Katana Zero Critic Reviews

Katana ZERO, a time-warping samurai escapade, boasts stunning visuals, music, mechanics, and writing. It's one of 2019's best games thus far.

Katana Zero ties an incredibly dark and thrilling narrative directly into fast and deep gameplay to create one of the best games of the year.

Be the ultimate badass and kill your enemies in slow-motion. There are a lot of games that try to be like Hotline Miami, moving from area-to-area murdering with sheer ruthlessness, but few games match the execution and style like Katana Zero. Great pixel art, a wonderful use of color, and fantastic synthwave soundtrack. From start to finish, it's a fever dream worth having.

Katana Zero is a singular piece of art, with an earnest intensity rarely seen in gaming. Moving, exciting, and beautiful, it’s something best left played rather than explained.

If you haven’t gleaned it already from reading up to this point, Katana Zero is unmistakably a game that you need to add to your Switch collection at earliest opportunity. The tough, hair-raising action sequences, gripping narrative, and impeccable sense of style elevate Katana Zero high above many of its peers, cementing it as a modern classic that sets new standards for what a side scrolling action game can be. This is the kind of game that you’ll blindly play through once and soon find yourself wishing you could have that first-time experience again; there’s nothing else quite like it on the eShop and we can’t recommend it enough.

Completing each of the 11 missions only took a few hours but my playtime increased dramatically trying to earn each of the different endings. In so many aspects I was left wanting more. I want to play more as the secondary character, I want to understand the story better, and in so many cases I just want to know what the hell is going on. Katana Zero is such a wild drug-crazed adventure that I just can’t get enough of and I will continue to be getting my fix of it for weeks to come.

Katana Zero is super cool where it counts with very little faltering it. The action is practically flawless and begs you to learn from every small mistake you will make by throwing you back into it instantly. The story clearly has ambitions beyond this one title. While it doesn’t fully stick in a cohesive manner, I really hope we will see more of it in the near future. With action and style this good, some misgivings can be accepted. Carve some time out for this one.

Katana Zero has been a surprise for everyone since it always kept a low profile and in the midst of the number of high level pitches that we have is able to carve a niche and get up as one of the best games so far this year. Perhaps its biggest problem comes in the sense of the duration that does not end up being exact to obtain the development of the whole plot and that certainly can be exploited more. Otherwise it is an indispensable this month and perhaps this year because without much pretension shows that the heart of a video game is in what is in itself and nothing more.

Katana Zero was a pleasant surprise. I did not expect the emotional roller coaster I was about to embark on. It ticks all the boxes; great soundtrack, great gameplay, a well told story. I don't think there are enough words to explain how much I enjoyed this one. It is easily my favorite game of the year so far and I suggest you play it.

Katana Zero is an incredibly stylish title, from the great looking pixel art to the fantastic soundtrack that accompanies the fast and brutal action. You really get to feel like you're a master swordsman as you overcome the challenges put before you, or die trying.

It made me want to break my Switch in half. But even in its most aggressively exasperating moments, Katana Zero remains bleak, beautiful, bloody, and brilliant.

If you’re in the market for a fast paced, action packed platformer then Katana Zero should be on your list. The gameplay is awesome, the music is great and I really like the art style! I highly recommend checking it out.

As is often the case the Switch version adds nothing to the experience, but the graphical style and lightning pace suit the handheld screen way better than they suit a full-sized TV. The Switch, as a result, feels like the natural home for Katana ZERO, which slots perfectly into the existing catalogue.

In no uncertain terms, Katana ZERO is perhaps the first big surprise of 2019: a breathtaking action game.

Katana Zero’s time-bending samurai action is the star of the show here, but its unique presentation and entertaining dialogue go a long way in supporting a plot that suffers from feeling like it’s saving its best ideas for a sequel. As action games go, Katana Zero’s shorter length makes it a quick fix, and I’ll no doubt suffer withdrawal while I wait for the next hit.

Katana Zero is a fast-paced action game which shines thanks to its smooth, brilliant and clever gameplay, while surprisingly good writing gives an unexpected depth to the game. It’s a brand new take on the classic genre mechanics, made even cooler thanks to a lovely art style and a powerful soundtrack.

Do not absolutely miss out on Katana ZERO if you like stylish action games and mature plots. Heck, don't miss out on Katana ZERO in any case: this is one of the best indie titles of the year, and Nintendo Switch seems the perfect home for it.

Stylish, smooth and fast, Katana Zero is a refined experience with a strong gameplay and a surprisingly interesting story under a somewhat mundane pixelated surface.

Katana Zero is a mesmerizing title. The narrative twists and turns in odd ways, and the payoff is both open and satisfying. The action is crisp if you can commit everything to memory well enough to create small, bloody masterpieces. With a familiar yet attractive presentation, Kata Zero feels right at home on the indie-loving machine that is the Nintendo Switch.

Katana ZERO offers a creative art direction, great soundtrack, addictive gameplay and an engaging narrative. However, the adventure is short, about 5 hours, and its conclusion can be frustrating. I'm sure we'll hear about your continuation soon.