Spirit of the Samurai Review

Stop-motion animation is rarely used in game development for several reasons, but I think budget and time are the most important. It also takes a lot of skill to create these settings as a fun and engaging action experience, but the developer Digital mind games is up to par with its latest version, The spirit of the samurai. While I don't think this game significantly breaks new ground in the action-adventure realm, its unique gameplay elements and presentation kept me invested well beyond its shortcomings.

Introduction to The Spirit of the Samurai

The spirit of the samurai wastes no time throwing you into the action, as a fox spirit tells the story of a legendary warrior named Takeshi. Following an Oni attack, he must protect his village and probably even more, given that these demons destroy everything in their path. The opening forces you to look past the game's early flaws as the narrative finds its footing. It attempts to highlight features like side quests and item collecting that never really resurface throughout the adventure. After a brief training segment, Takeshi must fend off the Oni, with only one other character, Anika, having a notable impact on the narrative. Still, this story is just about Takeshi and his cat, so don't worry too much about the rest.

Presentation and narration

The CG cutscenes are well-realized, supported by voice work that conveys the emotional scenes effectively. This is drama at its finest, with good versus evil at the heart of the adventure. The developers clearly worked within their means, opting for a small cast so they could focus solely on this hero's journey, and that was enough to keep me invested. It's not a particularly long game, but what's here hints at hundreds of hours of work put into piecing together the gameplay.

Stop-motion animation and gameplay challenges

And this is where I am divided. On the one hand, the decision to use stop-motion animation It was bold, but it may have taken longer than initially planned, causing other quality of life aspects and systems to suffer. For example, collecting items, which would have been better automated, requires players to press a button. Some items are difficult to spot, so I often found myself walking through a room after clearing enemies, pressing the button multiple times. This slows the action to a breakneck pace, which is not ideal in a game like this.

Other problems arise with the use of objects. Many of the items do the same thing, as if there was once an element of crafting that never fully materialized. In the current form, you offer all your items on an altar for incense. You can also upgrade your stats at the altar, but you're not really shown what you're changing stat-wise when awarding points. You cannot reduce points if you make a mistake or reset them. I found myself dying and restarting from the last checkpoint since the game doesn't save anything after spending points. Another frustration is the checkpoint system, which can force you to rewatch cutscenes if you die before a fight or new stage, making trial-and-error design more tedious.

Combat and customization

On the plus side, a remarkable system lets you customize combos, getting more involved as you level up. You can decide which attacks follow others, some linked to character upgrades. It's intuitive and adds some much-needed variety to combat. Unfortunately, the menu design doesn't reflect the game's creativity, instead presenting a generic beige interface with confusing navigation.

The best parts of The spirit of the samurai emerge when you actually play. Visually, it might remind you of something like Robot Chicken, but once you get past that, it's honestly a fun, arcade action game. Enemies can be brutal, stunning you and bouncing you if they gang up. Crowd control attacks are minimal, which kinda sucks given how relentless these enemies can be. You'll learn early on not to rush through a stage, which would spawn enemies all around you, and to proceed carefully. Still, the arrow-wielding enemies are just plain nasty, shooting off-screen and causing countless deaths.

Boss battles and playable characters

The bosses are well designed but lack memorable attack patterns. I found myself mashing buttons in every encounter, and every time I tried to get creative, I died. This made a boring, defensive approach the best way to go. You'll also unlock a few other playable characters – Kodama and a cat – but they're not groundbreaking, serving mainly to interrupt the pace. The problem is that you switch characters back to back, spending too much time away from Takeshi. The result is messy, and while you may have fun during the brief adventure, it may not get you hooked.

Final Thoughts on the Spirit of the Samurai

Overall, The spirit of the samurai it's downright fun. It's creative and unique, and I can honestly say I've never played anything like it. However, this doesn't excuse the lack of proper playtesting. I saw reactions to the demo where players mentioned camera and navigation issues, but these issues were not resolved. Some levels require quick jumps into the unknown, and there's an awkwardly placed jump animation prompt in the middle of each cutscene. While you'll have fun, there are plenty of moments that will remind you of the game's flaws. Make no mistake, the team did an admirable job with the main presentation. I just think they forgot to put it all together with enough quality of life considerations.

Conclusion

The spirit of the samurai is a game brimming with creativity and ambition, but its execution often stumbles under the weight of its unique design choices. THE stop-motion animationwhile impressive, seems to have come at the expense of refined systems and streamlined gameplay. Despite its flaws, the game offers an engaging and visually distinct experience that's worth exploring for fans of experimental action titles. If you can overlook its rough edges and embrace its inventive spirit, you'll have a memorable, if imperfect, adventure.