The palette is pretty good too with a slight cyberpunk feel to it, reminiscent of the period. It is ’80s inspired, hence the VHS videotapes throughout, but it doesn’t have the cheese associated with the era. While 16-bit sprites, the level of detail such as the way Zero walks awkwardly in his geta (samurai type wooden shoes), raising an eyebrow or stroking a cat(!) is brilliant. The mood is a must for the story though and works perfectly. He’s quite a tortured soul, and in some respects, the story is a little downbeat. Finish your session, then return to your apartment for a herbal tea and sleeping on the sofa. Again, this is a dialogue opportunity to find out more about Zero and his background.

Ideal for though not interested in this feature, or for those completing a further playthrough.īetween missions, Zero has counselling sessions, provided by his employer. There is also the option to cut the dialogue, often with a curt response. While it doesn’t change the game, it’s a nice touch and a little like the LucasArts of old such as The Secret of Monkey Island. With each mission, you can engage with your target through multiple-choice dialogue. You can pick up one-off projectiles however such as meat cleavers, statues and Molotov cocktails that help you take out an enemy from a distance or to kill one if you are being swarmed. You don’t collect anything to recharge the battery as it refills by itself. Dodge rolls work for shotguns (scattered fire), riot guards and bosses. Alternatively, you have a roll that dodges the shot and allows you to get in close. First of all, you can slow time, represented by a depleting battery level, and hit the bullet towards the NPC to kill them.

Unless your reactions are tighter than a ducks arse, you won’t stop a bullet unless you slow down time. Some enemies will melee you, while others will shoot. Katana Zero is a one-hit policy, after all, so you apply a slight degree of stealth until you plan your attack. It’s a 2D platformer, but you won’t be focussing too much on jumping from one ledge to another. Should he die, the level rewinds à la VHS style, and he’ll try again until he gets it right, then move on to the next stage.Įach mission is an assassination, and there are a handful of stages or areas to complete until you get to the target. What I can tell you is you play an assassin named Zero who can manipulate time. The buzz has died down for now, but I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, as I found the story quite engaging, and it is better to experience some of the reveals first hand.

At the time I saw this, I also saw the trailer for My Friend Pedro and out of the two, the latter appealed more. Katana Zero came to my attention after seeing a Nintendo Direct or something similar.

Katana zero ps4