I’m always a little cautious when it comes to video games based on movies, television, or anime. Some of them are pretty good, but for the most part, they’re pretty terrible. When the first screen shots of Afro Samurai came across my desk in all their cell shaded glory, along with the news that Samuel L. Jackson would be doing voice work for the game, I was actually pretty hopeful for this game. With the high quality of the artwork, and the top notch voice talent, it was apparent right from the start that a lot of care went into the presentation of this game.

This game is very visually pleasing. Everything from Afro’s wrist band to the clouds in the  sky looks hand painted. The artwork is superb, and watching that artwork in motion never gets old. Most of the characters come straight from the anime,  while new characters fit nicely into the Afro Samurai universe.  Complimenting the stylish art is the high quality voice work done by Samuel L. Jackson. His highly entertaining commentary can be heard throughout the entire game, and often provides tips on how to complete the task at hand. Expect to hear such gems as “Someone’s been prayin’ to the god of ass” and “Mount that asshole! Wait….. that came out wrong.” In one particular part of the game, hearing him say “Cut the rope!!” over and over got a little old, but we’ll talk more about that later.

Afro Samurai the video game loosely follows the plot of Afro Samurai the anime. It goes something like this: There are two headbands. A number one headband, and a number two headband. Whoever holds the number one headband will possess the power of a god, and only the person holding the number two headband can challenge them. Afro doesn’t really care about all of that. He’s just pissed off and seeking revenge because the current number one killed his dad to gain the headband. So, Afro sets off, sword in hand, to avenge his father’s death.

The gameplay consists mostly of combo based action, with some light puzzle solving thrown in for good measure. The combat is solid, and a lot of fun. As the game goes on you learn new ways to remove your enemies’ limbs and heads from their bodies. You can even go into bullet time and perform more powerful attacks that are guaranteed to cut your enemies into pieces. Oh, and I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t mention body part poker. Occasionally, Samuel L. Jackson will challenge you to a game of “poker” where you form a winning hand by removing any combination of three heads, arms, or legs from your enemies.

If I was judging this game on combat alone, I’d give it a high five and buy it the finest domestic beer ever created (that’s Yeungling for those not in the know), however, there are other factors at play here that drag the game down. The level design is rough to say the least. I frequently felt unsure of where to go next, and I had to consult the only “compass” I was given—Afro’s imaginary friend. Pressing down on the D-pad will make him pop up in a puff of smoke and stand where you should be headed. Unfortunately, he often popped up completely out of my field of vision, making his advice on where to go next completely useless. The frustration didn’t stop there. Simple tasks often required way more effort than they should have. There’s one point in the game where you have to cut a series of ropes in order to make your way to the end of a level. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. I hacked and slashed at the rope over and over, but nothing happened. I began trying special moves, and finally discovered that cutting the rope was only possible by going into bullet time, and using a perfectly executed downward slice. Performing a perfect downward slice requires you to hold in the left trigger to go into bullet time, and then hold in the strong attack button until the shine on your sword gets to the tip, then release the strong attack button. If you release the attack too soon, or too late, your sword will actually bounce off of the rope. Now, I’m no samurai, and I have actually cut rope before. It’s not that hard. This part of the game was also the only time in my life where I got sick of Samuel L. Jackson’s voice. His frequent requests for me to “Cut the rope!!” got old very quickly as I struggled to figure out exactly what the game wanted me to do.

Afro Samurai could have been a great game. The combat, and presentation are superb, but the design flaws mentioned above manage to mire this game in mediocrity. A few simple tweaks like a mini map, and rope that isn’t made of adamantium would have made this game worthy of wearing the number one headband, unfortunately, it will forever be cursed to hold the number two headband, and suffer all the tragedy associated with that lifestyle.

-Mike Kurz

Tags: afro samurai, PS3, review, Samuel L. Jackson, Xbox 360

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