Katana ZERO

About

Katana ZERO is a stylish, fast-paced action platformer with stealth elements. As a samurai with time-manipulation abilities, players must master swordplay and strategize to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. With a striking pixel art aesthetic and a gripping, cinematic narrative, Katana ZERO delivers a unique and captivating experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 23,859 reviews

story5.6k positive mentions

grinding65 negative mentions

story
10,128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The story of "Katana Zero" is widely praised for its depth and complexity, intertwining themes of trauma, addiction, and morality within a neo-noir cyberpunk setting. Players appreciate the engaging narrative that unfolds through dialogue choices and character interactions, although many express disappointment over its abrupt ending and unresolved plot threads, leaving them eager for the promised DLC to continue the story. Overall, the combination of compelling storytelling, stylish visuals, and satisfying gameplay creates a memorable experience that resonates with players long after they finish the game.
- “The story itself is really dark but it manages to balance it out with some genuinely charming dialogue that is funny but also makes the game feel more human.”
- “The gameplay never gets old, the story is complex but really hooks you in, the visuals are stunning, and the dialogue is always interesting whether it's talking to your therapist or flirting with the receptionist.”
- “The story is amazing, and all the secrets are great as well.”
- “The story is never resolved and a free update was promised to complete the game.”
- “The story is pretty short but also doesn’t end, making all the bridging dialogue and nonsense trite all for nothing, and whilst there is some replay value, it doesn’t add much.”
- “The story ends very abruptly before it feels like the final act is about to begin.”
gameplay
6,255 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
39%
2%
The gameplay of "Katana Zero" is widely praised for its fast-paced, one-hit-kill mechanics that create a thrilling and challenging experience, reminiscent of titles like "Hotline Miami." Players appreciate the smooth controls, engaging combat, and the unique time-slowing mechanic that adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for strategic planning and execution. While the game is relatively short, many find its blend of addictive gameplay, compelling story, and stunning visuals to be highly rewarding, with significant replayability through hard mode and speedrun options.
- “The gameplay is incredibly satisfying, with tight controls and a rewarding challenge that keeps you coming back for more.”
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and satisfying, with a beautiful art style and an intriguing story that keeps you hooked.”
- “The gameplay loop is addicting, pushing you to constantly improve yourself and your own style by watching each stage's replay.”
- “Gameplay-wise, you die after one hit and death is an integral part of your experience.”
- “The core gameplay is trial and error; however, I am not a fan of it.”
- “The gameplay, while interesting, feels really clunky and sluggish with how long the cooldown for every action is compared to how quickly everything happens.”
music
4,851 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
33%
1%
The music in "Katana Zero" has received widespread acclaim for its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the overall gaming experience. Reviewers frequently highlight the engaging synthwave soundtrack, which complements the game's fast-paced action and emotional storytelling, drawing comparisons to the iconic soundtracks of titles like "Hotline Miami." Many players find themselves captivated by the music, often listening to it outside of the game, and consider it a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack in this game is fantastic, it's up there for me with Hotline Miami and sets the tone for the game so well.”
- “Outstanding music makes the whole thing a near perfect package.”
- “The synth-heavy soundtrack perfectly captures the mood, creating an immersive, moody ambiance that draws you further into the story.”
- “The soundtrack does its bare minimum.”
- “The music is a major spotlight in this game.”
- “The music, the gameplay, the story.”
graphics
2,354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The graphics of "Katana Zero" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning pixel art and vibrant color palette, which effectively convey a neo-noir aesthetic. Players appreciate the detailed animations and the way the visuals complement the game's fast-paced, action-oriented gameplay, creating an immersive experience. The combination of beautiful graphics, a captivating soundtrack, and a compelling story has made it a standout title in the indie game scene.
- “The pixel art style is stunning, with vibrant colors and detailed animations that bring the world to life.”
- “The graphics are amazing, it's actually the best pixel art I've ever seen.”
- “The visuals are absolutely beautiful and the more detailed nature of the sprite art connects you to the setting in a way that other games strive for.”
- “The graphics, presentation, and visual effects are all mesmerizing.”
- “The visuals felt really well dialed in, and the use of color to highlight important characters was an especially nice touch.”
- “The pixel graphics are not a throwback to your SNES days.”
replayability
608 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
55%
