Review:
Afro Samurai Review

As the “are videogames art?” debate continues, it’s comforting to see that there are still games which don’t aspire to be anything but guilty pleasures. Afro Samurai, based on the Takashi Okazaki manga and subsequent anime, is such a game. Set in an appealingly futuristic Feudal Japan, the story takes it’s inspiration from animes such as Ninja Scroll and the Lone Wolf and Cub movies and combines them with an artistic style akin to graffiti art and the ever bankable commodity that is hip hop.

Those accustomed to the series will find that first time developers Surge, Namco’s new western label, keeps Okazaki’s characteristically funky bloodshed intact. Detached limbs spray-paint the hillsides red, while bodies split clean in two reveal all sort of gooey goodness. Afro Samurai earns its 18 Certificate for the fight against a quartet of topless pole dancers alone.

With only a few minor revisions the game faithfully follows the plot of the anime, in which the hushed but functionally titled Afro pursues the “Number One,” a mystical headband that is given to the world’s greatest warrior, bestowing its bearer with divine power. Conveniently, the current Number One title holder also killed Afro’s father when he was a child. Samuel L Jackson, Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu all respire their roles from the anime, with Jackson voicing both Afro and the salacious Ninja Ninja, presumably a figment of Afro’s subconscious. Early levels recount a segment from Afro’s past, often from a different perspective, and while the cutscenes are suitably cinematic it would have been nice to see an original plot; fans of the anime who buy this game will already know the story, while those unfamiliar with the source material will be bewildered by the games inaccessible non-linear narrative.

Controlling Afro couldn’t be simpler, with the customary vertical/horizontal slashes and a kick button offering a standard range of combos, though button mashing tends to provide equally effective. There is a block button, though you’ll rarely use it, and the counter move Afro quickly learns proves vital in specific situations but ineffective when battling larger groups of enemies. The game does use an experience system, granting you health increases and new combos at each level advance, but since you’re be able to flurry through on the simplest techniques, you won’t really notice it.