Release Date: December 12, 2024
The Spirit of the Samurai is an action adventure game set in the feudal Japan, in which we control three different characters - samurai, spirit and cat. The game was developed by Digital Mind studio.
The Spirit of the Samurai is a two-dimensional action adventure game belonging to the metroidvania sub-genre. The action of this game is set in feudal Japan, and the player plays three different characters. The game was developed and published by an independent studio Digital Mind. The money for this game was raised through a crowdfunding campaign.
The Spirit of the Samurai tells a story set in a fantastic feudal version of Japan. The hero of the game is a samurai who tries to regain his body and destroy the ancient evil. In the journey the warrior is accompanied by his cat and the encountered spirit ( kodama). The game focuses on presenting the story in a strongly cinematic way (the effect is achieved, among others, by animated scenes).
In The Spirit of the Samurai the action is observed from the side ( side-scrolling). During the game the player controls three different characters: samurai, ghost and cat.
The game was created in the metroidvania convention - the gameplay is about exploring non-linear levels (it is a series of different locations combined into one map), fighting enemies and discovering the story prepared by the developers. As we progress, we acquire new equipment, develop characters and unlock new abilities (in the case of the spirit, we also have access to supernatural powers), which often allow us to enter previously unavailable places.
In the game you can find an arcade combat system that allows you to combine attacks into dangerous combos. We can also use special abilities. An advanced AI system also plays a key role - the developers made sure that every enemy behaves and fights a little differently.
The Spirit of the Samurai offers only single player mode. The core of the game is a feature campaign.
The Spirit of the Samurai game has a very good graphic design. Although the action takes place in 2D, the graphics are fully 3D. Both the locations created by the developers, as well as the character models, make an excellent impression and are well animated (which should not come as a surprise - Digital Mind is a studio that has been involved in 3D animation in the past). The game is full of charming atmosphere.
Platforms:
PC Windows December 12, 2024
PlayStation 5 November 2025
Xbox Series X/S November 2025
Developer: Digital Mind
Publisher: Kwalee
Age restrictions: 16+
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System Requirements for The Spirit of the Samurai Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-4440 / AMD FX-6300, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB GeForce GT 730 / Radeon R7 240, 8 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-7600 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 460 / Radeon HD 7850, 8 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit.
Game Ratings for The Spirit of the Samurai Video Game.
Checkpoint Gaming: 5 / 10 by Tom Quirk
I want it to be known that I really wanted to like The Spirit of the Samurai. I am a massive fan of stop-motion animation, and any piece of media that utilises or seeks to evoke or pay homage to that style has earned my respect. That said, as well put-together as the cutscenes are, The Spirit of the Samurai is just not very fun as a game. From the clunky and unresponsive controls to the linear and murky levels filled with oddly placed traps and pitfalls, it can often feel like a slog to actually play. If you are a fan of stop-motion animation, then you may get something from the experience, but it is unlikely to be too satisfying for just about anyone else.
Thumb Culture: 3 / 5
The Spirit of the Samurai has a great art style, but the story itself needs fleshing out. I had a few major issues with input lag throughout the game, which led to many pointless deaths. The combat is okay, but I found the combo system useless and the same for leveling up. I didn’t really use the bow either, as most of the time it felt like I had to be near the enemy. I really hated the checkpoints in this game and more so in the end-game area. If you die, you go all the way back, which was annoying. Especially when you have to fight across a bridge before fighting a boss. Some areas go on for too long, especially with waves of enemies. Chisai’s segments are cute but felt like they could be removed from the game and it wouldn’t change anything. The biggest thing to really tick me off was the final boss fight. I had horrendous drops in the frame rate when against him. The boss himself wasn’t hard, but frames would screw me over when attacking. The game seems a lot more on the artsy side for me compared to the actual gameplay. I find it deserves the Thumb Culture Silver Award, maybe after a couple of updates to fix the frames and controls it could be bumped to a gold.
God is a Geek: 7 / 10 by Chris White
The Spirit of the Samurai is a gorgeous game to look at, and while it can be enjoyable to play, some of the movement and combat is stiff.
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