Daikatana

Starting at $1.88Buy now

"Daikatana" is a historical shooter game with both multi-player and single-player modes. The game offers a good story set in 2455 A.D., where the player, Hiro Miyamoto, is tasked with saving the world after Kage Hishima altered time using the Daikatana sword. With striking music and numerous bugs, the game challenges players to gather weapons, discover secrets, and battle enemies while navigating through various obstacles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 396 reviews

story19 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game features interesting level design with diverse environments and a variety of weapons across different time periods.
The soundtrack is enjoyable and adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.
With the community-made 1.3 patch, the game becomes more playable and fixes many of the original issues, making it a more enjoyable experience.

The AI companions are poorly designed, often getting stuck and hindering gameplay rather than assisting.
The game suffers from frustrating mechanics, such as the save gem system and unbalanced enemy encounters, particularly in the early levels.
The story and dialogue are often considered cheesy and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.

story
72 mentions
26 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is often described as a mix of engaging concepts and clichéd elements, with many reviewers noting its campy, B-movie quality and predictability. While some appreciate the attempt at a more involved narrative and the unique time-travel premise, others criticize the execution, including poor voice acting, plot holes, and excessive cutscenes that detract from the gameplay experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as entertaining yet flawed, appealing to those who enjoy retro-style storytelling despite its shortcomings.
- “The story is fine, the different time periods keep the chapters fresh, some weapons are kinda obsolete.”
- “The world building is so carefully tailored that the game doesn't overwhelm the player with information being dumped on them through massive boxes of dialogue but is not so subtle either; it is handled in a way that feels organic and coherent as it also expands during the story.”
- “The story, although naive, is engaging.”
- “The story is just a mess of mumbo jumbo fantasy tropes in way too long cutscenes.”
- “The writing has plot holes the size of a planet, atrocious voice acting, and unneeded complexity that other games did better, earlier.”
- “The story, the mechanics, and the atmosphere are some of the worst I've ever seen in a video game, especially one with a pedigree like this.”
gameplay
59 mentions
17 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Daikatana is characterized by a heavy emphasis on exploration and combat, with many players finding it tedious due to the reliance on AI companions that often detract from the experience. While the game features RPG elements and a variety of settings, the overall mechanics are considered clunky and uninspired, leading to a mixed reception where some appreciate its nostalgic fast-paced action, while others criticize its outdated design and lack of engaging gameplay. The fan-made 1.3 patch is essential for improving performance and addressing many gameplay issues, but even with these fixes, the game struggles to resonate with modern audiences.
- “The game has nice design and quake-like gameplay, so it's a lot of fun if you're a fan.”
- “Merging RPG elements, an expansive and diverse universe, and story-driven elements with the frantic run-and-gun gameplay perfected in Doom.”
- “Daikatana is an arena FPS; if you are looking for an FPS hybrid RPG with many different mechanics without slowing the fast gameplay and hard difficulty from old-school FPS, Daikatana is great, bringing many different weapons for each chapter of the game, power-ups, dedicated buttons for friends that help you kill the enemies, secret areas, and an outstanding soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay is 80% walking around looking for stuff, 10% babysitting your sidekicks, and 10% fighting.”
- “Daikatana fails on almost every single front and the gameplay is no exception.”
- “Awful cringe-worthy gameplay, horrible AI sidekicks, awful graphics for its time, some of the most uninspired uncreative enemies ever, god awful horrible torturously bad level design, forgettable sound, and every other possible detail you can think of sucks as well.”
music
38 mentions
50 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a largely positive reception, with many praising its energetic and fitting soundtracks that enhance the gameplay experience. While some users noted issues with sound engineering and found certain tracks less memorable, others highlighted standout pieces, particularly the nostalgic references to classic games like Doom. Overall, the soundtrack is described as atmospheric, catchy, and a significant highlight of the game.
- “The soundtrack absolutely slaps.”
- “The music is awesome, you hear me?”
- “Each time period has a different style of music to fit the mood.”
- “The absence of sound engineering (effects, voice acting, music, are either annoying or bland).”
- “I think they just stole music from The Matrix.”
- “For instance, some voice actor performances in the singleplayer campaign are just utter garbage, the animations were even ugly by the time of its release and the 'save gems' system is a total abomination - but the fast and gory gameplay, artwork, story, characters and even in most parts the music really do stand out on their own.”
graphics
38 mentions
24 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
24 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated, even at the time of its release in 2000, with many reviewers noting they resemble visuals from the late 1990s. While some appreciate the unique art style and nostalgic low-poly aesthetics, the overall consensus is that the graphics are poor, with awkward animations and uninspired enemy designs detracting from the experience. Despite these shortcomings, a few players find charm in the visuals, suggesting that they can become endearing over time.
- “Graphics are hand drawn and charming.”
- “Unique visuals with a stunning art style that utilizes the Quake II engine in unprecedented ways.”
- “The art style is absolutely stunning as you move from one time period to another; I won't say anything about what they're like because that's something you have to experience for yourself.”
- “Even taking into account the time it came out, the graphics aren't that special and that's quite clear right from the intro cutscene with an extreme crotch zoom and close-ups of bobbing heads whose lips don't move.”
