Katana Zero

Overview

Reviews

Price: $15
Katana Zero’s time-bending samurai action is the star of the show here, but its unique presentation and entertaining dialogue go a long way in supporting a plot that suffers from feeling like it’s saving its best ideas for a sequel. As action games go, Katana Zero’s shorter length makes it a quick fix, and I’ll no doubt suffer withdrawal while I wait for the next hit.
-- As reviewed by IGN Katana Zero
86

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 10 expert reviews
  • Excellent:
    6
  • Good:
    3
  • Average:
    1
  • Bad:
    0
8.3

User Score

Based on 52,267 reviews
as rated by users
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Expert reviews and ratings

95

More Than Meets the Eye Given the general gist of things, I'd forgive you for thinking that Katana Zero is just another pick-up-and-play, brutally hard action game in the same vein as genre heavyweight Hotline Miami. Dressed like a samurai, and with a...

By Hooked Gamers on
85

The lovingly crafted way that bodies collapse to the ground, the weirdly brilliant Chopin pastiche in the therapist's room, the puff of flames as a molotov hits a chain of barrels, the shake of a police van coming to a halt. More than anything I love the process of opening doors. It took me an age to work out how the game actually handles it. There didn't seem to be a button press involved, it was almost like the game was responding to my impulse as I waited for patrols on the other side to synchronise with my own horrible schedule.

By EuroGamer on
78

The assassination scenarios start blending together, and the cutscenes stop inspiring curiosity. That tipping point is what stops Katana Zero from reaching its full potential, but it doesn’t negate the pride that comes from a well-planned and perfectly executed sword-slashing rampage.

By GameInformer on
87

Katana Zero’s time-bending samurai action is the star of the show here, but its unique presentation and entertaining dialogue go a long way in supporting a plot that suffers from feeling like it’s saving its best ideas for a sequel. As action games go, Katana Zero’s shorter length makes it a quick fix, and I’ll no doubt suffer withdrawal while I wait for the next hit.

By IGN on
90

A while back when watching an event on Twitch I kept seeing ads for an upcoming game called Katana ZERO. Naturally with it's retro-styled graphics I was immediately interested as I'm a sucker for anything that uses sprite-work similar to the NES and...

By Gaming Nexus on
80

The neon-soaked hallways and dirty streets of Katana Zero do a great job of sucking you into its broken world. Gangsters operate unhindered as society is still reeling from a devastating war, one whose loss has littered the streets with homeless war...

By GameSpot on
73

Katana ZERO proves that the Hotline Miami formula still works as a side-scroller, but mechanical missteps and narrative blunders hamper the game's otherwise excellent combat and enticing...

By New Game Network on
87

Katana Zero's time-bending samurai action is the star of the show here, but its unique presentation and entertaining dialogue go a long way in supporting a plot that suffers from feeling like it's saving its best ideas for a sequel. As action games go,...

By in.ign.com on
100

Reviewed on Nintendo SwitchWith an exciting, challenging core combat loop, sumptuous visuals and a Spotify-worthy soundtrack, Katana Zero is one of the finest additions to the Switch's library in 2019. Skip it at your peril - it may just be one of the...

By dailystar.co.uk on

In the end, the question is how does Katana ZERO cut it? I do think there are some issues, like the keyboard rolling one I described, that should be addressed, but even without considering that I think this game can be a lot of fun for some people. I am...

By Overclockers Club on
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