Petr Šourek Throughout my life, I have been constantly fascinated by ancient Japan. A time when there was honor and rules. A time when battles were decided by how a person controlled his weapon and not by the fact that he could press a tap or a button. A dream time, even if I look at it somewhat romantically, and certainly it was not easy to live in it. Samurai II brings us back to this time, at least for a while.
When I found Samurai: Way of the warrior on sale before Christmas last year and installed it, I looked like a bored mouse. I didn't understand how anyone could buy something so "horrendous" that couldn't even be controlled slowly. But since I'm tenacious and I liked the game not only graphically, but also the starting story, I gave it another chance. It subsequently became one of my favorite iDevice games ever. What I did not understand about the controls and considered something unergonomic and unmanageable, became something absolutely brilliant for me. The game was then controlled using gestures. Tapping the screen made Daisuke go where you told him to, and in battles you drew gestures on the screen that Daisuke would use to perform tactile combos. The story was simple, but it made you play the game until the end. Just a game to my taste. The only thing I would complain about is that when I really got into the game, it ended.
When I heard that Madfinger games were preparing a second part, my heart skipped a beat. I was looking forward to the sequel to this action game and was counting on its release date. The story picks up where the previous one left off and Daisuke sets out for revenge. Again he fights against hordes of enemies, against a tyrannical ruler who oppresses many innocent people.
However, after installation I received a cold shower in the form of changed controls. No more gestures, but a virtual joystick and 3 buttons. Disappointed, I started playing the game and it took me a while to get used to the new controls. However, despite the previous disappointment, I must apologize to Madfinger games. The controls are precise and intuitive, just like the previous part. On the left side is a virtual joystick and on the right side are 3 buttons (X, O, "evasive maneuver"). While the X and O buttons help with the creation of tactile combinations, the "evasive maneuver" helps to dodge enemy attacks.
The system of creating tactile combinations is absolutely simple. Just press the combination of X and O buttons in a certain order, and Daisuke will take care of it himself. However, if he doesn't get hit by the enemy, in that case you need to squeeze the combination again. I think the creators did a great job in that you don't have to frantically mash the buttons to get the combo to go off, but relatively calmly press the combo and Daisuke will do it. In short, the control is adapted to the touch screen, and despite the first impression, I have to say that the authors put a lot of work into its tuning. If you have big fingers, it is not a problem to drag the controls on the screen as you like.
The graphics remained almost the same. I can't judge on my 3GS, but it seems smoother than the predecessor, which is probably due to the retina display (I'll be able to judge in about a week). The game is again rendered in manga graphics that are absolutely stunning. Objects, houses and characters are rendered in the smallest details. Individual actions during fights are also precisely animated, and that's only if you succeed in the so-called "finisher", when you cut the enemy in half, cut off his head, etc. Even if you cut an enemy in half with a bow and he has a bow in front of him, that bow is also cut. It's details, but it's sure to please. The only thing I can complain about on the 3GS is that the game sometimes slows down for a while, but it happened to me about 7-3 times in the whole 4 chapters. (Could have been caused by uploading Achievements to Game Center, which Apple fixes in iOS 4.2.)
The soundtrack is also good. Oriental music sounds in the background, which is unobtrusive and completes the whole atmosphere of the game (inspired by samurai films). I don't know if I'd listen to it if it came out on its own soundtrack, but the game as a whole is amazing anyway. I also recommend having the sounds turned on, because thanks to them you will know if enemies with bows are attacking you (after they appear, you will hear a kind of snapping of a string), because if they are not killed in time, they can cause you a lot of complications.
The gameplay is also exceptionally good. I mentioned the controls above, but I have to mention the gameplay as a whole. The game follows a straight line from beginning to end, so there is no danger of a major jam. It says on iTunes that the game uses "environmental" puzzles. It is mostly about switching a lever or dropping a cube, which then triggers a gate, bridge, etc. There are also a lot of traps in the game, be it spiked stakes in the ground or various blades that can injure or kill you and you have to be careful of them.
There are also RPG elements in the game that improve the overall impression of the game. Killing enemies earns you karma, which you then use to buy better touch combos and extra energy.
Unfortunately, the game is again very short, you can finish it in about 4-5 hours (7 chapters), but that's all the more motivation to play it again. For me, this game is a guaranteed purchase, because for 2,39 Euros it is almost free. Although it is short, I had more fun with it than some of the longer titles, and I already know that I will play it again on a harder difficulty, or just when I want to relax.
[xrr rating=5/5 label=”My rating”]
I don't know why, but it seems to me that there are enough of these games on the app store with identical controls, only with different graphics and a different name... and sometimes they are free..
Yes, there are a lot of games like this on the AppStore, in any case, I was interested in this one from the first part. It's just something different from what I've played before. And that's because I watch "blockbusters" that go for 1 or less crowns ;) But he was born from them, I enjoyed this game even on 20 and 2 levels ;) It was easy to control (for example, I played IronMan II yesterday, great graphics, everything, but the main character sometimes did something completely different from what you want, that didn't happen to me here).
And the fact is that I didn't mention it anywhere, it's from the creator from Brno ;)
Hmm, I've finished 1 again and I'm going to play 2 again, yes, I'm probably really crazy, but I enjoy it more than the rest of the games, which I finish once and that's enough (exceptions are logical ones like Mahjong Artefacts or the dig)
It might be worth mentioning that Samurai I won several prestigious awards and was rightfully named one of the 10 best games of 2009. Also, it may be of interest to some that the company that published this game is from the Czech Republic. :)