Almost nothing was heard of this release until a few weeks ago and Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time has launched today, to an overwhelmingly positive reception.
Released 21st August by Adult Swim Games, on pretty much every format (I reviewed on PC), this action/platformer/RPG is beautiful in its simplicity.
The game is a fan service and does well to slot itself into the timeline of the animated series. As well as nods to events from the animation it really does tightly integrate with the series finale to conclude Samurai Jack’s adventures.
Jack has been trapped in an alternate timeline by his arch-nemesis Aku during their ultimate and final confrontation.
While in this timeline/dimension he must team up with familiar allies, to battle against equally familiar enemies in order finally vanquish Aku once and for all and return the timeline back to normal.
The graphics are vibrant, well animated and hold true to the animated series, albeit a 3D rendered version.
The controls are tight and responsive and combat is excellent. Attacks feel well weighted and you really feel each swing connect. Whether it be your swift and trusty magic sword or an enormous and powerful Hammer, each of the many weapons available in the game has it's own feel and "character".
It can be almost excruciating as you wind up for a very heavy weapon strike and then conversely cathartic and satisfying when it connects.
Mechanically combat is a familiar combo of light and heavy attacks that slowly increase in length as you unlock skills, in addition you can assign different weapon types to the D pad swapping between them mid combo, almost like Noctis in FFXV.
There are also a selection of ranged weapons that can be equipped, bow and arrow, shuriken, pistol, machine guns and kunai like knives. Attacks with these can be woven into your combos or used to pick off ranged and flying attackers.
Each level is it's own biome and the design and visuals really do capture the personality and ambiance of the locale. From a cyberpunk-esque dystopian future, to a zombie filled land of perpetual night, it genuinely looks like the designers had a really good time with this title.
So to criticisms.... The game does what it set out to do really well, but it didn't set the bar particularly high for itself. It's a great 3D action Platformer with RPG elements, but there is nothing new, no USP to attract anyone other than its target demographic.
While the level designs are good and you are afforded a certain amount of freedom to find hidden areas; you are ultimately being funneled to exactly where the game wants you.
It can get a little repetitive, after 5 hours of stringing combos together on enemies of increasing difficulty, my attention was waning.
It's also incredibly frustrating being "stun locked" by enemies with rapid fire weapons or from a stream of incoming explosive suicide bugs. If that first one hits, they are all going to hit and there is nothing you can do except watch your health bar and hope.
These are only minor gripes and really don't detract from what is really a wonderful game. The thing I found most while playing this, was the overwhelming sense of nostalgia, deja-vu and familiarity.
There were just so many times while playing I found myself thinking "ahhh this is a little bit like...."
......the side scrolling sections of Nier Automata, the combat of Ninja Gaiden or more recently Ghost of Tsushima... I shit you not! It really did, even down to the almost muscle memory of pressing L3+R3 for my Ultimate. Or adding a kunai throw on to the end of a combo to kill an out of reach enemy .... "Da Sho!"
Even the combat animations when using the Bo Staff were vaguely redolent of the recent Black Myth: WuKong trailer.
There's just so much in this game that triggers reminiscence of some kind or another, whether from the original series or just a sense of familiarity with games of yesteryear with their self contained level themes.
All in all this is a solid title and bags of fun and you really don't have to be a Samurai Jack fan to enjoy it.
After recent, more artistic or heavy themed releases it is honestly so nice to just switch off and enjoy some good wholesome dumb fun!
If you'd like a video review for the game there's one over on our YouTube channel.
(now embedded on this page for convenience)
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is available for $39.99 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, as well as Windows PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam. It's also available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac through Apple Arcade.
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