Published: Tuesday, 4th March, 2008 11:55
Samurai Warriors: Katana
By Narin Bahar
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With the Wii remote becoming a tennis racquet, fishing rod, crossbow, and surgeon's scalpel, it's fair to say that Nintendo's claims to have reinvented gaming interaction is a fair one.
But so far the one thing which so far has been a bit hit and miss is some good hack and slash action, with Zelda getting the closest to producing something properly fun. The entertaining, if flawed, Samurai Warriors: Katana goes some way to rectify that - and without leaving you exhausted the way a few minutes' fencing in Mario and Sonic Olympics does.
The game takes you back to feudal Japan where you learn to ride, shoot and slash your way to the front lines ready to take your place in history. Prevent pirates from invading your ships, rescue maidens from a burning castle, and explore mysterious caverns stalked by ninjas.
The story is pretty linear, with five different plot arcs to be unlocked, all giving a different impression of this period in Japanese history. There are three different game modes, although until you've put in a couple of hours of the main campaign you won't have unlocked anything worth doing away from the major game path.
Trials are special side-quests that you can play for gold and character upgrades, and more challenges are unlocked as you progress through the main campaign. There's also a 2-player mode, although disappointingly it involves going head to head to complete challenges rather than actually showing off your swordsmanship against a friend.
Overall the game is fun enough, although if it wasn't for the innovation of the Wii remote it would be way less entertaining. As it is, the repetition of the battles can get a bit irritating at times, although the big niggles are the music - repetitive dross which will have you reaching for the mute button very quickly indeed - and the slightly hit and miss voice acting - if you're happy with subtitles you can change the language to Japanese and at least go for a more Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon type vibe.
Three out of five stars
* Samurai Warriors: Katana is out now on the Wii, RRP £39.99
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