Samurai Western

Not to be confused with the Martial arts Western film genre.

Samurai Western
254px North American box art by Kenneth Rocafort
Developer(s)	Acquire
Publisher(s)
Director(s)	Toshihide Hatanaka
Designer(s)	Tomonori Kawanishi
Platforms	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player, two player

Samurai Western is a PlayStation 2 video game released in 2005. The player assumes the role of a samurai named Gojiro Kiryu, who travels to the Wild West in search of his brother, Rando.

Gameplay

Samurai Western does away with the adventure elements present in the main Way of the Samurai games, and instead is focused entirely on action. The game is divided into stages, with the goal of each being to defeat the dozens of enemies that appear within. The game can be played alone, or simultaneously with a second player. The game has multiple difficulty levels, ranging from Normal to Insane.

In a single-player game, the player takes control of Gojiro the samurai and utilizes various types of swords to defeat enemies. There are dozens of swords available in the game, which allow you to fight with five different sword styles. The basic maneuvers of each sword are similar, consisting of a quick combo, powerful charge move and aerial attack. However, each sword style offers unique abilities. In addition to the abilities given by each style, Gojiro also has the innate ability to dodge bullets, and even uses his sword to deflect them. By defeating enemies Gojiro can fill a meter which, when full, allows him to enter Master Mode. Once activated, Master Mode greatly increases Gojiro's abilities, allowing him to dispatch enemies in a single blow.

In a two-player game, the second player controls Ralph the gunman. Ralph is unable to deflect bullets (though he is also able to dodge and roll) or engage in melee combat in the same manner as Gojiro, but is instead equipped with a gun that allows long-range attacks. He also has the ability to perform punches that instantly floor an enemy and deal a small amount of damage. Two additional guns can be unlocked for Ralph through beating the game, increasing his usefulness as a backup player.

Plot

The game takes place in America in the 1800s, in the area known as the Wild West. Gojiro Kiryu, a samurai, has arrived from Japan to find and kill his brother, Rando, who came to the United States some time before. Upon his arrival, he finds the region under the tyrannical rule of a local Tycoon named Goldberg, whose hired thugs have left the nearby settlements virtual ghost towns. Although initially uninterested in these happenings, Gojiro is nonetheless drawn into conflict with Goldberg's forces as his warrior's code demands that he do the right thing and help the people being hurt by the tycoon. After learning of a connection between Goldberg and his missing brother, a final confrontation lingers.

Characters

• Gojiro Kiryu: The main character who recently arrived in America from Japan in order to find his missing brother Rando. Stern and tacit, he is driven only by his pursuit of honor and the warrior's code.
• Ralph: A mysterious gunman who quickly becomes an ally of Gojiro, providing him with information and help in fighting Goldberg. He is, in reality, a U.S. Army officer tasked with the mission of gathering information necessary to bring Goldberg to justice.
• Rando Kiryu: Gojiro's older brother. Once an honorable samurai, he was defeated in combat by a gun-wielding enemy, causing him to lose faith in the traditional mode of combat to which he was familiar. As a result, he abandoned both his homeland and samurai ways, coming to America to master the use of guns himself.
• Claudia: An attractive woman who runs a local saloon. The current situation of the town has left her in a sour mood, causing her to be unfriendly to strangers. She is a friend of Rando, and after meeting Gojiro can not understand the conflict between them. She tries unsuccessfully to convince them to mend their relationship without the use of violence.
• Anne: A teenage girl who resides in a local ghost town. As all of the adults of the town had been captured and forced into servitude by Goldberg, she is left in charge of taking care of the town's children. Gojiro comes to the aid of her and her charges several times.
• Donald: The sheriff of the town. Overweight and somewhat dimwitted, he has a good heart and is intent on dispensing justice to his town. After an initial misunderstanding with Gojiro, he becomes a friend and ally. Coming to greatly admire the honorable samurai way, he aspires to become one himself. He is believed to be the same Donald that appears in the original Way of the Samurai game, Don Donatelouse (Dona Dona).
• Goldberg: A ruthless tycoon who rules the region with an iron fist. Obsessed with creating his own utopia in the American West at any means necessary, he has hired many thugs and outlaws to do his bidding.

Development

Kenneth Rocafort (now a comics artist) drew the cover for a video game before he got into comics at Top Cow comics.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 58/100 Review scores Publication Score Edge 6/10 EGM 5.33/10 Game Informer 6/10 GamePro GameSpot 5.3/10 GameSpy GameTrailers 7.2/10 GameZone 6.5/10 IGN 6/10 OPM (US)

Samurai Western received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.

External links

• Official website (Acquire)
• Official website (Atlus)
• Samurai Western at MobyGames