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SAMURAI MAIDEN

Samurai Maiden’s action may feel generic and its story is lacking but some great characters and interactions help make this anime action game at least a bit enjoyable.
SAMURAI MAIDEN Game Cover
63%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
63% User Score Based on 192 reviews
Critic Score 65%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Steam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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SAMURAI MAIDEN Game Cover

About

SAMURAI MAIDEN is a single player hack and slash game with anime and historical themes. It was developed by SHADE Inc. and was released on December 8, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

A young woman from the 21st century with sharp swordsmanship skills finds herself in Honnō-ji during the Sengoku period! Together with a trio of newfound ninja friends, she races through the Underworld beneath Honnō-ji, confronted by enraged corpses at every turn!

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SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
SAMURAI MAIDEN screenshot
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63%
Audience ScoreBased on 192 reviews
story23 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • The game features a vibrant visual style with well-designed characters and environments, appealing to fans of anime aesthetics.
  • Combat mechanics, while simple, can be enjoyable and rewarding as players unlock new abilities and combos, especially with the Gokage System that allows for team attacks.
  • The character interactions and yuri elements are charming, providing a light-hearted and humorous narrative that balances the serious backdrop of the Sengoku era.
  • The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with limited enemy variety and simplistic combat mechanics that may not satisfy action game enthusiasts.
  • The story is straightforward and often dull, with long dialogue sequences that can detract from the overall pacing and engagement of the game.
  • Censorship issues and a lack of graphical options on PC have frustrated players, leading to complaints about the overall value and quality of the game.
  • story
    137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story centers on the evolving relationships between the protagonist and her companions, with character interactions providing much of its charm despite a straightforward plot. While the narrative explores themes of honor, loyalty, and redemption, it suffers from uneven pacing and convoluted elements, leading to mixed feelings about its execution. Overall, the character-driven storytelling, enhanced by unlockable scenes and side quests, offers a blend of visual novel elements within a hack-and-slash framework, though some players find it lacking in depth and engagement.

    • “Storytelling revolves around the growing bond between the protagonist and her companions.”
    • “The story explores complex relationships between characters, the struggle between tradition and change, and the moral ambiguities of vengeance and justice.”
    • “Each maiden has a distinct backstory and motivations that gradually unfold through dialogue and in-game events.”
    • “The story is very lame and uninteresting.”
    • “The pacing is also pretty awful due to the low production VN storytelling; things don't dynamically happen, models are near static. You won't even fall asleep reading it, you'll get annoyed and wonder when it will end if not skip it outright.”
    • “The story for example is there, it is not annoying but it is not a masterpiece, it is simply average and does take you from point A to B with as few surprises as a story can possibly have.”
  • gameplay
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Samurai Maiden" is characterized by its accessible mechanics and light-hearted tone, appealing to players who enjoy casual hack-and-slash action intertwined with visual novel elements. While the combat can be repetitive and lacks depth, it offers a fun experience for newcomers, with a balanced learning curve and some rewarding moments as players unlock new moves. However, many reviewers noted issues with enemy variety, clunky mechanics, and a heavy reliance on dialogue, leading to a gameplay experience that feels uneven and at times tedious.

    • “It does not aim for deep complexity, but its accessible mechanics, playful tone, and distinctive setting create an experience suited for players who enjoy light anime-style action with an emphasis on teamwork and flair.”
    • “The learning curve is balanced well, offering newcomers accessible mechanics while providing enough depth for experienced players to experiment with advanced moves and strategies.”
    • “Its successful fusion of fast-paced gameplay with rich cultural storytelling makes it a rewarding experience for fans of both anime aesthetics and challenging action games.”
    • “I played for one hour so far and only 15 minutes were spent with actual gameplay.”
    • “It's about 80% talking and 20% gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is far too shallow for the price.”
  • graphics
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Samurai Maiden" are generally praised for their vibrant anime-inspired art style and character design, reminiscent of popular titles like Genshin Impact. However, many users express frustration over the lack of graphical settings, which limits customization and performance optimization, leading to issues like blurriness and poor frame rates on higher resolutions. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, the absence of adjustable graphics options detracts from the experience for some players.

