Genji: Dawn of Samurai is a game set in mystical 11th Century Japan. The Heishi are taking over the country and ruling with an iron fist. The opposing clan, the Genji, have been all but wiped out, except a few that are acting as resistance. However, for the Heishi to really take over the land, they need to gain control of all of the Anahagame that are scattered across the land. These Anahagame happen to be magical crystals that were granted to people by the God of Weaponry, Shukenten. In order to stop the Heishi, players assume the role of Yoshitsune, one of the few remaining Genji and using his Anahagame, must fight the Heishi and help take back the land.
Talk about a boot up the arse
The story plays out somewhat typically, which is probably it’s greatest setback. However, as typical as it may be, there are groups of people who like the way these stories pan out. As the title suggests, this game is about as Japanese as it gets. That’s certainly not to say that’s a bad thing, it’s just that the spectrum of appeal is less than other games. Thankfully, it doesn’t go down the path of other Japanese inspired titles by giving a story that is too weird and construed for its own good. It’s mostly action all the way. Another oddity comes in the form of some inconsistencies. For example, why would the God of Weaponry give people weapons and expect them to be used to peace? Or sometimes you’re told that you need to do something, when in fact you actually need to do something else. It all is odd when you consider that the game is meant to be based on something that is considered a literary masterpiece in its homeland. In effect, the story is just a good romp that gets the job done, so long as it fits the bill of your liking.
Genji: Dawn of Samurai is an action game with some lashings of RPG in between. The primary objective is to fight your way through levels, enemies and bosses in order to collect Anahagame. However, Yoshitsune is not alone. He is accompanied by Benkei, a rebellious monk who has taken up the fight against the Heishi as well. It’s interesting that the game pretty much throws you into the deep end, in terms of how to play. Thankfully, it’s pretty simple and anyone who has played an action game in the past few years should pick it up without much trouble.
There are two main attack buttons, square being a weak attack and triangle being a stronger attack. You can also jump with the X button. Using this combination of buttons, there are several combos that can be pulled off. It’s important for the player to not only to string together as many combos as possible, but to do so quickly and without being hit. The reason for this is that you gain experience as you defeat more enemies. As combos are strung and enemies defeated, a meter at the top of the screen fills. The higher it’s filled, the more experience you’ll earn.
You shall feel the wrath of my shiny beating apparatus
As mentioned, you have two characters to play as. Yoshitsune is small, very nimble with two swords, while Benkai is over six-feet tall, hulking and wields a massive club. Not only is their combat quite different but they are needed in different situations outside of battle as well. For example, Yoshitsune jumps up into high places while Benkai can destroy weak walls. You’re never allowed to play as both at once, the game sets up numerous meeting points where you can switch characters. For the most part you can play as the one that suits your style best but there are a few occasions where you need to play as the other, so it’s good to know how they both go. As for boss battles, the game will play a sequence that demonstrates the character not controlled being rendered useless and facing the battle alone. There could’ve been some interesting co-op but alas, this is still a single player game.
So what exactly is the significance of the Anahagame? Given that it is a powerful magical item, surely it has to do something really special? Using the Anahagame will activate the power of Kamui. Essentially, it’s a form of bullet time. That’s right, slow-down has officially been introduced to 11th Century Japan. However, it’s not as tacky as you might expect, despite the fact that it can make the game dramatically easier. When in Kamui state, enemies act differently but when they come into attack, a square icon will appear at the bottom of the screen. With the right timing, you will perform a counter that will kill the enemy instantly. It doesn’t stop there, often you are pitted against several foes, so you can pull of several instant kills at once. Doing so will exponentially increase your experience meter, resulting in a lot more experience.
It does make the game easier. There is no doubt about this. However, there is still a degree of challenge and enjoyment involved. Stronger enemies require an enhanced Anahagame that further slows down time. To add to that, the time that you can spend in each state is very limited, meaning that when you use it, you need to do so very carefully and precisely. On top of this, most enemies, especially bosses will change their movements and action in Kamui. If you fail or get hit, you gain damage and lose time off the meter. Once your meter is a zero, you’re really going to have to work hard to gain it all back. As the game gets on, players will eventually get used to this and towards the end, it’s not difficult to pull of many kills in a row.
If being a Samurai doesn't work out, you can always join the circus
The action is very solid and somewhat challenging. It is smooth, highly responsive and immensely satisfying. Fighting hordes of enemies does wear a tad thin but the boss battles are excellent. They really push the envelope and force you to really find a good tactic and stick to it. That and they can pack a very nasty punch. There are however, two flaws that really stick out. The block (R1) isn’t as responsive as it should be or as in other games in the same genre. The other is that even though Yoshitsune and Benkei are very different and have very different stats, they feel similar in the way that they do and take damage. These aren’t major issue but they could’ve been better.
The RPG elements of the game are fairly light. Interestingly, when one character levels up, they both do. Apart from leveling up by defeating hordes of enemies, you can collect Anahagame fragments that are scattered across the land. When you collect three, you can choose to either upgrade your health, attack or defense. There are also a lot of items (mainly weapons) that can be found lying around with a little bit of effort. Often there will be a place where you will be able to use like a Hub to rest and restock. To bad that most of the NPC’s in the game have nothing useful or interesting to say. However, on the whole, the game is very linear and rather small in scope. It spans three chapters, where in the third, your basically going to the same places as the first.
The games largest flaw is that it doesn’t capitalize on an excellent foundation. There are some fantastic concepts showcased early on but very few of them actually come through. They only come through as small mentions in the story. There are some great colourful characters but too many of them are cast aside too early and there isn’t too much to do with them. The setting is fantastic but given that it repeats almost completely at the end, it is a little lost. The overall result is a game that the clock will tell you lasts 7-8 hours. However, given that it stops at every menu and there are likely to be a lot of deaths, it could stretch in reality to 10-11 hours. It’s too bad that the unlockables aren’t that enticing to keep playing through for.
This is in real-time. Absolutely awesome
The game’s greatest attribute is its presentation. Graphically, the game is easily one of the finest on the PS2. Sure, the cutscenes are pre-done and the environments are pre-rendered (in full 3-D) but this is saved by a brilliant and faithful art-direction. Despite the limited environments, they are brilliant realised and look magnificent. The models are highly detailed and have plenty of animations. There is one boss in particular that is one of the most spectacular sights in video games and has to be seen to be believed what a marvelous achievement it really is. Technically, the game stands pretty solid with not many jaggies and excellent texture work. It’s just too bad that the frame rate struggles at times. In all, the game really is an artistic dream and anyone who is a fan of this kind of art will be in heaven. Sound-wise, the game isn’t as strong as it is visually but it is still a great achievement. The music is spot-on and the sound effects are wholly satisfying. The voicing is mixed, with the English voices sounding very tacky at times but the Japanese voices are perfect.
If you look at the title, Genji: Dawn of Samurai and seem interested, you are likely to find something you like here. If you cringe at the sight of it, stay away, this is not for you. For anyone who is a fan of Japanese action games full of Eastern flavour, you will definitely find something here in Genji: Dawn of Samurai. There’s solid action, challenge, well-implemented slow-down mechanics and plenty of Japanese mysticism. It’s just too bad that there isn’t enough of it. It really does leave you wanting more. At least there is something to look forward to in the sequel planned for release on the PS3.
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