Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked

What do hip-hop music and samurai warriors have in common? How about monkeys and the mob? Big bosses and tough challenges? That last one makes sense, but only in this game will you encounter a group of gangster monkeys.

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, the anime-inspired hack-n-slash adventure from Bandai, melds unrelated worlds for a game that doesn't look or sound like any other title. The boss battles are a bonus – a wonderful reward to keep you hooked at the end of every stage.

Featuring Mugen, a break-dancing warrior with a thirst for slice - slicing opponents, that is, his moves are quick and relentless, striking enemies repeatedly with dozens of lengthy combos. Jin comes on board as the quintessential samurai; the one you can count on at a time of need. As a realistic consequence of having authentic moves, his combos have a shorter run. Worso, the third playable character, resembles Mugen's quick combo-based moves. His footwork isn't as fancy, but don't tell his enemies that. It's hard for a witch to tell the difference between styles when she's being struck so many times.

While Jin and Mugen are selectable from the start, you'll have to play through to the end to delve into Worso's quest. Each quest has a similar path with similar environments, goals, etc. – the differences are derived from the individual style of each character and the unique story they have to tell.

Samurai Champloo's gameplay can be best described as Onimusha without puzzles, with more combos, and without any souls to devour. The game runs on an engine that's entirely polygonal, replacing Onimusha's pre-rendered backgrounds with environments that are a bit more flexible. Though it doesn't always work very well, Samurai Champloo uses an automatic camera system that keeps the action centered on the main character. The view changes as you navigate, following Jin and Mugen around the stage. In some cases the view will switch to something a little more dramatic (such as a side view) that was deemed more appropriate for the situation.

Artistically I agree with these decisions. The camera isn't overly cinematic, but it looks good when mixed with the game's distinct artwork and color scheme. Strange, eye-catching, and comprised of many weird elements, the visuals are more than unusual - they're different from every game in the genre. Enemies don't roll over and die after being defeated, they transform into a solid, reddish silhouette, get ripped in half and disappear. It's as if they're being pulled from this world and sucked into another dimension.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Special combo moves lead to more visual delight. Press the right button during a combo (indicated on your combo chain, which I'll explain later) and the screen turns blood red. During this time Mugen can strike his enemies faster and with greater force. The effect is cool and twitchy, sending the warrior all over the screen as he destroys every enemy in sight. Be as relentless as Mugen and you will be greatly rewarded – the number of kills is limited by your ability strike enemies before the red screen fades away.

Counter attacks lead to a similar display of unfamiliar visuals. Attack just as an enemy is about to make contact and the game will freeze. Most of the time you'll be too distracted to notice the effect. This time the colors are inversed and drowned out, creating an effect that's not quite black and white. Press any of the buttons shown and you'll perform a counter attack; press the wrong button and you'll take a hit. Win or lose, the game goes right back to its normal color scheme the second the counter attack ends.

Combos are the standard form of attack in this game. Every other strike is followed by a thick sword slash that crosses over the screen. It's these big, bold, artistic elements that set Samurai Champloo even further apart from its competitors.

Combos lead to the growth of your tension gauge. When full, one of the nearby enemies will become dizzy and have a star flashing over its head. Attack it and you'll encounter another artistic style, as well as a gameplay change. A new backdrop appears, along with one button that must be pressed immediately after it's revealed. If pressed in time, you'll be given the opportunity to hit the enemy with consecutive strikes. Buttons randomly appear on screen, but since you can't possibly tap them fast enough when playing fairly, it's best to button mash. This special battle screen is timed, and it's rare that you'll get more than 5 seconds to complete your mission.

Score at least 100 hits and you'll be transported to another battle screen. These backgrounds are comprised of dark colors (blue, dark green, dark red, etc.) that change every few seconds; the characters are blackened for a cool silhouette effect. With nowhere to run outside this tiny room, the camera view is perfectly centered and stays in place till the end of the battle. This reminded me of the silhouette battle from Kill Bill Volume 1, though I'm sure that film wasn't Samurai Champloo's only source of inspiration.

Aside from Jin's hard-hitting single strikes, every attack made in this game can be linked into a combo. Combos are determined by your combo chain (also called a "combo tree" and "LP"), which contains the button sequences that may be entered for consecutive attacks. These sequences range from square+square+triangle, to square+square+square+square+triangle. They get a little more in-depth than that, but if you know what the square button is and how to press it, the rest will take care of itself.

Shallow on the outside, deep on the inside, Samurai Champloo has a lot of variety for a game that can be beaten with a couple of buttons. There are several combo chains to acquire, and each one comes with an interesting twist: new music. Up to two combo chains can be equipped at any time. Each one has its own distinct music track, hence the LP label. There are a couple of combo repeats within these LPs, but the visual (the way the character executes his moves) is always different.

I'm not big on hip-hop, but I instantly fell in love with the game's soundtrack. The music is good, original, and extremely catchy. It's not all hip-hop either. Some of the tracks are deep, orchestral pieces that conjure up visions of fierce duels between long-time adversaries.

