Katana ZERO

Absolute Peak from start to finish. This game is on my top 5 of all time, everything is perfect. Can't recommend enough

An absolute indie gem. The recent free DLC teaser finally convinced me to buy this game, and man was it a hella wild ride. Akiisoft nailed the atmosphere, the story, and also that banger soundtrack (I even have it on my Spotify lol). On sale or not, do yourself a favor and get this game. P.S. Use beta access code [b]notthedlcbro[/b] to get a silly surprise

My favorite part of the game is when Zero says "I have a Katana and my name is Zero, you can call me: Katana Zero". When he said that i burst into tears at the storytelling of this game. Absolute cinema

Must play game ! Katana Zero is just amazing whether talking about its gorgeous art style and its amazing neon theme . This Action platformer is quite an experience. The character itself is the eptiome of savagery and you are a samurai , what else you would need ? Every kill you make gives you a satisfaction ! Dodging the bullets , stealth , gripping story and you are a drug addict as well. Every single room is basically a puzzle. You walk in, take a breath, figure out your attack plan, and then it's all about executing it perfectly. If you haven't played it yet, you're genuinely missing out , i mean i was too until now ! but better late then never i guess. It's a masterclass in game design. The gameplay loop is so tight and addictive, and the story is so compelling and mature that you just won't want to put it down. The game won't let you down . well people have different opinions but its highly unlikely that the game won't reach upto your standards of what a platformer should be like . Surely you should give this a try if you haven't yet. Recommended.

I could not stop playing this game for hours dude. This game is so fun to get good at and it is so satisfying to play and deflect bullets. The story is really good to because of how invested you get into the important characters and even the less important characters are cool to chat with. My only problem with the game is that it is not that long, but luckily we are getting a DLC that will be FREE! Buy this game asap you will not regret it if you are cool man. 9/10

I legit cant believe how overly emotional this game was. Besides the amazingly fluid but sometimes infuriating game play, it is just INCREDIBLE. The story is surprisingly gritty, dirty, dystopian. How it should be. Amazing experience.

Best 2D game I have ever played. The dynamic neon lightning mixed sith the amazing pixel art gives that cyberpunk feel to it. Music fits the level your playing fantastic and is generally really awesome. Gameplay is fast, exciting and so f****** satisfying. Story is also great and I you can really feel whats happening thanks to the overall atmosphere. Cannot wait for the DLC and I'll sure play a lot more. Thank you Askiisoft!!

It's games like this that inspire me to work on my own game to earn the title of 'game developer'. Askiisoft nails gripping gameplay and story telling which continues to evolve it over the course of the entire game. They truly show off their talent in understanding what players want and keep them wanting more. 10/10 Buy the fucking game.

"28 years in that godforsaken jungle" Amazing hack-and-slash, with an extremely multi-faceted protagonist that's written to perfection in such a short game. The art, the music, the mechanics, and the story all come together to form such a stellar experience that was well worth the purchase. CANT WAIT FOR THE DLC ALREADY "It's only been a week, but it feels like a year"

This game is so good, so much mystery to be unraveled. I just have to play more to find out everything. And to anyone who enjoyed this game I would highly recommend Sanabi, very similar art style and in some aspects similar story.

Bro I don't even understand the plot of this game and I still think it's peak. Katana ZERO is a game that I had been sleeping on for a while. It was on my radar of 'games that would probably be cool but i might not like them' but god was I wrong. The story is deep and cryptic but not extremely difficult to understand. It's super fast paced and the combat is simple but REALLY satisfying. The world is corrupt and the characters feel real. You start out having no clue what you're doing or where you are and by the end (if you've been paying attention) you might understand why this dude in a bathrobe is going around committing mass genocide. If you are thinking about getting this game you need to change that NOW. 10/10

Its fun but I wont lie when I say I was beyond frustrated when the game just abruptly ended. this may be harsh but in my opinion if you say a game is fully released you should be able to finish creating the whole plot of the game. If the DLC does come out this review will stay positive.

