile attacks back at them), but nearly always with a lot of button presses. And it's awesome.
That such a simple mechanic works so well speaks volumes about the rest of the game, and when you combine that ultra-solid core with a perfect game length, nicely sloping difficulty curve and stunning art and sound direction, the rest of the gameplay additions just make it all feel that much more polished and complete. I love this game, and the entire time I blew through it in one sitting, I had a big dumb grin on my face.
Genji sets up the start of Japan's rule by the samurai code, taking place just after the Minamoto clan suffered the loss of their leader at the hands of the Heishi clan, which eventually would come to rule Japan by force. With the Minamoto scattered and in need of new leadership, a lone young man living a solitary life at the top of a mountain suddenly finds himself embroiled in a destiny he didn't know he had after an encounter with some Heishi soldiers demanding his family heirloom, which as it turns out is indeed a Amahagane.
As it turns out, this Yoshitsune Minamoto is rather handy with the swords, but when he's saved by a mysterious stranger, he quickly learns his past is far more interesting than he first thought. His father, Yoshitomo Minamoto lead the charge against the Heishi clan, and fell before his son could learn his true identity.
With this knowledge in hand, he vows to overthrow the Heishi, but ends up getting a little unexpected companionship from Benkei Musashibo, a seven foot tall mountain of a man wielding a massive war club. The two partner up, Yoshitsune with his agility and dual swords, and Benkei with his strength and massive clubs/staves, and quest off to save the day. And who doesn't like saving the day?
Aside from the speed and weapons differences, the two characters play alike. Both can use Kamui to slow time and take out huge groups of enemies, and both level up as they kill off enemies. Using Kamui reveals any nearby Essence of Amahagane pieces (the controller vibrates too as you get close), and the upgrades there must be divided among the players as you see fit.
And really, that's all there is to it. The pair go from place to place, collecting Amahagane from boss monsters and using a reclusive princess' help to combine them into a more powerful jewel to eventually take on the Heishi. The fun, then, lies in actually getting these things, and while the gameplay never really changes through the game, it's so damned fun, and the experience is so short but sweet that it never really seems to get old.
Should you beat the game and want to play again, you can, taking all the experience and life bar (though not Kamui) upgrades along the way, and this time unlocking special survival missions that give you nice items as reward if you can make it through 100 enemies. It's eerily similar to the Phantom Realms in Onimusha, but, uh, not quite as alien, and hey, it's fun.