2%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting its short playtime of around 4-6 hours but praising the inclusion of speedrun and hard modes that significantly enhance replay value. While some players feel the game lacks depth in replayability beyond these modes, others appreciate the variety of dialogue choices, hidden secrets, and achievements that encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, the game is considered highly replayable, especially for those who enjoy mastering its mechanics and exploring different narrative paths.
- “Excellent gameplay with solid replayability, banger soundtrack, engaging story, and a great art style all tied up into one incredible package that leaves you begging for more.”
- “The gameplay is fun and captivating, the story is greatly written, and the music is just amazing. Katana Zero also has high replayability, the game even offers a speedrun mode if you want to just play the levels without the story segments.”
- “The narrative choices and consequences further enhance the replayability, encouraging players to explore different paths and witness alternate outcomes.”
- “The gameplay is really fun, fluid and flashy, but again this game is so short and there's next to no replay value aside from scrubbing through the game to get all the 'do this specific thing' achievements and the *gag* speedrun challenges.”
- “Great gameplay but way too short (finished it in 3 hours) and not really any replayability for the asking price.”
- “The game is very short and to my knowledge little replay value.”
atmosphere
349 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
38%
1%
The atmosphere of "Katana Zero" is widely praised for its captivating blend of neo-noir and cyberpunk aesthetics, enhanced by a masterful soundtrack that complements the gameplay and narrative. Reviewers highlight the game's stunning pixel art, immersive environments, and emotional depth, creating a unique and engaging experience that resonates with players. Overall, the atmosphere is described as intense, atmospheric, and integral to the game's storytelling, making it a standout feature.
- “Paired with a masterful soundtrack that mixes synthwave, electronic beats, and atmospheric tones, the game’s audiovisual presentation is exceptional, each level pulsing with intensity and rhythm.”
- “The atmosphere of Katana Zero is an intoxicating blend of neo-noir and cyberpunk, painting a gritty yet mesmerizing backdrop for its narrative.”
- “The game's atmosphere oozes neon-lit grit, with pulsating music enhancing both action-packed sequences and story-driven dialogues.”
- “The atmosphere this game emits is that of a melancholic dystopian city environment that has been oppressed into a depression and complete anarchy.”
- “Incredibly stylish, but with an utterly oppressive atmosphere that had my gut churning as I went through it, constantly thinking about how many bad decisions I'd made.”
- “The art style and overall atmosphere/level design are left to be desired.”
emotional
247 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
1%
The emotional aspect of the game has been widely praised, with many players expressing that it evokes a deep and varied range of feelings, from joy to heartbreak. The narrative is described as compelling and touching, often leading players to tears, particularly through its exploration of complex themes like father-daughter relationships and personal turmoil. The soundtrack enhances these emotional moments, creating a powerful connection between the gameplay and the story, although some players noted that the brevity of the game can leave them wanting more emotional depth and closure.
- “Emotional (no spoilers here, sour and sweet this story will pull at your heart)”
- “No piece of fiction has ever made me feel the way this did.”
- “The story is exquisitely simple yet compelling; the gameplay is streamlined and satisfying; the visuals are sublime and classic with a modern touch; and the music is emotionally moving in every way.”
- “The emotional depth of the story is lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no emotional impact from the events in the game; everything felt flat and unengaging.”
- “The attempts at emotional storytelling fell flat, leaving me feeling indifferent to the characters' struggles.”
humor
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, effectively balancing its dark narrative with clever and often hilarious dialogue. Players appreciate the witty writing, funny character interactions, and the ability to influence conversations, which adds a layer of charm to the otherwise serious themes. Overall, the humor is described as both engaging and impactful, enhancing the overall experience while providing moments of levity amidst the game's more intense elements.
- “The story itself is really dark but it manages to balance it out with some genuinely charming dialogue that is funny but also makes the game feel more human.”
- “The writing of the background characters right before you demolish them are extremely funny to read.”
- “Even the punching bag NPCs have funny moments that go from the beginning to the end of the game just for a punchline.”
- “This game has some really unfunny 'funny' moments, which reminded me a lot of my friend Pedro, which earned my award for being the most unfunny game of 2019.”
grinding
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
36%
61%
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and time-consuming, with many players feeling that it requires an excessive investment of time to achieve 100% completion or to master certain challenges. While some players appreciate the quick retries and engaging gameplay, others find the repetitive nature of grinding frustrating, particularly in harder modes or when attempting speedruns. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly among players, with enjoyment largely dependent on individual tolerance for repetition and engagement with the game's narrative and mechanics.