- “For a game that came out in 2000, the graphics definitely haven't aged well, but it's kinda okay if your expectations aren't high or you enjoy the nostalgia.”
- “It was released three years too late, with ugly, outdated graphics and nerve-wracking sidekick AI.”
humor
17 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding amusement in the absurdity of AI behavior and the game's overall design flaws, often leading to laugh-out-loud moments despite the frustration they can cause. Characters like Superfly Johnson provide comedic relief, and the dialogue features enjoyable, humorous exchanges that enhance the experience. While some players appreciate the humor as a redeeming quality, others feel it highlights the game's shortcomings, making it a source of both laughter and exasperation.
- “Also, the things some of the AI say and do are just ridiculous and funny (and sometimes frustrating).”
- “Even when Superfly and Mikiko were running into walls, falling to their death, and climbing non-existent ladders, I was laughing my ass off.”
- “His arguably stereotypical reactions to the story and environment are genuinely funny and always add a bit of comedic relief to the sometimes grimdark world of Daikatana.”
stability
10 mentions
10 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
90 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been a significant concern, with many users noting it was initially plagued by numerous bugs and glitches. However, the release of the 1.3 fan patch has improved playability, making the game relatively bug-free and more enjoyable. Overall, while the game still has some flaws, it is now considered a decent shooter with interesting mechanics.
- “Now that the 1.3 fan patch is out, the infamous Daikatana is very playable and relatively bug-free.”
- “Imagine ending up with an outdated buggy mess that isn't the masterpiece promised by John Romero.”
- “I would like to see how the game looked originally, but with all the errors that I've found, I can't imagine how buggy the original game was.”
- “Has quite a few flaws and glitches.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its impressive diversity, featuring a range of environments from dark and gloomy cyberpunk settings to atmospheric medieval levels, enhanced by extensive use of colored lighting and a catchy soundtrack. While some reviews criticize the overall quality, others highlight the effective atmospheric compositions reminiscent of classic games.
- “Maps are drenched in atmosphere, helped along with extensive use of colored lighting.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly diverse.”
- “Dark and gloomy cyberpunk atmosphere.”
- “The story, the mechanics, and the atmosphere are some of the worst I've ever seen in a video game, especially one with a pedigree like this.”
- “+ dark and gloomy cyberpunk atmosphere”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its intrusive advertising and poor release strategy, overshadowing the gameplay experience. Many users feel that the game's reliance on ads detracts from its overall quality, leading to a perception of it being a subpar title despite some nostalgic value.
- “And the infamous red ads.”
- “Long story short, it's just an alright game, gets dogged on way too much because of terrible advertising and a bad release; if anything, buy this to add to your collection and maybe fire it up every once in a while.”
- “So old style graphics, bugs, bad AI, big patches, stupid ads a guaranteed fail.”
replayability
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players highlight the strong replayability of the game, particularly due to the inclusion of cheat codes that enhance the experience. Additionally, the game's affordability and the enjoyment derived from playing with friends contribute to its lasting appeal.
- “Oh yeah, that reminds me, it is a game that has cheat codes, and that rules because of its replay value.”
- “Makes this game vastly more playable.”
- “If you've always wanted to take a look at this weird piece of gaming history, it's pretty cheap now and much more playable than it used to be.”
- “Friends make this game more playable/10”
- “Oh yeah, that reminds me, it is a game that has cheat codes and that rules because of its replay value.”
optimization
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has improved significantly with the 1.3 patch, resulting in solid performance and minimal crashes during gameplay. However, some users still experience issues like stuttering, which may require third-party solutions to resolve. While the overall experience is enhanced, certain aspects like voice acting and animations remain subpar.
- “Solid performance (with the 1.3 patch) with only 1 crash encountered in 10 hours of gameplay.”
- “Other features in the patch include better optimization and more screen resolution settings. Just be careful not to set the screen size to something bigger than your monitor, as there's no easy way to revert the settings to fix that.”
- “Other features in the patch include better optimization, and more screen resolution settings. Just be careful not to set the screen size to something bigger than your monitor; there's no easy way to revert the settings to fix that.”
- “For instance, some voice actor performances in the singleplayer campaign are just utter garbage, the animations were even ugly by the time of its release, and the 'save gems' system is a total abomination.”
- “Edit: after an insane amount of research I put into fixing the stuttering, I found some third-party executable or program, and I got it to run smoothly.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of Daikatana is highlighted by its heartwarming resolutions, particularly in episode 3, which resonates deeply with players. Many users express that the game evokes strong feelings, with some even noting its profound impact on their personal lives, filling emotional voids. Overall, Daikatana is recognized for its ability to create powerful emotional experiences.
- “Righting many wrongs at the end of episode 3 is especially heartwarming.”
- “When I first experienced Daikatana, there was nary a dry eye in the crowd at the emotional climax. Daikatana has great tensile strength and will never fail you no matter what force you put it under.”
- “Daikatana has helped fill the emotional void in my life after my family was lost.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often requiring significant time investment without the aid of walkthroughs. Leveling up the daikatana is particularly criticized, with many suggesting it's not worth the effort.
- “Finding it will take an enormous amount of tedious time if you don't use walkthroughs (which I did).”
- “Leveling up the titular sword, the Daikatana, is so tedious you shouldn’t bother.”