Great story, great gameplay. The core loop is simple but its really addictive, and they build on the mechanics in such interesting ways.

Fantastic game play it if you like well made indie games with a deep story, amazing music, fluid and enjoyable combat, a beautiful pixel art style filled with plenty of lore and secrets hidden beneath it all. I can't wait for the dlc and maybe a sequel because idk if I can play anything else rn. Literally my only negative is that I want even more! Recommended 100%.

Fun, unique and worth the money. A solid game that has a great story and gameplay.

I don't know how I hadn't heard of this game. It is super fun, and I can't wait for the DLC. The music is cool, but the game-play is crazy fun and so satisfying. I didn't expect the story to be so good either. I can't recommend this game more, if you like something fun with a great story, that makes you feel like john wick.

combat games are usually not my thing but this one was completely different. the combat is so fun, the animations are cool, the music, the storyline and the visual elements are amazing. every aspect of this game is so well put together

One of those games that has it all. Stunning visuals, fun gameplay loop, catchy soundtrack and a surprisingly engaging story - with a free DLC coming soon. Worth spending your money on.

[h3]One of the best speedrun games I've ever played.[/h3] I fell in love with [b]Katana ZERO[/b] within the first five minutes. The tight controls, fast-paced gameplay, and satisfying challenge made it clear: I had to 100% this game. And I did. It's one of the few titles in my library where I’ve unlocked every achievement – including the Hard Mode one (tip: don’t disable slow motion unless you're really sure). The gameplay is a perfect mix of quick reflexes and strategic room planning, all wrapped in stylish jump’n’run mechanics. It’s built for speedrunners – you can disable the story entirely if you're going for pure runs – but even outside of that, it’s a polished and rewarding experience. The story? Decent, but clearly not the focus. It’s short, but does its job. The real stars are the gameplay, visuals, and music. The pixel art is absolutely top-tier. If you're into pixel visuals, this is pure eye candy – it nails the neon-noir atmosphere with charm and detail. And the soundtrack? Killer. The synthwave beats drive the action forward and sync perfectly with the flow of the game. Whether you’re into speedruns or just looking for a short, sharp action experience, [b]Katana ZERO[/b] is absolutely worth your time. If you don’t usually enjoy fast-paced platformers, give it a shot anyway – it might surprise you.

Love this game. Very trippy and meta-heavy story with time powers. The action feels fluid and fantastic. Satisfying, but sometimes frustrating.

i didnt want to play this game because it looked like a game from 1993 but I was wrong. This game is magical. If you like those games that feel like a fever dream from childhood, then this is it. Enjoy. We are entering a new Golden Age of videogames where big studios try to rob us while the indie studios are cooking baby.

This game is just amazing. From the pixel graphics to the touching storyline to the amazing soundtrack. I really really really recommend this game. Some levels are hard but the story is just immaculate

An unforgettable experience with a stunning art style, mesmerizing color palette, and a story that’s stuck with me for months. The movement feels incredibly fluid and I’ve been chasing that same feeling ever since in games of this genre. Zero dancing in the nightclub lives rent-free in my brain forever.

THIS GAME IS AWESOME! the story and game play was spectacular!

Super creative, great art direction, game-play, combat, etc.

the time stop and the play back makes me feels like I'm so good at the game when I not. also ost kinda insane 10/10

This game absolutely blow me away. i wasn't expecting much from this game before playing it, but man has it stolen my heart. the art style is so amazing, and the timing of the events is perfect. i HIGHLY recommend this game

It has a lot of interesting ideas, the main gimmick is a lot fun... but I do feel that especially in the story department it would've helped if the game was longer. Overall a game worth experiencing.

What a treat for the ears and eyes. It's also hard, but not too hard. 20/22 achievements.

