Afro Samurai (video game)

Afro Samurai is an action video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, loosely based on the manga and anime series of the same name. It was announced in the February 2008 issue of Play magazine[1] and released on January 27, 2009.[2] The game was developed by Namco Bandai Games and in North America, it was the first (and would end up being the only) game published under their western label, Surge.[3] In Europe and Australia the game was released under the Namco brand instead and was distributed by Atari Europe.[4]

Afro Samurai
Developer(s)Namco Bandai Games
Publisher(s)Namco Bandai Games[lower-alpha 1]
Designer(s)Asahiko Kikuchi
Programmer(s)
  • Daniel Chan
  • Masaki Namura
Artist(s)
  • Hoang Nguyen
  • Bryan Johnson
Writer(s)Paul Gardner
Composer(s)Howard Drossin
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: January 27, 2009
  • PAL: March 27, 2009
Genre(s)Action, hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Afro Samurai features a cel-shaded animation style

Afro Samurai is a 3D brawler with platforming elements.[5] Most levels culminate in a boss fight, which become more frequent as the game progresses.[6]

The game features a cel-shaded animation style.[7] In a combat system designed by Monty Oum,[8] the player will use hits, kicks, and sword slashes against various enemies.[9] There is also a magic pendant which can slow down the time and allows performing special moves.[10] Even though it is a hack and slash game,[11] the fighting is slow-paced while relying on combos and thus friendly for newbies.[12] At certain points "Body Part Poker" will appear, where the player must cut off specific things at the right moment to collect body part cards and win achievements.[13]

Plot
Main article: Afro Samurai

It is said that the warrior who becomes "Number One" will rule the world, wielding powers akin to a god. Someone becomes Number One only by killing the previous Number One and taking his ceremonial headband. However, only the "Number Two" is allowed to challenge the Number One. Because of this, few people ever reach Number One because the Number Two headband is constantly changing owners.

Afro's father was the old Number One until he was brutally killed by a gunman named Justice, an event witnessed by Afro as a child. Now an adult, Afro Samurai is the current Number Two and a master swordsman who seeks revenge on Justice. Lengthy flashbacks throughout the story detail how Afro rose from a frightened boy fleeing the death of his father to a brutal samurai warrior, and eventually became the current "Number Two". The story in the present deals with the adult Afro making his way to the mountain top keep of the "Number One" to duel Justice, while at the same time battling a mysterious cult known as the Empty Seven Clan as their agents repeatedly try to kill Afro and take his Number Two headband.

Ultimately, Afro discovers that Justice is already long dead, rendering his quest meaningless. After defeating a hallucination of Justice in single combat, Afro realizes that the headbands only bring pain and death. He throws them into an abyss, choosing to end the cycle of violence for good.

Development

Voice acting and music

All of the main characters are voiced by the same actors as in the anime. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn served as the voice director,[14] while the hip hop producer RZA was behind the soundtrack of the game.[15][16]

Downloadable content

The game's credits reveal that Namco Bandai commissioned a TV screenwriter, Peter Saji, to produce a storyline for a downloadable episode. In an interview, Saji admitted that multiple downloadable episodes are in production, but could not provide a release date.[17]

Reception

The game was given moderate reviews, resulting in the Metacritic score of 65/100.[18][19] Namco Bandai posted on its fiscal year report that the game sold 420,000 copies across all platforms in the US and Europe.[30]

Sequel

An episodic sequel was announced in June 2015, called Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma.[31] Volume 1 was released on PlayStation 4, and PC on September 22, 2015, nationwide. In November 2015, the game was removed from the PlayStation Store and Steam with volumes 2 and 3 being cancelled due to negative reception. The Xbox One version was also never released.[32]

Notes
  1. Released under the Surge brand name in North America, and the Namco brand name in Europe and Asia

References
  1. Stasse, Terence (2008-02-19). "Latest Anime Game: Afro Samurai". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2016-01-23. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  2. "Afro Samurai pushed to January 27". GameSpot. 2008-07-28. Archived from the original on 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  3. "Afro Samurai: Surge's "Number One" Game". Siliconera. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  4. "Afro Samurai". Gamesindustry.biz. 2008-10-07. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  5. Nicholson, Brad (February 2, 2009). "Destructoid review: Afro Samurai". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  6. Hoggins, Tom (April 13, 2009). "Afro Samurai review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. Welsh, Oli (March 3, 2009). "Afro Samurai Bubble-headed". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. Solomon, Dan (February 5, 2015). "What Every Reader Should Know about Monty Oum, the Rooster Teeth Animator Who Died this Week". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  9. Davey, Neil (April 14, 2009). "Afro Samurai". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  10. Orry, Tom (March 27, 2009). "Afro Samurai Review: Hacking samurai into pieces in style?". Video Gamer. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  11. Elfman, Doug (February 15, 2009). "Blood gushes in hack-and-slash 'Afro Samurai'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  12. Cacho, Gieson (February 11, 2009). "Review: 'Afro Samurai's' sense of style makes up for annoying flaw". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  13. Smith, Ryan (March 5, 2009). "Afro Samurai". PopMatters. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  14. "Mary Elizabeth McGlynn". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  15. Thill, Scott (January 27, 2009). "FROM ANIME TO GAMES, RZA IS A SOUNDTRACKING SAMURAI". Wired. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  16. Szadkowski, Joseph (February 19, 2009). "Zadzooks: Review of Afro Samurai, the video game". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  17. ""Afro Samurai" DLC Revealed by Credit Reel -- Will Span Multiple Episodes". GameCyte. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  18. "Afro Samurai for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  19. "Afro Samurai for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  20. Haywald, Justin (2009-01-27). "Afro Samurai Review for 360, PS3 from". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  21. Matt Miller. "Blood and Steel". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  22. Will Herring (2011-06-07). "Afro Samurai (PS3)". Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  23. "Afro Samurai Review". GameSpot. 2009-01-27. Archived from the original on 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  24. Graziani Gabe (2009-01-28). "Afro Samurai Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  25. "Afro Samurai Review - PlayStation 3". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  26. Greg Miller (27 January 2009). "Afro Samurai Review - PlayStation 3 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  27. "Xbox Games, News & Reviews | GamesRadar+". Archived from the original on 2009-03-14. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  28. Vinson, Dana (2009-01-30). "Afro Samurai Review for Xbox 360". G4tv. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  29. "Afro Samurai (Xbox 360/PS3) Review - Extreme Gamer". Extremegamer.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  30. Alexander, Leigh (August 4, 2009). "Namco Bandai Sees Loss As Afro Samurai Tops Sales". Gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  31. Campbell, Colin (June 12, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma story trailer sets the stage for revenge". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  32. Biordi, Jordan (19 November 2015). "Versus Evil Explains the Disappearance of Afro Samurai 2". Comics Gaming Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
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