Katana Zero
If Katana Zero doesn’t raise your pulse then nothing will. This adrenaline-pumping Samurai action game is mercilessly difficult and brutally violent. It bursts from the screen in gorgeous pixel art highlighted with a bright neon color palette that screams the 1980s, and the soundtrack is a suitably retro synth score that pounds away as you slash and slice your way through each level.
If you liked Hotline Miami then this is a game that should be front and center on your radar. In many ways, it feels like a side-scrolling version of that iconic game, built around many of the same core design principles.
Yet Katana Zero is very much its own entity, featuring a time-bending mechanic that means there’s much more to the experience than simply blasting through levels cutting enemies down. It’s a blend of fast-paced action and careful strategy, which we’ve broken down in a more extended preview after our time with the game at this year’s PAX East.
You won’t have long to wait to get your own hands on Katana Zero, which launches on PC and Nintendo Switch next week, April 18.
