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Once in a while, there will be games that slip under people’s noses that are unique and well-developed to play. Playism’s Samurai Bringer is a roguelike game that presents itself as a unique format as it comes into form as a retro-style hack-and-slash samurai game. Like most hack-and-slash games, the object of the game is to defeat every opponent in the player’s way. What makes it unique is the availability to adjust the playing format and attack patterns to create deadly attacks as the main character looks to defeat the main antagonist in Yamata-no-Orochi of Japanese mythology.

Samurai Bringer Review: Hack-And-Slashing Through a Simple, but Clever Game

Title: Samurai Bringer
Developer: ALPHAWING
Publisher: Playism
Players: 1
Genre: Action-Adventure, Hack-and-Slash, Roguelike
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, X-Box One, X-One Series X/S, Steam
Release Date: April 21, 2022

Samurai Bringer brings an authentic style of play of retro arcade action and an authentic setting in a Japanese world. The concept of advancing through levels is simple, take down the multiple opponents that stand in the way.

What makes Samurai Bringer unique is the accessibility and the customizations of actions, attacks, special abilities, gear, and items. Players have the availability to set up their attack plans, special abilities, and weapons through the menu. They can also stack more power or growth in the player’s ability to maneuver.

While the concept and story are simple, the gameplay and the utilization of abilities are complex. The goal of advancing through the level and the layout is also a simple and easy concept, but what makes the game challenging are the enemies that can give the player headaches. Like many roguelike games, there are consequences when the player is defeated, as more efficient abilities and powerful weapons are lost.

The Setting and the Characters Are Simple, but That Isn’t the Point

As video game advances, so do the game’s story mode and complex characters. Most arcade-style games do not try to create a riveting story for their players, especially in simpler games.

Alphawing attempts to bring some form of a complex story and setting to the game to make the process seem like there is a point. Samurai Bringer creates a surprisingly complex setting, story, and set of main characters for an arcade-style game.

This game draws inspiration from Japanese mythology to drive a visually engaging story in Takamagahara, the land of the gods. The player controls a god/samurai warrior Susanoo. His journey through the game is to redeem himself back to the land of the gods by getting stronger and defeating the antagonist Yamata-no-Orochi.

The player must go through a series of samurai warriors, elite generals, and demons to advance into new dungeons. While the concept of the game and it’s story seem simple, the developers give their characters enough of a backstory to appeal to the player.

With the retro-style art design, the game’s focus is to have a thrilling and heartbreaking plot for players to relish over. There is enough background and setup to show that effort was put into this game. There is a goal to accomplish and reason why the main character, Susanoo, looks to regain his honor and defeat the evil demon Yamata-no-Orochi.

Customizations Are Key to Advancing

One of the biggest attributes Samurai Bringer gives is the ability to create playstyle loadouts, abilities, and weapons. This game is every bit a strategy game as it is an action hack-and-slash. Taking on more established enemies without a proper setup will cost the player. It will take several different attack patterns or maneuvers to destroy enemies and advance to the next level.

There are simple actions to utilize, such as a normal or light attack, heavy attack, dash or dodge in some circumstances, and jump. There are many different ways to customize different attacking patterns that can cause more damage to the enemies. The idea is for the player not to be too aggressive by trying to win a sword battle quickly. Some enemies lock down the player in a series of attacks that can easily make the HP go down to 0.

Learning how enemies attack and their weaknesses will help in the long run. It will also help the player if they constantly practice the attack patterns and customizations they choose. The character can also gain weapons that enables them to damage an enemy from a distance. It is important to constantly update the player’s moveset and also the equipment as the enemies get stronger through levels.

This will be a game that takes time for the players to learn and adjust to. This is not a simple, quick hack-and-slash game players can finish within 30 minutes. The more rushed the fighting is, the more the players are destined to fail and stay stuck at a certain level.

For a simple-looking game due to its arcadey style, this game is very complex and unique as it makes players feel the need to train and practice to advance to Yamata-no-Orochi. Several points in this game feel addicting to play and get better in, which is a huge positive.

The Arcade-Retro Visuals Are Pleasing

Not every game has to bring the State-of-the-Art graphics that bigger companies install. The game is able to bring an old, campy style of art design that appeals to the roguelike playstyle of action-packed dungeon crawling. What the game lacks in high-quality graphics, it makes up for in retro-style visuals.

The visuals of the game make the gameplay feel smooth yet consistent. The art is well-done including the OC, the enemies, the setting, and the action taking place. It isn’t a game that takes itself too seriously with the content, but they go beyond the visual standards of arcade-style roguelike games to give players a thrilling setting. The camera setting is also solid, but it can be moved to adjust to the players’ dependability and turn into previously hard-to-see areas.

LWOGaming Samurai Bringer Review – The Final Verdict

7/10

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