Developer: Genki
Publisher: Majesco Games
Genre: Fighting
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 11 Sep 07

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

I am always up for some samurai action - there is nothing like the feel of a sword slashing through an enemies body, well at least virtually speaking. However the swords and samurai's haven't always gotten the best treatment on the consoles, with a lot of pretenders hoping to capture the glory that was the art of a samurai but many times reduced to a simple button masher. Today we are checking out Kengo: Legend of the 9 for the Xbox 360, which hopes to become a great samurai action game. How does it turn out? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

I am just going to flat out say it, Kengo: Legend of the 9 was one of those titles that I had heard literally nothing about. I received a few press releases, and a few image packs, but there wasn't much in the way of media attention given to the game. However when you pick up Kengo: Legend of the 9 you can see that it may not be a game really worth getting worked up about. First and foremost, Kengo is one of those games that I feel never really got a great identity out of the gate. As in when the developers were putting together a story board of what they wanted for this game was it going to be an action game, a fighting game, or an adventure game? And I think the three all got blended into one in Kengo, and unfortunately not for great results.

So like I said, Kengo: Legend of the 9 has a bit of an identity crisis going on and I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but the fact of the matter is, it's there and it's a big problem. You start the main mode by selecting a character from the initially available three, and then be able to unlock the next six as you complete the game with each of the first few characters. So this sounds great right, you have three characters, each with a unique style, unique quest, a complete new adventure. This is all sounds great - if only it all actually worked.

So the fact of the matter is, the setup for the game's main mode is all there and it seems like it might make for a pretty entertaining experience. Wrong. So when you start off with each character, a text script tells a bit about them, then you're dropped into the game. You will go through a handful (around thirty) of what I consider faceless, nameless, dull half-hearted opponents. You get through them, a small cut-scene begins and you take on the level's boss. Once you beat the boss you're taken to the character details screen where you can upgrade your character, all of which has very little impact on the game whatsoever. And then you're back doing the same thing over again until you complete that character's quest. And really it is then rinse and repeat.

It is a shame that the main mode wasn't more interesting, but really that is exactly what it is like for each character. There are some slight differences in the way each character plays, and the style that they fight in but all in all its just really a very bland experience. There are some modes outside of the main mode that include a mission mode and a wannabe online mode that doesn't actually let you play online. It's a long story, but let's just save time and say it's a big disappointment.

Oh and by the way did I mention that the game has a really slow pace? The game goes for a bit more realistic approach to the whole samurai aspect, something that should really be the highlight of the experience. However the game has no tutorials, and thus you just jump in and try to figure out how to pull off some of the cool moves that the game can do. But even if you learn some of the more interesting moves, the slower pace really drags out the experience from what it could have been.

Graphics

Visually the game has one strong point, which is the character models. The samurais all look unique and carry a good deal of detail. Outside of the nine samurai's the rest of the character models are extremely bland and lack any sort of personality or detail. The environments are by far the ugly sheep of the game, with too many invisible walls (I thought we were past this) and a lot of blocky textures throughout many of the environments, another bad sign.

Fun Factor

I have never not been excited about playing a samurai game, the potential is always there. However with Kengo: Legend of the 9 you just get thrown into the main mode with no idea what to expect (no tutorial or instruction) and just start battling nameless foes. The game is just such a clockwork style experience that it's hard to really get excited or into a game that you know that you have to get through thirty drones to get to the boss, and do the same thing on the next level. So much for innovation?

Overall

I can't say enough how disappointed I was with the final results of Kengo: Legend of the 9. There is so much potential for a realistic samurai title that it's hard to see something going much worse than this. There are some nice combos, some good boss fights, and some pretty character models, and that's about it. Unless you're a fan of the previous games, I would say you're better off giving this one a miss.

Gameplay
5.0

Graphics
5.0

Fun Factor
4.0

Overall
5.0

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