Licensed products can be a mixed bag of tricks and treats. Some developers trick you by taking a well established franchise or movie and creating a game that almost makes you hate the characters the game attempts to recreate; others take little known or cult favorites and turn them into overnight sensations, and even create new fans in the process.
In the case of Afro Samurai, this little known, yet cult favorite takes what could have been your proto typical hack and slash title and delivers a surprisingly fresh, fun, and addictive title thanks to its clever art style, presentation, and cynical comedic dialog. Of course Afro Samurai isn’t without its fair share of issues, but if you can set your criticism of looking for the next Ninja Gaiden aside, you will find that Afro delivers the goods and hands them to you in lots of pieces.
The visual and presentation style of Afro Samurai captures the animated TV series completely. From the huge cast of characters, to the creative art style, humorous voice acting done by a wide cast of characters including Samuel L. Jackson, the game's soundtrack by RZA that mixes hip hop with old school kung fu themes, and even the worlds that Afro will encounter have all been brought to life for you to control. Afro will set up each new adventure with in game cut scenes that replicate the show almost perfectly. I tell you, it’s amazing what companies have done with the cel shaded technology, and Afro is a great example of how to bring an anime to video game life.
Once the game begins you will see great animations, beautifully drawn worlds, and tons and tons of gore. I’m not just talking about the blood, as you will see decapitations, limb separations, and even bodies cut completely in half. Never has gore in a video game been so beautifully recreated. Afro also hones a focus power that turns the entire screen to black and white and while in this mode you can focus your connecting point of your blade to take out the body part of your choice, or to execute specific special moves tailored only for this mode.
Of course the game isn’t all peaches and cream as there is a slight bit of camera issues to deal with…hell who am I kidding, the camera can be terrible most of the time. You will find yourself fighting with the game’s camera almost as often as the foes you encounter. Yes, is can be maneuvered; yes it can be centered focused with the click of the right analog stick, but damn if the camera doesn’t just go cuckoo for coca-puffs for no good reason what so ever. Not only does this put a damper on some close battles, but if you need the camera to cooperate with you on that critical jump, that will be the difference of making your way forward or having to repeat the same section over and over again. If you can put aside your necessity for a perfect camera, then you will have a splendid time with Afro Samurai. I just feel many gamers don’t have the patience to do so, which is a shame as they will miss out on a unique gaming experience.
As we segway into the game play realm, the mechanics are quite simple if not very standard when it comes to beat’em up style action titles. There are plenty of combos to learn whether you are just letting your swords flail or you are in focus mode, and most are quite easy to master. Heck, for the most part you can button mash your way through the game and handle the baddies quite easily. When the game requires certain objectives to be performed in only one way is when the game gets to be tricky. For instance, if you have to perform a throw to blow up a crate or toss an enemy into a machine, or perfectly time a slice on a missile that is coming at you, these are moves that you must practice to succeed in this game. I’m not saying this is a bad thing either as it takes away the drudgery of being just a hack and slash title and nothing more. There are some platforming elements you must perform as well, and while most of the points of interest are forgiving, it goes back to the camera issues that may keep you from pulling off that feat. There are some boss battles that are quite noteworthy, but I cannot talk about due to spoilers.
The length of Afro Samurai makes the game worth the price of admission, and the way the game breaks up each level is like embarking a new anime episode, complete with cut scenes and final touches to each level. Of course like an action title, the only real reasons to go back would be to completely acquire all the items hidden throughout the game and get those achievements and/or trophies. All in all Afro should take you roughly between 8-12 hours to complete and while some parts of the game can be infuriating, most of the game is rewarding enough for you to endure such headaches.
What will determine how much Afro Samurai is a purchase or rental for you will depend on your love for anime, Samuel L. Jackson, or old school beat’em ups with enough punch that it refrains from being monotonous. I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen the show, haven’t watched anime in years, and have gotten bored of hack and slash platform titles, but there is enough that is interesting and fun about Afro Samurai that not only did I enjoy the game thoroughly (camera issues aside), but I may have to check out the series as well. Barring some frustrations, Afro Samurai is one of the more enjoyable titles of this genre I’ve played since Ninja Gaiden 2. Now break yo’self fool!!!
