Genji: Days of the Blade Review

This review originally appeared in E171, January 2007.

Massive damage. Giant enemy crabs. Realtime weapon change. The wave of internet in-jokes that followed on from Sony's awkward 2006 E3 conference felt at times particularly cruel, with the bulk of them aimed at this sequel to one of the most delicate and hospitable sword-action titles on the PS2. But it's hard to maintain an affronted stance against such cyber-mockery, not when Days Of The Blade is so lacking in the sparkle and accessibility of the original.

It still has plenty of flourish and showy beauty about its period samurai-fantasy style; its forests, rivers and temples are handsomely hazy and weapons are expertly crafted, as are the outfits worn by the game's characters - even if those stood in them appear as waxy mannequins, an affliction that, thankfully, doesn't spread to the lavish CG cutscenes. The fixed camera is more intimate than before and rarely ventures above head height - and often obstructively so. The battlefields flock with enemies, meaning that the careful, crisp countering aspect of the original is all but off the menu; it's an approach that results in more impressive scenes, but is messy with it, prickling you with plenty of unseen attacks. The Kamui mode is now completely different, and no longer acts as teaching tool for counterattacks; instead of placing you in a slow-mo astral plane where button prompts allow you to dodge, parry and fatally counter, it throws you at each foe in turn with a flurry of blows executed by following button-press patterns. Some of the longer combos are capable of building into something gratifying, but the system now feels completely detached, however eyecatching its backdrop.

Also new are the character and weapon swaps, the latter giving you the option of two, the former allows instant switching between all four protagonists (see ëFour thought'). Weapon switching isn't as flexible or deft as that of Devil May Cry 3, but it does add more function, if not grace, to attack strings, and character substitution is aided by the split-second of breathing space given upon swapping. Outside of this, however, characters - with the exception of Yoshitsune, the face of Genji, who's still capable of dazzling - are difficult to use in a satisfying manner. Patience is needed to tease out their strengths, which can feel frustrating on such a crowded canvas. It's certainly got strong production in its favour, but needs better direction - what's been gained in grunt and intensity has been lost in terms of poise and refinement, resulting in an uncomfortable middle ground between truly outrageous action and the disciplined choreography of the original. [5]