Way of the Samurai is a long-running action-adventure RPG series developed by the Japanese development team at Acquire since 2002. All instalments have received an English-localised release outside of Japan by a plethora of publishers, most recently NIS America, XSEED Games and Ghostlight with the PS3/PC editions of Way of the Samurai 4. The key feature of each title has been its branching plot, where virtually every decision you make could unlock new paths, or cut your story abruptly short.
Many years after WotS4 released to market, Spike Chunsoft have confirmed they will be publishing Acquire’s Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story in western markets this coming Thursday for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC (via Steam). For the first week of release, those who purchase the game will be eligible for a 10% discount and two free DLC packs (detailed at the bottom of this post).
Katana Kami follows the tale of its protagonist, a ronin during Japan’s Meiji Restoration in the volatile Rokkotsu Pass. A swordsmith named Gunji Dojima falls into debt, and his beautiful daughter is taken as collateral. Witnessing the events unfold, you offer to help him get her back. By day you will assist him to repay the debt by crafting swords, and by night you explore the twisting (randomly generating) Ipponmatsu Cave in search for valuable materials. Your decisions will again affect how the story progresses, as opportunities to ally with, betray or maintain neutrality with each of the town’s three main factions come up.
In total, the ronin will be able to master 100 different weapons and nine fighting styles, complementing their fighting skills with those of other players during their journey through the cave. You can get a sneak peek at the game’s combat system below.
Pre-Order Bonus DLC
Wanderer Set
- Wanderer Outfit
- Wanderer Hat
- Wanderer Cape
- Wanderer Itachi
- Kabra’s Blade
- Kabra Reborn
Five Famous Swords Set
- Dojigiri Yasutsuna
- Nagasone Kotetsu
- Heshikiri
- Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu
- Fudo Masamune