Katana ZERO is not just another metroidvania indie game that talks about depression, it's a breath of fresh air. Having just 4 actions (besides moving), this game feels extremely intuitive, responsive and complex. If you are looking for a revolutionary game with ground-breaking mechanics, this is not the game for you; it doesn't need to be. Not all games need to have a lore explanation for dying, and most that do use the same tired Souls trope. This isn't the case: every death is the protagonist trying a new path in his mind; something that fits perfectly with the fast pace of the combat and story. The character doesn´t have a single power up in the entire game, the progression relies entirely on the player and it's ability. The game trusts you. This is not a role-playing game, the story is entirely fixed. But the way it made me feel like I was playing an rpg, even if I knew my choices were not that "important" for the course of the story is absolutely stunning. The story is not complete yet, hopefully will be in the future. Still, the story that we have right now is amazingly told. Using dialogues, dreams and entire flashbacks we and Zero slowly begin to put the pieces together, although it can be difficult. Lets hope that in future updates and games everything will make sense. Our main character says what we want him to say, but keeping a personality. I even felt like he was talking to me through the dialoughe options, or maybe he was talking to himself. The visual style is nothing extra new, but being pixel art it could not be better. Everything feels clear and pleasing, that's extremely important in pixel art. The atmosphere works like a charm and is very memorable. The music is awesome, having an in-world explanation for it is awesome too. That allows it to have moments in silence and add to the immersion, and this game knows that. As I said earlier, the game is not finished yet, and that is a big problem knowing how much time people have been waiting for it to be finished. People I am part of now, of course. As for the bad things besides it's unfinished state, I would mention the erratic behavior of the AI, having a stage-based gameplay, and stages that you will repeat a lot of times, I found myself dying because of the variation in enemy behavior and position. If the character is repeating the scene in his head to know exactly what to do, why is sometimes an enemy facing the door and sometimes upstairs? Maybe having every stage meticulously "staged" could make things easier, but more fair too, difficulty can be adjusted in other ways. In conclussion, Katana ZERO doesn't make a lot of new things, but does AMAZINGLY those that do. We need more games like this, where you can feel the love of the authors.

The gameplay, the visuals and the music slaps hard bruh...!!! And if only I could also hang up the calls from my manager just like in this game... (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

If you liked the Hotline Miami games you will love this. I sure did. I've played through the story once and intend to do it again immediately, probably several times! Also as a testament to how good the game is there are still 250 player peaks in 24h on steamcharts even though the release was 6 years ago! The story was great and presented in an interesting manner. I also didn't realize there was this much dialogue and the choices you make actually matter! There is a lot of replay value here. Couldn't recommend it enough. Also if you feel intimidated by difficulty i'd say the game is maybe even a bit easier, due to having access to the "instinct" slow mo mechanic, though its use is limited. This only became a problem when fighting the hidden bonus boss (which i got by accident lol) That fight was pretty hard and was the only time i really had to manage the use of instinct because the fight is pretty crazy and hectic. Completing the game once unlocks hard mode though which i imagine limits the use of slow mo further to make it more challenging, but i haven't tried yet. And ofcourse for the real hardcore ones its possible to disable in options altogether. Overall: 9/10 The best indie game i've played since hotline miami, would be 10/10 if had it had coop and controller support (and console too but this late its unlikely to get ported, but my friend wanted to play this on his PS5)

This game is solid, if you love lore driven action based narrative then this game is for you. This game just has crazy type melancholy if I'm using the right term to describe this game, can't wait for the DLC.

After finally beating this game, I can say with 100% certainty, this game is ABSOLUTE CINEMA. It's short, but it is quite the emotional ride with great gameplay and a fantastic soundtrack, but man, that ending got me sad. Please, do yourself a favor and pick this game up. Its a bit tricky but really satisfying to get good at

One of my favorite games that I've played in the last decade. Charming art style and satisfying gameplay will leave you hooked from start to end. This is one of those games where you can finish in one session and still will never feel like you wasted your money. With an unforgettable OST and an eventual dlc release just know that you are in for a great time when you pick this game up

Maybe one of the greatest games there is in terms of games as an art form. Katana Zero is a platformer where you play as an amnesiac samurai who can see into the future, and I'm not going to say much more than that. It integrates the story and gameplay mechanics in a way that I have seen no other game do, using it to build up a plot, develop characters, and throw twists all the way through while making it feel completely natural. This all culminates in one of the best endings I've witnessed, even with [spoiler]the cliffhanger[/spoiler]. Seriously, play it blind, you will love it. Also: get the soundtrack too, it's 10/10 and well worth the money.

