Way of the Samurai (2002)

Developer: ACQUIRE Corp.
Publisher: Spike, BAM! Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 3.7 of 5, 16 player ratings
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A taut, consequence-heavy sandbox where every alliance forged or sword drawn shifts the fate of a dying era, demanding careful decisions from a lone wanderer caught between rival powers.

choice-driventensehistoricalmethodicalreplayablemorally ambiguouscombat-focuseddeliberate

About

In 1878, the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogun Age and the rise of the Meiji Restoration Era brought an end to the Age of Samurai. Way of the Samurai puts you in the role of a wandering samurai who is drawn into a conflict between the Kurofu family and the Akadama Clan over an iron foundry. As you meet with both sides of the dispute, you can use deception, betrayal, or combat to shape the outcome of the conflict. Pick up dozens of different swords, each representing a different fighting style.

Screenshots

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More by Kadokawa Corporation

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.