The code of the samurai espoused chivalry, frugality, loyalty, blah, blah, blah…
…Happily Mad Finger Games do away with any unneeded moralistic mumbo jumbo in favour of intense, super-violent swordplay for their take on the samurai epic. Contols are intuitive, Tap and swipe to hack ‘n’ slash your way through the vibrant, cell-shaded game world, leaving a trail of dismembered enemies in your wake.
Combos = maximum carnage, and are easily pulled off by zig-zagging your finger around the screen. Herein lies the game’s brilliance, but also its downside: stylish moves are instantly accessible – you’ll grin from ear to ear the first time you slice a baddie in half, splattering blood on the camera – yet as a result combat is also disappointingly shallow.
Samurai soon gets a bit repetitive. Hack. Slash. Repeat, being all that’s on offer gameplay wise. While, given the control input, your finger often obscures a lot of the onscreen action.
However, the gratuitous violence and gorgeous presentation far outweighs these minor complaints and the title is mostly great fun. In short, Quentin Tarantino doesn’t make iPhone games, but if he did, they’d probably be a lot like Samurai: Way of the Warrior.
iFanzine Verdict: 7 out of 10