The independent-minded publisher of video games to the North American market XSEED Games have today announced that its release of Way of the Samurai 4 for the Playstation 3 has been released exclusively as a digital download through the Playstation Network. The game can now be purchased at a price of $39.99. The latest sequel in the series, Way of the Samurai 4 lets players choose their path as a lone Samurai warrior in the midst of an ongoing power struggle between three feuding factions.
Set immediately after Japan opened its borders to the West in 1853, Way of the Samurai 4 drops players into a world of opportunity and uncertainty as a rōnin (masterless samurai) looking to make a name for himself, and continues the series’ tradition of customization, exploration, action gameplay and quirky humor. Taking their place in the overall power struggle amongst the region’s powers, players will be given the choice to align themselves with one of three factions: the shogunate pro-government forces, the nationalistic isolationists, and the foreign powers who are directed by the British Navy.
Way of the Samurai 4 gives players the freedom to create their own character from scratch. Nothing, from the most historically-accurate robes to more modern designs to the downright bizarre, is out of reach. The game places equal emphasis on action-packed combat and exploration, and once set loose in the world players are free to do as they wish, whether it be accepting missions to further the game’s story, shopping for new items and weapons, interacting with other characters or even learning the foreign language of English to better communicate with travelers from overseas. During their adventure, players will be forced to challenge other Samurai in battle to prove their combat supremacy, and a unique online feature allows the uploading and downloading of player characters to roam in other players’ games as a computer-controlled assassin to challenge and defeat in order to earn that character’s equipped spoils. The original Japanese voice-overs have been left intact, heightening realism, and will be accompanied by English sub-titles.
Developed by Japanese developers ACQUIRE and published by Spike in Japan, XSEED Games is only responsible for the North American release. The European/PAL region release will follow in the next couple of months by video game publisher Nippon Ichi Software America.