    • “From the moment you step into Samurai Maiden, the game’s art style stands out.”
    • “The graphics are pleasing to look at and the framerate rarely suffers.”
    • “I love the visuals and design of this game; I recommend playing it if you are a fan of anime-style game design.”
    • “The gameplay, visuals, voice acting, and writing all lack polish.”
    • “The fact that there's no resolution and graphics setting is a down vote for me.”
    • “It basically has no graphical options to speak of besides resolution (at least not ones easily accessible) and it has a ridiculous amount of chromatic aberration and a very bad MSAA that honestly just makes everything look blurry, especially at higher resolutions than 1080p.”
  • grinding
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of Samurai Maiden is heavily criticized, with players finding the gameplay tedious and repetitive due to a lack of engaging content and a limited moveset. Many reviewers note that the game forces grinding for materials and upgrades, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. While some acknowledge that the game has potential, the excessive grinding required for progression and upgrades is a significant drawback.

    • “Samurai Maiden is a low-budget JRPG with a generic isekai story and very basic and grindy gameplay.”
    • “The moveset is rather limited, the action simplistic, the story is trite, and the whole thing is grindy as hell with little motivating factors to do so.”
    • “Too much grinding is required for an upgrade.”
  • music
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received positive feedback for its quality and thematic relevance, blending traditional instruments with modern beats to enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is described as catchy and well-suited to the game's aesthetic, some users noted a lack of variety, particularly in the early stages. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, despite some minor criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and the absence of animated openings.

    • “The soundtrack complements this perfectly, with a score that blends traditional instruments with modern beats to heighten the tension and drama of each encounter.”
    • “+ soothing mysterious soundtrack”
    • “Still, for what it's worth, it's a fun game with surprisingly good music that feels like an era that time has forgotten.”
    • “The soundtrack is also fire, although it feels like it doesn't have much variety, at least in the beginning.”
    • “The art style is pretty, there's no graphical options for resolution though, the music is okay.”
    • “I love the characters, style and music but I hope the above can be adjusted.”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth gameplay and decent performance at high settings, while others report significant performance issues, including laggy UI and framerate drops during simple actions. The lack of graphics settings and poor resource management have been highlighted as major drawbacks, suggesting that the game is not well-optimized for PC. Overall, while it offers appealing visuals, the performance inconsistencies detract from the overall experience.

    • “It runs smoothly, onboards you well with the gameplay systems, and must have received an updated translation because Tsugumi will tell you (and her potential girlfriends) all about her being a typical high school girl with nary a mention of 'Gen Z' or whatever.”
    • “On one hand, I was able to play at 4K max settings at around 100 FPS, which is decent, but when you consider that the game looks like it's from a couple generations ago and that the FPS sometimes dips below 60 when doing simple things like walking through a waterfall, it becomes a bit more apparent that this might not be the most optimized experience around.”
    • “There's very little performance difference between Mono and IL2CPP builds in Unity in a lot of cases, and this game is more GPU bound than anything, which makes its use questionable.”
    • “The pretty graphics and accessible gameplay cannot save this game from its awful performance issues.”
    • “So before anything, I don't know what’s going on with this game, but the lack of a graphics settings menu or a performance-vs-resolution mode is warming my PC and causing framerate issues, which is a big problem for an action game.”
    • “Poorly optimized for PC, no graphics settings, and no way to actually exit the game from the game.”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the strong character journeys and wholesome interactions, which resonate with players despite some reliance on familiar tropes. While the story has its flaws, including criticisms of pricing and localization, the likable characters and their consistent motivations evoke genuine emotional responses, making the experience worthwhile for those seeking both skill and emotional engagement.

