Genji: Dawn of the Samurai

Linear in design, but wrought with action, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is as much a visual experience as it is a combat-oriented one.

The game, slated for release on the PlayStation 2 console system in August, is visually enticing and a blend of the tale of a samurai and 11^th-century Japanese mythology. The dialogue and text for the game is in Japanese with English subtitles. Do not expect that to change. There is a reason for this.

The backdrop for the game is feudal Japan, and the game itself is inspired by the Japanese literary masterpiece, Tale of Genji. The pedigree does not end there. The developer is Game Republic, founded by famed producer Yoshiki Okamoto. Japan’s leading swordsman composed the authentic swordplay and the fight scenes were choreographed by Ken Wantanabe’s stunt double from The Last Samurai. (Wantanabe portrayed the part of Katsumoto in the film, the Samurai leader of a remote village whom Tom Cruise’s Capt. Nathan Algren was sent to kill.)

GameZone received a copy of the E3 build of the game, limited in scope, mostly with guides through the concepts of the game, but the opportunity to spend some hands-on time with this title was well worth it.

In some regards, Genji has the feel of one of KOEI’s titles, with the display of combo strikes, and the rating of your combat skill during an encounter, and it is a linear game. The paths through each level of the game are narrow, and enemies are profuse in number.

But that is only part of what this game offers. There are 30 different missions, diverse environments that are affected by seasonal change, and you can level up your avatar.

There are some concepts that require players to grasp. The hero, Yoshitsune, has the ability to acquire enough energy, or what is known as Amahagane (and calling it energy is a very loose attempt to describe it) to unleash Kamui. This is a divinely inspired attack. With enough Amahagane, you can overlap the powers. Kill your enemies and collect three Hinaishis, move into the character screen and select Amahagane to level up your avatar. Sound confusing? Actually it is not. There are screen prompts to let you know when you can trigger Kamui. And the controls are intuitive in this game, allowing players to jump in and play without a lot of hyperbole.

The abbreviated version of the game received contained three missions, culminating with a battle with a mythological creature called a Mononoke. There were no save places, and the intermission area, in which you can talk with villages as well as buy and sell items was limited. 

Yoshitsune battles the Mononoke

The game did give a feel for the movement of the central character and enemies, as well as a look at the game’s graphics and a taste of the game’s sound. The animation was very good, and while this was a demo, the enemies were a little easy to defeat even with a fixed camera and the left thumbstick to control fighting direction.

The sound of Genji is wonderful, with traditional Japanese music underwriting each scene and level. Where this game truly shines, though, is in the graphics department. The environments are rich in color and stunning to look at.

Genji might not, at this stage in the demo, be a unique project in terms of the linear combat-heavy levels, but it is certainly a sound fighting game overflowing with stunningly beautiful graphical elements.