Speaking of adversaries, Samurai Champloo ends most stages with an exciting boss battle. Like most bosses these guys (and gals) have a specific attack style. The difference between them and bosses featured in other games is that their attacks are less predictable. Toward the end of the game you'll encounter a bomb-throwing maniac and a spell-casting witch. Both the witch and the maniac overflow the screen with their weapon of choice – hers being a series of magic spells. She can form pillars of magic that circle her for protection (and are deadly when touched), exterminate her opponent with a blue flame, and form magic balls that can come up from underneath the character in a variety of ways.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have extra Dual-Shock 2s lying around the house. These attacks are hard to avoid, and will result in a lot of screaming and controller crunching.

(For a full description of the bomb-throwing psycho boss, peruse my interview with Yoshinobu "Nobi" Matsuo, Samurai Champloo's Associate Localization Producer.)

The downside to any hack-n-slash adventure – even mega-hits like Onimusha – is that there's an overabundance of repetition. I love the music/combo chain system, but it's possible to play through Mugen's entire quest without ever changing it. What this essentially boils down to is a hammering of the square button, assuming that's all you want to get out of the experience.

I wanted something more, so I changed my combo chain as often as I could. It helped keep the music fresh, which would've driven me insane if I had had to listen to the same song throughout each level. You can if you want to, but that's just another repetitive element I'd rather avoid.

The first crop of levels were short and to the point. Get in, kill some enemies, defeat the boss, and move onto the next. Again you're faced with repetition, but I didn't care much. There were still enough new combos to perform and new swords to equip that I didn't get bored.

That's another thing that gets me. You have the option to change your sword, but you don't have to! You can beat the entire game sticking to the same combo and the same weapon. That doesn't make any sense. Why not force me to use different tactics? Why not have each enemy (not just the bosses) require something more than square+square+square+square?

Toward the end of the game (about the second to last level), Samurai Champloo's repetitiveness had begun to sink in. Though I loved the side-scrolling stage – it features a 2D backdrop that parodies the original Super Mario Bros. game – a part of me couldn't wait till it was over. The enemy difficulty was higher, I liked that, but it felt like an experience I had already had.

Then I reach the end of the stage and find out that I can't leave because I don't have enough kobans. Kobans are a form of currency that must be paid to the gatekeeper of each level. They're acquired by killing enemies who have them. The problem is, it's impossible to tell exactly which enemies have them. This means that you'll have to kill hundreds of extra enemies – thugs you would have otherwise avoided – to nab the kobans the gatekeeper demands. Otherwise you can't leave.

This is especially annoying in Mugen's final level, where you have to battle through a series of similarly designed rooms with hundreds of rehashed enemies.

Beating this stage led to the final boss battle, who wasn't as difficult as some of the prior bosses.

I wish I could eliminate the final stage. Better yet, replace it with one that's a lot less repetitive. Unfortunately I'm stuck with what the game gives me, which on the whole is very good. Being a diehard Onimusha player (and a prior fan of Dynasty Warriors), it wasn't too hard for me to stomach the constant button-mashing. Up until the final stage I enjoyed it.

Afterwards Jin and Worso provided some interesting alternatives to the gameplay I had become accustomed to. Both have similar quests with similar goals (objective: kill enemies!). As an extra incentive to play through the game a second and third time, Jin and Worso's story sequences are unique to their quests.

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked isn't for everyone, but it's easily one of the best anime games out there. Onimusha nuts will go nuts for it, as will diehard fans of the series. It'll make you smirk, laugh, scream, cry ...

"Did you just say cry?"

I did. Just wait till you battle the bosses. As awesome as they are, it's not tears of joy you'll be having.

Gameplay: 7.5
It’s all about the combos. Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked has the competition beat in that area, featuring dozens of attack sequences to explore. Standard enemies are repetitious and can be a royal pain in that place where the sun don’t shine. On the other hand, the boss battles are fun, challenging, and will drive you nuts (in a good way. Seriously). Despite the treacherous final level, Samurai Champloo is worth playing through at least once. The good outweighs the bad, but remember: I say this as a fan of hack-n-slash games. If you don’t like the genre, this isn’t the game to change your mind.

Graphics: 8.0
The camera is far from perfect and the backgrounds look a little bland at times, but the bulk of the visuals are extremely satisfying. Trippy, twitchy, and very eye-catching, Samurai Champloo is a game you can’t take your eyes off of.

Sound: 9.0
In addition to great music and unique implementation, Samurai Champloo features professional voice-overs that make the story believable, comical, and extremely enjoyable.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.0
Samurai Champloo is the most original take on hack-n-slash gaming since the first Onimusha. The LP combo chains, tension gauge, boss battles, and beautiful assortment of colors are catalysts for long hours of gaming – even for those who are turned off by repetition.

Overall: 7.5
The unique fighting styles of Jin and Mugen, combined with quick combos and awesome effects, create an experience that's as fun and exciting to play as it is to watch. The music/combo chain system is used to its fullest. You won't believe how much the developers got out of a few buttons.

There is a lot repetition in to overcome, especially if you want to finish the game with all three characters. There’s also a great deal of lasting appeal – if you beat the game with Jin today, you might not be compelled to play through Mugen or Worso’s quest tomorrow. But you will be back to complete your mission. You will want to see it through.