Samurai II: Vengeance Review: On a Throne of Blood

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Even more so than with old console or PC games, returning to play the mobile games of the past can often set one up for a rude awakening. Given that, it’s all the more impressive that Madfinger Games’s bloody, beautiful action game Samurai II: Vengeance remains such an enthralling and gorgeous experience in 2022, over a decade since its initial release.

Following a simple revenge plot, Samurai II: Vengeance follows Daisuke, a fearless warrior who is relentlessly hunting down the mythical Japanese demon Orochi. This journey will take Daisuke (and players) from idyllic seaside villages to massive airships to the very shores of the afterlife itself.

Though most things about Samurai II: Vengeance are great, it especially shines in its presentation. The game may be old, but it doesn’t look it; the gorgeous cel-shaded art style employed here stands the test of time. With its floating cherry blossoms and giant torii gates, a screenshot from Samurai II could easily be mistaken for one from the Capcom classic Okami—as long as you ignore all the bloodshed, at least.

If anything, the game’s dazzling visual style just made me wish that there were a greater variety of locales making use of it. Daisuke’s journey may be epic, but most of the game’s seven chapters end up following a similar, strictly linear path of mountains, hills, villages, elevators, and so on. The times when the game mixes up the formula—such as when one elevator ride pulls you down towards a massive river of lava—are its standout moments, and I wanted more of them.

That same concern with variety extends to enemies as well. It makes sense in a samurai game that most of your opponents will be, you know, other dudes with swords. The main thrust (heh) of Samurai II’s gameplay is proving that you wield your razor-sharp katana better than the hordes of opponents who stand in your way.

But most of those opponents not only look but act identically. There’s the basic enemies who brandish a single sword; there’s bigger armored enemies who soak up more damage and can block your blows; dual-wielding foes attack faster and can spin in deadly circles as a special attack; and archers pepper you with arrows from afar. Even the rare boss encounter against a massive enemy equipped with a colossal cleaver is repeated numerous times.

There are two points that save Samurai II from its lack of variety. First and foremost: combat is just so much fun. The game’s touchscreen controls are simple, consisting of a dodge, heavy attack, and light attack, but they’re also some of the most responsive combat controls I’ve ever experienced in a mobile game. I wasn’t able to test Samurai II: Vengeance with a controller, but I never felt stung for the lack of a “real” controller either. The closest I came to frustration was when the game’s aggressive auto-targeting would aim my character towards a different enemy than I wanted, moving me away from a nearly-dead archer to slam against one of the armored dudes, for example. But even in those scenarios, it was so easy and smooth to roll away and get myself situated again that I never felt too frustrated.

The second saving grace for Samurai II: Vengeance is its pacing. While Daisuke may be covering some major miles, the game jaunts along quite speedily; each chapter only lasts maybe ten to fifteen minutes, and the whole game can be easily conquered in a few hours. This may sound bad if you’re looking for something to sink your teeth into long-term, but for the purposes of this story and this style of game, it’s absolutely ideal. I never stuck around one area long enough to get bored, and by the time that I started really getting annoyed by seeing the same enemy types over and over, I hit credits and was done with the game.

Of course, if you want to keep playing, there are some extras to keep you busy. Samurai II: Vengeance has three difficulty options to play on, a bevy of achievements to unlock, and a dojo challenge mode where you can fight through increasingly difficult waves of enemies on a static stage. There’s also some light RPG-style character progression. As you work through levels and collect "karma," you can spend it increasing Daisuke’s health bar and his access to more complex combo attacks. Don’t expect to find a long grind here, though. I had purchased almost every upgrade available by the time I arrived in the final level.

Perhaps the short length and lack of variety is the primary place where Samurai II: Vengeance shows its age. If that’s the case, though, it’s not much to be ashamed of. If you had told me that this game came out in 2022, I’d still be impressed; for a title that actually released in 2010, I can barely believe how excellent and high quality it is. If, like me, you missed Samurai II: Vengeance when it arrived years ago, don’t worry. Now is as good a time as ever to jump into this blood-soaked tale of retribution.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Dark Souls and other combat-focused third-person action games. Samurai II: Vengeance doesn’t have the depth or difficulty to match the Souls games, but fans of that style of dodge-heavy combat will find a lot to like to the rhythm of battles here.

• Akira Kurosawa movies. I’m not going to pretend like Samurai II: Vengeance has a deep or touching narrative, but the subject matter and general tone matches some of Kurosawa’s best, such as Seven Samurai and Ran—as does the way the game mixes beautiful visuals with intense bloodshed.

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