A fast-pased hack-and-slash with challenging gameplay, amazing storytelling, a soundtrack that goes hard, and a little pinch of psychological horror Everything I've ever wanted in a game

Quite a mind-blowing story telling and stylish and satisfying gameplay loop. Speedrunning probably not for me. Need to come back for the DLC. 9/10

holy shit is this game fun. First of all the soundtrack is banging and the combat is insanely fun. Did not expect it to have such a nice story and plot twist, and to top it off the speedrunning mode is some of the best fun ive had in a while. cant wait to 100% and to play the dlc. 10/10 icl

The game had a real wow effect. I sat down to play just for a bit, and before I knew it, several hours had passed. It's incredibly immersive.

Really fun, beat it in like 4.5hrs? One of the best games I've played this year, the story is 10/10, combat is 10/10, def give it a try for 8.99!

Fun and addicting, with some nice challenges to it. Only qualm is that it's fairly short. Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys Hotline Miami and/or similar games.

I normally don't write reviews for games, but this game was honestly incredible. The combat and controls we're tight and satisfying, the story was quite gripping (although a bit confusing/ambiguous at times), the art is beautiful, and the music is perfect. What else could you possibly ask for? The game makes you "feel" like a samurai badass by letting you fail at each level over and over again while getting slightly further each time. By the end of each level, you've killed the same dudes in the same configurations so many times that you have optimized every movement to be fast and precise. Thus, the somewhat difficult nature of the game is actually completely necessary for that samurai feeling. Some levels, especially towards the end, are VERY punishing, especially if you're someone that isn't used to technical, fast-paced games. This isn't necessary a bad thing, just something to look out for. The story, like mentioned above, is a bit confusing and ambiguous. Again - not necessarily a bad thing - but it's something to look out for if you want a story that's wrapped up neatly with a bow. TLDR: [b]Buy this game[/b]. Seriously. It's a masterpiece of game design, story-telling, art, and music.

Amazing game comprising a high enough (but not too high) skill curve with it's one shot, one kill mechanic. If you're a major fan of the Hotline Miami series like I am, you will love this game's beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic and killer soundtrack.

Absolutely love it, this game oozes style and makes you feel like a badass.

This game was genuinely awesome. I loved the gameplay and the story is super captivating. Would very much recommend can't wait for the DLC.

Brilliant. Quick trigger action with better controls than hotline Miami. Once I got use to the mechanics, every death felt like it was my fault. You will die a lot, but you get back in to the action right away. Highly addictive. Interesting plot. Gameplay is tight. It respects your time. I hope to replay it in the future. Short little game thats definitely worth checking out.

Possibly the most stylish game I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Gorgeous art, brilliant soundtrack, and a surprisingly engaging story with heavy psychological themes. The controls are tight, the levels are well designed (and often brutally difficult; you WILL die over and over and you'll come back for more). Overall an incredible experience that I highly recommend.

It took two days for me to beat this game, and one hour for it to become one of my all time favourites. Similar to Hotline Miami: 80s aesthetic, everyone (including you) dies in one hit, psychological narrative that blurs the lines of reality, only this game is a 2D platforming hack-n-slash. It's like a puzzle game with swords, you'll be using your surroundings and making clever use of bullet time to seamlessly weave through rooms. Respawns are speedy so when you inevitably fail you can get right back into the action. Even if the gameplay doesn't hook you its incredibly engaging narrative will have you asking so many questions and keep you chasing the answers. It's about to get some free DLC so there's really no better time to jump in. 10/10

one of the most intriguing stories ive seen in a video game plus its pretty fun