Release Date: October 11, 2022
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a stealth game in which we play as a Japanese thief working in Edo period. Game offers a lot of freedom of mission execution and non-linear plot, shaped by our decisions.
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a stealth action game. It is a refreshed version of Kamiwaza Tourai, which was released on PlayStation 2 in 2004 and was never released outside Japan. Both the original and the refreshed version were developed by Acquire studio, known from Way of the Samurai series.
The action takes place in Mikado city in Japan during Edo era. We play as a thief named Ebizo, who wants to steal from the rich and give to the poor. However, he abandoned this profession for a long time after seeing his companions murdering innocent civilians.
After a decade out of the thieving business, he turned to honest work and raising a foster girl named Suzona. One day his adopted daughter falls seriously ill. The cost of treatment is way beyond Ebizo's means, so he is forced to return to his criminal activities.
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is classic stealth game. We observe the action from a third-person perspective, and our task is to steal quietly and avoid detection. The hero is relatively weak in combat, so direct confrontations are risky.
Ebizo, on the other hand, is skilled physically. He can squeeze into narrow spaces, hover over ceilings and silently follow the backs of guards. We collect loot automatically by approaching them. Our hero starts each mission with a small bag on his back, but each collected item increases its size and weight, making it difficult to move.
The maps offer a lot of freedom. Besides the main objectives, they are filled with optional loot that we can steal. In addition, our decisions and actions during gameplay shape the development of the story, ultimately leading us to one of several alternative endings.
The game offers a single player mode only.
Compared to the original from PlayStation 2, Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief offers greatly improved graphics. The authors have increased the resolution, sharpened the textures and improved the engine performance.
Platforms:
PC Windows
PlayStation 4
Nintendo Switch
Developer: Acquire
Publisher: NIS America
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System Requirements for Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i7-4770 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 750 or better, 2 GB HDD, Windows 8.1/10/11 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 970 or better, 2 GB HDD, Windows 8.1/10/11 64-bit.
Game Ratings for Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief Video Game.
Digitally ed: 4 / 5 by Matt Sainsbury
Kamiwaza is, no doubt, going to be written up as a “product of its times,” but I think that writing it off like that is missing the mark a little. It’s true that even in this “remastered” state it looks like a PS2 game (excellent aesthetics, but primitive technical execution). However, Kamiwaza is an ambitious and boundary-pushing game. By turns surrealistic and funny, sincere and layered, it’s one of the most eclectic and interesting titles you’ll play this year, and it is a very good thing that it has finally been localised. You’ll understand why it never managed to influence too many other developers, but without fascinating and experimental things like this, we’d live in a very boring world.
The Beta Network: 4 / 10 by Anthony Culinas
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief should have stayed a Japanese exclusive. Multiple mechanics fall flat and the tedium of go-fetch quests quickly starts to stack up several hours in. Constantly spamming one button for a full minute to steal valuable items isn’t fun. Neither is repeating the same generic mission setup with extremely vague target instructions. Doesn’t help that the branching storylines and characters aren’t particularly interesting either, apart from a few interesting designs here and there. So if the wacky, over-the-top silliness can’t grab your attention, it’s hard to say what else will.
PC Invasion: 6 / 10 by Andrew Farrell
On one hand, I love some of Kamiwaza's elements including the thievery and 'just stealth' system. But the game is sabotaged by a lack of clarity and a lack of proper quality-of-life changes.
![[2:06] launch trailer](https://image.staticox.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.gracza.pl%2Fgaleria%2Ffilmy%2F640x360%2F1129589359.jpg)
