Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time Review

In a year filled with a lot of cynicism, misfortunes, and disappointing titles come Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, a game that surprised me by being one of the most fun and engaging games I’ve played this year. Samurai Jack is a title most adults, and even kids, know from its legacy of being one of the most thrilling pieces of media on television. The animated show spawned two earlier games on the Gameboy and PlayStation 2, respectively and not much else since.

A Pleasant Similarity

This year, however, developer Soleil and Adult Swim brings us Battle Through time, a game set in the same period as the fifth and final season of the show but with some deviation from the original plot. After the final battle between Jack, Ashi and Aku, instead of a well-deserved victory, Jack is separated from Ashi and is sent back in time…. again. So to reunite with Ashi, Jack will have to fight through many of Aku’s minions and obstacles all over again.

Much like the fifth season, the game introduces many fan-favorite characters and locations right from the get-go with Jack having to go through multiple waves of familiar enemies and even some friends hypnotized by Aku, and in order to free them, he’ll have to defeat them in elaborate boss battles.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time gives the impression that it’s a game made for fans of the show by fans of the show. Everything is faithful to the series, including Jack’s look, his voice, and his surroundings. Just like the show, the more damage Jack takes, the more his clothes get torn; however, once you heal, it goes back to its default state. While this is an outrageous part of the game, it was a welcomed one nonetheless. The only thing difference between the two is the game’s smooth 3D visuals.

However, while the visuals are pretty in a unique sort of way, they tend to be a bit too smooth at times, making some of the character models look like plastic.

The Language of Combat

Gameplay-wise, the game has a lot more depth than you’d expect. Players can upgrade their skills through three skill trees, namely the Combat Tree; which, as you can guess, levels up Jack’s combat moves, the Spirit Tree; which levels up passive skills and advanced moves, and the Physical Tree; which can be used to unlock additional moves like the double jump.

Later on however, this system starts to get more complicated with the number of different currencies and items thrown at the player throughout the game such as Skill Fire, Bushido, and other jewels in order for them to level up certain tiers. Couple that with gold, which is the main currency and other collectibles, and it all becomes hard to keep track of.

Aside from skills, players can also unlock a large variety of weapons to use other than Jack’s sword, which works for specific scenarios such as spears, hammers, morning stars, and more, including throwable weapons like the shrunken, kunai, bows, and even guns because what’s cooler than a samurai with a machine gun? You can either acquire these weapons from fighting enemies in each level or buying them with gold from Da Samurai. For convenience, players can also assign these weapons to the left or right button on the D-Pad as well as other items.

While the combat system in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is mostly straightforward, some enemies can be tough to defeat by mindlessly hacking and slashing alone, and will need more focus and advanced moves in order to take down effectively. This becomes the norm later in the game, especially with bosses. The difficulty spike was quite jarring at first, but wasn’t too much of an issue as I was sufficiently leveled up with multiple skills, and enough items to help with buffs.

Final Thoughts

While Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time isn’t a blockbuster title with a massive budget behind it, it is still an excellent and faithful adaptation of the magnificent animated series that invokes a lot of nostalgia. It is a game with a lot of heart and fan service, not to mention an incredibly fun combat system that can be played to relax and cool off.  Overall, I enjoyed my time with it both as a fan and a gamer.

This review is based on an early copy provided by the publisher

Are you a fan of The Samurai Jack animated series? Have you played Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.