- “Interacting with others was not tedious and was actually fun seeing the unique interactions you can have with others, which can impact the story.”
- “It's tough but not tedious.”
- “Beautiful art, the gameplay is very smooth, levels are hard, but not tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The gameplay can become tedious at times, but for it being a you-die-once-you-gotta-do-it-all-over-again game, you're asking for the rage as soon as you buy it.”
- “The story seems reasonably interesting, and the presentation is pretty stylish, but to me the actual gameplay mostly just comes off as tedious.”
character development
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
41%
8%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while many reviewers praise the memorable and imaginative character designs, they note that the depth of character development is often lacking, with some characters receiving minimal background. However, certain characters, particularly the protagonist, exhibit significant growth throughout the narrative, enhancing player connection to the story. Overall, the game's rich narrative and unique art style contribute positively to the character development experience, despite some critiques regarding its depth.
- “The narrative is rich with unexpected twists and deep character development, making every moment intriguing.”
- “It's a beautiful game, with a beautiful (and emotional) story, beautiful character development, and beautifully created gameplay.”
- “I absolutely loved this game, the unique character development and the difficulty of the gameplay always had me hooked and felt some connection with the characters.”
- “I wish it was longer and more developed to the point of being a serious RPG with hours of content, story, and character development.”
- “Katana Zero: fast-paced trial and error massacre => beat up but cozy sanctuary => weird vision => quick skippable human interaction/character development => fast-paced trial and error massacre => .... as it progresses it deviates more and more.”
- “I understand the protagonist lives in squalor and barely has anything to his name, but even hearing him muse upon items around his abode or talking to himself would have assisted in the character development.”
optimization
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
57%
9%
Overall, the optimization of the game is highly praised, with users reporting smooth performance across various systems, including low-end hardware. While most players experienced no bugs or glitches, some noted minor issues on the Switch, such as a rare startup crash. The game’s controls, however, received mixed feedback, with some players finding them poorly designed by default, necessitating customization for optimal performance.
- “Performance was solid throughout and I didn't come across any bugs or glitches.”
- “The game ran flawlessly for me on my machine, and given its non-intensive nature, I doubt you'll have any issues with the game's performance either.”
- “The optimization of this game was so enjoyable even when playing through my first time and retrying rooms to get them perfect.”
- “The controls are terribly designed by default, leaving you to either suffer once you try to do multiple inputs at once, or customize things to allow proper performance.”
- “The switch has little performance issues, however I have had an instance where the game crashes on startup, but this only occurred once.”
- “While the game is not that long overall, this speedrunning aspect and all possible optimizations can really expand the replay value.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
5%
79%
Overall, the game's stability received mixed reviews. While many players reported a smooth experience with no bugs or glitches, some noted occasional issues, particularly in late-game scenarios, such as UI disappearance and freezing during scene transitions. Despite these inconsistencies, a significant number of users praised the game for its solid performance and lack of major technical problems.
- “The game is almost completely bug-free as far as I can tell, and keeps you interested with the story.”
- “Runs great with macOS 10.14.6 on my mid-2012 Mac Pro.”
- “Runs smoothly, no glitches.”
- “Late game got a little buggy at times, the new characters dash would sometimes not go through or the UI would disappear.”
- “Freezes when loading new scenes and stages, which I find inexplicable for a 2D game on a modern laptop with a good graphics card.”
- “Buggy as hell.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
14%
71%
The monetization model of the game is generally viewed positively, as it avoids the pitfalls of excessive in-game purchases and DLCs common in many modern titles. However, some players feel that the brevity of the game, coupled with hints of future episodes, suggests a potential cash grab lacking substantial content. Overall, while the price point is appreciated, there are concerns about transparency regarding the game's narrative and monetization strategy.
- “The price point and monetization model are fair and transparent.”
- “It's short, sure, but it's not like other games that try to drain your wallet with useless in-game purchases and DLCs, costing $60 for just finishing it and leaving you with a raw, dry feeling.”
- “Add to that the interstitial tickling of further 'episodes' and you have a transparent cash grab without the required substance to back it up.”
- “The advertising on the Steam page for the game, at the time of writing, is far from upfront about the narrative intent.”