Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief Critic Reviews

Fashionably late to the party, Kamiwaza: The Way of the Thief is a beautiful outlier, and timeless classic that serves as a great lesson on how to create addictive action gameplay in an excellently adaptive and immersive world, despite its small size. Although it is a barebones re-release, which does a disservice to those experiencing it for the first time, I cannot recommend this game enough – the period, the gameplay – it’s brilliant fun that transcends any negatives and simply has to be seen to be believed.

Kamiwaze: Way of the Thief is a very silly stealth game that makes sneaking fun as long as you can tolerate the graphics.

Though that Tenchu shaped hole in my heart remains unfulfilled, I do appreciate how NIS America have reached back some sixteen years in time to bring Kamizawa: Way of the Thief to an all-new audience. Sure, it's very much a relic of its time that struggles to escape the gravity of its PS2 era origins, but for those willing to invest the time and patience, Kamizawa: Way of the Thief is a steadfastly warm-hearted stealth yarn that satisfies so long as you can forgive its largely archaic/nostalgic design.

Maybe 16 years ago Kamiwaza was a good and engaging action-stealth game but time has not been kind with it and now this remastered version doesn't have a meaning to live in 2022.

Kamiwaza was a forgettable game in 2006 and, unfortunately, it still is.

A fascinating glimpse into the twilight era of the stealth genre but the outdated gameplay and awkward controls make it difficult to be all that nostalgic about it.

Kamiwaza just isn’t interesting. What was fun in 2006 feels shallow and dated now. Stealth fans might get a kick out of it but with a high price and bare-bones remaster, we’d struggle to recommend this.