    • “While the writing sometimes leans on familiar tropes, the emotional weight behind the characters’ journeys keeps players invested.”
    • “While not perfect, the title’s unique charm and solid mechanics make it worth exploring, especially for players who appreciate games that demand both skill and emotional engagement.”
    • “The story is functional, the characters are very likable and they got me legit emotional at times.”
    • “Many people were complaining about it being overpriced, with a boring story, cringe-worthy localized lines, and (mostly) the censorship in photo mode.”
  • character development
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the engaging writing and character designs, others feel that the characters' personalities are forced and lack depth. Overall, the game is praised for its art style and enjoyable gameplay, but the depth of character development remains a point of contention among players.

    • “I'm having a blast playing this game, such a great anime style hack'n'slash, fights are satisfying, not too fast paced but not too slow either. I love being able to call your friends anytime to use their special abilities in both fighting and platforming. The game looks great with gorgeous art style and character design, and the dialogues are quite funny too. I just completed the story mode and I still have side quests, collectibles, and higher difficulty levels to try and earn all the achievements. Such a lovely game!”
    • “Overall it's a great game with great character designs. The hack and slash is a bit simplistic, but there are tons of exploration and side quests to do.”
    • “I really enjoy the writing and character development as well.”
    • “The characters' personalities felt forced and lacked any realistic form of character development.”
  • humor
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by light, character-driven dialogue that adds a comedic touch to the chaotic gameplay. Players appreciate the funny interactions, particularly during cutscenes, and find the humor enhances the overall experience, making it enjoyable alongside the engaging combat and art style. The blend of humor with gameplay elements, such as successful ability combinations, creates memorable and entertaining moments.

    • “Dialogue is light, character-driven, and frequently humorous, balancing out the otherwise chaotic backdrop.”
    • “Gameplay is fun once you start to unlock more and more moves through the album, I enjoy the visual novel aspect during the cutscenes, and the dialogue can be pretty funny at times.”
    • “When you do a successful combination of the three abilities on a single enemy, it's a particle spectacle and also a hilariously long stunlock to various enemies; it's a sight to behold.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment that it relies on advertising rather than delivering a quality experience. Many feel it is designed to appear more appealing than it actually is, with some only purchasing it through discounted bundles.

    • “Beware, this is a cash grab game, made to look like a better game.”
    • “Pretty lame cash grab; good thing I got it in a Humble Bundle.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers significant replayability, with players noting that it can provide around 30 hours of content. The easy-to-learn mechanics and engaging visuals contribute to its fun factor, making it enjoyable to revisit despite a higher price point.

    • “The price is a bit steep, though there is some replay value, and it took me almost 30 hours to get through all its content.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are easy to learn and mindlessly fun. The visuals are stunning and colorful in all the right ways, making it rich in replay value.”
    • “The price is a bit steep, though there is some replay value and it took me almost 30 hours to get through all its content.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive depiction of Sengoku Japan, drawing comparisons to popular anime like Demon Slayer and One Piece's Wano arc, as well as other games such as Devil Summoner and Nioh. Players appreciate the intriguing feudal Japan setting, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.

    • “It’s similar in atmosphere to anime such as Demon Slayer and One Piece’s Wano arc, as well as games such as Devil Summoner: Raidou, Nioh 1 and 2, and The Great Ace Attorney. So if you’re looking for a game with an intriguing feudal Japan setting, this title is definitely up your alley.”
    • “Other than my few difficulty criticisms of the game, it’s really a fun game to go through and I really appreciated the atmosphere of Sengoku Japan.”
    • “It’s similar in atmosphere to anime such as Demon Slayer and One Piece’s Wano arc, as well as games such as Devil Summoner: Raidou, Nioh 1 and 2, and The Great Ace Attorney, so if you’re looking for a game with an intriguing feudal Japan setting, this title is definitely up your alley.”
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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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7h Median play time
7h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

SAMURAI MAIDEN is a hack and slash game with anime and historical themes.

SAMURAI MAIDEN is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing SAMURAI MAIDEN.

SAMURAI MAIDEN was released on December 8, 2022.

SAMURAI MAIDEN was developed by SHADE Inc..

SAMURAI MAIDEN has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

SAMURAI MAIDEN is a single player game.

Similar games include BLUE REFLECTION, Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni, SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS, Valkyrie Elysium, Granblue Fantasy: Relink and others.