Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 68 | 9 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 61% | 60 | 207 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 3 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (18)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is likely going to still be a cult classic like its predecessors. This experiment has proven to be a huge success. Even gamers who are turned off by the words 'procedurally-generated' and 'roguelike,' might actually enjoy this new take on ronin simulation. It is mostly elevated thanks to the combat, and the attention to detail of choices that can be made to tip the scales in one's favour. Don't expect something like Ninja Gaiden 2, since the combat here is more methodical and gritty.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It's just not good enough for a game that revolves around loot and item management.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Despite decent music and my love for samurai games, I cannot recommend Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story. There is little pay-off to finishing the game, aside from a cut scene and a new post-game dungeon. The bugs and clunky menus encountered along the way make the journey an absolute slog. There are better roguelites, loot-driven RPGs, and samurai games out there.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Basically, this is a PS2 game running on the PS4 with a veneer of next-gen graphics. In 2020, that's unacceptable even as a throwback to a different era. To come full circle, the idea for Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is solid. The execution is not.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“You don't need to love Way of the Samurai to love Katana Kami, it stands out on its own merits, and it does so brilliantly. Through its addicting gameplay loop to its humour, refined combos, and great range of weapons, you find yourself losing hour upon hour. It is great fun, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody wanting a bit of randomly generated dungeon crawling action.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“You’re not going to blown away by Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story. Don’t expect it to amaze you in any way. It is, however, a very enjoyable dungeon crawler that’s very easy to sink time into.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“No one should play this. Whatever your genre or thematic preference, there are assuredly several better options.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Katanakami: A Way of the Samurai Story is on the easier side of the spectrum for a Mystery Dungeon title, but the way it infuses the genre with decent swordplay.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story will most likely not satisfy fans looking for the next Way of the Samurai, due to the smaller scale and its genre.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story manages to balance, in a very competent way, a simple, dense and efficient gameplay with a differentiated system of resource and objective management. It brings a very direct story that has its greatest asset in the setting. Menus, canvas elements and even the artistic style bring good ideas, but they also present some problems, and the repetition of iterations can be more tiring than it should.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Katana Kami: A Way Of The Samurai Story attempts to bring back a beloved PS2 franchise with a new twist. However, its lackluster execution and heavy repetitiveness leaves very little excitement in its wake. Fans might find some appeal here, but only consider this game if you're looking for a repetitive and simplistic dungeon crawler.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Way of the Samurai returns with a smaller, more restrained, spin-off title that's an interesting experiment of how it would fare as an isometric roguelite, yet it never manages to capitalize on its ambitious gameplay systems.”
read full review ↗
Cubed3
Push Square
Worth Playing
Game Freaks 365
GBAtemp
GameSpew
RPG Fan
Wccftech
DarkZero
PSX Brasil
PlayStation Universe
RPG Site…and 6 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- [2020/03/26]PATCH NOTESMar 26, 2020
- [2020/03/04]PATCH NOTESMar 5, 2020