Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is a fast-paced action game, set in ancient Japan. Young Yoshitsune and later his enemy-come-friend Benkei are on a mission to save Japan from the evil Heishi Warlords. You can play as either character (although some sequences are forced for one character, and the story centres around Yoshitsune), and you must fight your way through multiple chapters, and many different areas, acquiring mystical Amahagane. Bosses hold these Amahagane, and by defeating them you gain the power from the gems, so you can continue on your quest.
Firstly, I have to comment on the presentation. Sony Europe needs to be commended on the excellent localisation of the PAL version of the game. I am not talking about how it’s got 60Hz support and superb surround sound, but how Sony has left in the original Japanese dialogue, game logos and character names. I was expecting narration and character dialogue by a bloke from California like you normally get in Japanese translated games, but this is the real deal - full Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. Let’s hope attention to detail and respect for Western gamers like this is kept in games in future, it makes such a difference to the atmosphere of the game.
The combat system in the game is really quite simple, but it’s also really well thought out and is a very enjoyable. The ‘square’ button performs a normal attack, whereas ‘triangle’ performs a special attack. You can perform various combos to dish out the damage, and with full analog movement and jumping, you can perform some incredible attacks. Along with offensive abilities, your characters of course can block, and evade attacks. You also have the ability to parry and with good timing, break enemy attack animations, which proves very useful later in the game when it starts to get tough.
A Japanese action game wouldn’t be the same without some sort of super special mode, and Genji is no different. In Genji the art is called Kamui, and it allows you to slow down time varying amounts (depending how much of the art you have learnt). Once you have initiated Kamui (by pressing L1), the screen and enemies slow right down, and enemy’s attacks become visible. A square button icon will show on screen, and when it does you must press square as quickly as possible. If you succeed your character will parry the attack and instantly kill the enemy with a devastating blow. You’ll typically get an attack from another enemy very quickly, so you have to be ready to press square button again. The instant you make a mistake you drop out of Kamui and you take some hefty damage as punishment.
The two characters play very differently from each other. Yoshitsune is an agile young warrior, who can run around quickly and do some very impressive moves. Benkei on the other hand is a huge man, who wields massive clubs and swords and moves very slowly, but of course causes lots of damage when he strikes. I used Yoshitsune a lot more throughout the game, as I found Benkei frustrating to use because he’s so sluggish, and the majority of enemies you come across are very fast so he’s always at a disadvantage.
The game’s levels are split into different rooms or areas, so you clear one area then move on, which keeps the combat close and nicely controlled, and there are never too many enemies to handle. If you’re having a battle with a couple of enemies the others will hold back and politely wait for their turn to jump in on you. It’s a very friendly system, but there is a lot to it too, and you could spend a long time learning all the moves and how to parry each and every character in the game.
You’ll come across some very impressive bosses in the game, such as giant fire laser-toting birds, giant warriors and even a weird rock and altar boss - which is very strange!
As you progress throughout the game you gain experience which levels your characters up, increasing their abilities such as offensive and defensive abilities, and how much health they have. There are many weapons throughout the game to find and equip, and you can even get special weapons made up if you can find all the parts required.
Graphically Genji is very pretty indeed. Character models are very nicely detailed and animated, and the environments, ranging from beautiful green forests to floating rock formations, all look stunning - Another game that really shows off PlayStation 2’s abilities (and the advantages of working on a single platform). The musical score is really well produced too, with some epic tracks that play throughout the levels and boss fights. The previously mentioned Japanese dialogue is very well acted and gives the game a convincing atmosphere and feel.
So it plays well, has a great atmosphere and feel to it, and it looks awesome. Any negatives? Well the camera is uncontrollable by the player, and sometimes, just sometimes, you’d wish you could have some control. Leaps of faith and small room combat can occasionally give you brief issues as you can’t see as much as you like to, and you sometimes pay the price for it, especially if it means you miss a jump and fall to your death. The game is also very short, and can be nailed in less than 8 hours. There is very little reason to go back to it, even to play through again with the secondary character. This doesn’t stop it being from being a game worthy of your hard earned though; Genji is an extremely enjoyable game that should definitely be in your collection if you enjoy fast-paced action games. This is one of the best out there.
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