The most disappointing aspect of Way of the Samurai 4 is that combat isn't very fun. Thankfully, you never have to see the action once you complete the minigame challenge associated with it. It might be that the intended humor of the situation is lost in translation because of differences in Japanese and Western humor, what with the disturbing choice of sound effects and animations that resembled a horny teenager jumping in to bed in hopes of losing their virginity. After meeting a woman in the day time, I needed to sneak into her home and make it into her room without being caught, subsequently jumping in bed with her in an attempt to get lucky.
Night crawling helped provide me with one of the most uncomfortable moments I have experienced in gaming, even more than seeing the Shogunate's torture room. In addition to the game's combat based story missions, there are some other diversions, like playing cards in the gambling den or attempting the act of night crawling. Additionally, points are awarded after each playthrough that can be used to unlock different visual changes for each new game. And having an inventory of my own previous character's items to turn to after the first battle of the new playthrough was a welcome surprise.
Choosing a lawless lifestyle where killing constables was common practice leads to an increased presence of law enforcement in the following playthrough. Instead of just carrying over your previously-established character, the world around you adapts. Because of the short length of the story - ranging between two to four hours depending on how many missions you choose to take on - multiple playthroughs are encouraged using "Proof of Life." The "Proof of Life" concept is an interesting take on the New Game+ option seen in many action games. Each different combination of decisions and allegiances I made lead me on a path to one of the game's ten endings. Even though the timetable for the game's story revolves around only a few days, there was more than enough time to find out some very disturbing things about the people of this small town before culminating in a three-round fighting tournament to end my adventure. In other playthroughs, I was disturbed to find out the fetish-like love of torture of the Shogunate and his three daughters who run the town. Saving the ambassador unknowingly led my samurai towards a relationship with the young woman.
As I explored the story, things got creepy in a hurry. As you progress, you can stick to one path, try to play all sides or skip the story missions of the three factions all together and just explore the side missions of the open world. You can be the "good guy" and save the girl, fighting alongside the Shogunate's constables, or take the "evil path" and take a stand against local law enforcement. The woman is a British ambassador who has come to the small town in hopes of establishing a trade relationship while the rebels are trying to repel the outsiders from influencing their home. Everything seems cut and dry as you’re presented with the opportunity to save a small and delicate looking young woman from a gang of rebels.
WAY OF THE SAMURAI 1 FACTIONS SERIES
Right off the bat, you get dropped into a series of combat scenarios and are quickly forced to make a choice about the path your character will take. It’s the decisions that you make, the missions you accept and the success you have that determine your samurai’s fate. As a nameless and masterless samurai, you journey into a small township where these three factions stand at odds. Caught between a militant government, xenophobic nationalists and a foreign body eager for expansion, you take on the role of a Japanese ronin in the year 1853.
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