EGX Hands-On: Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma
A few of my favourite things in the world are Samuel L Jackson, anime and old samurai movies. So, when I first watched Afro Samurai, I was in heaven. The game was also (despite some minor foibles) a bloody brilliant adaptation and well worth checking out if you can still find it. So, when I found out that a sequel was in the works and that I would be able to give it a go at EGX Rezzed I was giddy with glee at the prospect of returning to that oh-so-inspired mash up of hip hop and Zen.
Billed as a full sequel to the original Manga and Anime series by Takashi Okazaki and Gonzo studios, Afro Samurai 2 is currently in development at Redacted Studios, a new studio founded by the guys that made the original game. You’ll also be happy to hear that RZA will once again be providing the soundtrack along with several other up-and-coming hip hop artists and (though not officially confirmed yet) they are currently in talks to bring the original cast back, including the dulcet tones of Samuel L Jackson. Despite porting the game over from the original Afro engine to Unity 5, the game has still managed to retain the fantastic Japanese brush-painting-styled visuals.
The brief demo started with the game’s new protagonist Kuma walking into a seedy Edo-period dojo-come-stripclub, replete with ninja in the DJ booth and plenty of half-naked geisha to keep the patrons entertained. After a brief spot of banter, the bear-headed cyborg is attacked by a crowd of angry ninjas.
The first thing that struck me was how different the combat felt. In the original, you controlled Afro using a combination of light and heavy attacks with the occasional flurry of kicks thrown in for good measure. There was an accompanying focus system that allowed you to cut up foes with precision movements of the analogue stick or timed button presses when the light hit your blade in the right way. The combat felt needlessly complex at times when all you really wanted was to hack up a bunch of angry samurai in the goriest ways possible.
This will probably divide fans, but combat has been streamlined (and then some) in Afro Samurai 2; down to a single button, in fact, which handles all of your combos. You’ll eventually be presented with the opportunity to execute your enemy in spectacularly gory fashion, which is done by hitting the B button and watching a shower of viscera and limbs fly about as all weakened enemies nearby drop to the floor sans half their appendages. Rather than having to use the correct combo string or type of attack, you are instead presented with a right-tool-for-the-job system as Kuma learns different styles to defeat his foes, controlled via a radial menu brought up by pressing up on the d pad.. The demo presented three styles – Afro, Kuma and Master.
Afro was used mainly as a defensive stance, using heavy, deliberate attacks in a similar manner to the titular hero. Kuma’s style, on the other hand, is based more on pressing the offensive with increased attack power, striking with flurries of blows that hammer opponents into submission. Finally, Master uses wide strikes and are-of-effect attacks to batter large groups of enemies.
As well as changing how you fight, certain styles are required to defeat certain enemy types. For example, you will need to defend using the Afro style in order to defeat archers by deflecting their arrows back at them, while samurai require the use of the Master style to parry their blows.
Having to mix up how you fight saves the combat from getting repetitive and wearing down a large group of enemies before slamming execute and painting half the room red was incredibly satisfying.
Eventually the action moved to a chase sequence in which you’re pursued through the streets by what can best be described as an Edo-style tank with a bloody great flame thrower on it. Completing this section was a simple matter of running away from the thing while dispatching a handful of foes along the way. Kuma ducks down an alley to escape the mechanical nightmare before polishing off a few more angry ninja and the demo comes to a close.
On the whole, I’m intrigued to see what happens next, as I found the original’s biggest strength to be the narrative, setting and presentation. Seeing what happens to the colourful cast of psychos from the original will probably make it worthwhile even if the gameplay doesn’t quite step up.
Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma is currently scheduled for relase later this year on PS4, Xbox One and PC
http://wasduk.com/2015/04/09/egx-hands-on-afro-samurai-2-revenge-of-kuma/
And RZA is back on the soundtrack for this one too
A few of my favourite things in the world are Samuel L Jackson, anime and old samurai movies. So, when I first watched Afro Samurai, I was in heaven. The game was also (despite some minor foibles) a bloody brilliant adaptation and well worth checking out if you can still find it. So, when I found out that a sequel was in the works and that I would be able to give it a go at EGX Rezzed I was giddy with glee at the prospect of returning to that oh-so-inspired mash up of hip hop and Zen.
Billed as a full sequel to the original Manga and Anime series by Takashi Okazaki and Gonzo studios, Afro Samurai 2 is currently in development at Redacted Studios, a new studio founded by the guys that made the original game. You’ll also be happy to hear that RZA will once again be providing the soundtrack along with several other up-and-coming hip hop artists and (though not officially confirmed yet) they are currently in talks to bring the original cast back, including the dulcet tones of Samuel L Jackson. Despite porting the game over from the original Afro engine to Unity 5, the game has still managed to retain the fantastic Japanese brush-painting-styled visuals.
The brief demo started with the game’s new protagonist Kuma walking into a seedy Edo-period dojo-come-stripclub, replete with ninja in the DJ booth and plenty of half-naked geisha to keep the patrons entertained. After a brief spot of banter, the bear-headed cyborg is attacked by a crowd of angry ninjas.The first thing that struck me was how different the combat felt. In the original, you controlled Afro using a combination of light and heavy attacks with the occasional flurry of kicks thrown in for good measure. There was an accompanying focus system that allowed you to cut up foes with precision movements of the analogue stick or timed button presses when the light hit your blade in the right way. The combat felt needlessly complex at times when all you really wanted was to hack up a bunch of angry samurai in the goriest ways possible.
This will probably divide fans, but combat has been streamlined (and then some) in Afro Samurai 2; down to a single button, in fact, which handles all of your combos. You’ll eventually be presented with the opportunity to execute your enemy in spectacularly gory fashion, which is done by hitting the B button and watching a shower of viscera and limbs fly about as all weakened enemies nearby drop to the floor sans half their appendages. Rather than having to use the correct combo string or type of attack, you are instead presented with a right-tool-for-the-job system as Kuma learns different styles to defeat his foes, controlled via a radial menu brought up by pressing up on the d pad.. The demo presented three styles – Afro, Kuma and Master.
Afro was used mainly as a defensive stance, using heavy, deliberate attacks in a similar manner to the titular hero. Kuma’s style, on the other hand, is based more on pressing the offensive with increased attack power, striking with flurries of blows that hammer opponents into submission. Finally, Master uses wide strikes and are-of-effect attacks to batter large groups of enemies.
As well as changing how you fight, certain styles are required to defeat certain enemy types. For example, you will need to defend using the Afro style in order to defeat archers by deflecting their arrows back at them, while samurai require the use of the Master style to parry their blows.
Having to mix up how you fight saves the combat from getting repetitive and wearing down a large group of enemies before slamming execute and painting half the room red was incredibly satisfying.
Eventually the action moved to a chase sequence in which you’re pursued through the streets by what can best be described as an Edo-style tank with a bloody great flame thrower on it. Completing this section was a simple matter of running away from the thing while dispatching a handful of foes along the way. Kuma ducks down an alley to escape the mechanical nightmare before polishing off a few more angry ninja and the demo comes to a close.
On the whole, I’m intrigued to see what happens next, as I found the original’s biggest strength to be the narrative, setting and presentation. Seeing what happens to the colourful cast of psychos from the original will probably make it worthwhile even if the gameplay doesn’t quite step up.Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma is currently scheduled for relase later this year on PS4, Xbox One and PC
http://wasduk.com/2015/04/09/egx-hands-on-afro-samurai-2-revenge-of-kuma/
And RZA is back on the soundtrack for this one too
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