Gold fever is hitting the 3DS in a big way. First with New Super Mario Bros. 2, and now Samurai G. As the lone samurai Tetsuo, it’s up to you to protect Tengu’s gold from Warlord Fuma and his army of evil warriors and ninjas. A Tengu is a crow monster from Japanese myths and legends, and if his magical gold falls into the wrong hands, Feudal Japan could be done for. Help Tetsuo collect the gold and defeat enemies in this simplistic arcade style hack and slash running game downloadable on the 3DS eShop.

In the game, you continuously dash forward. You can jump over obstacles and traps on the ground, or use your blade to slash enemies and deflect ninja throwing stars. Gold coins are scattered about as well for you to collect. Gather enough and you’ll be able to transform into the Shining Samurai, who can run faster, has longer reaching attacks, and temporary invincibility. In Normal Mode, you can transform as long as you have some gold. But in Advanced Mode, you’ll have to pocket 100 or more coins first.

When you are defeated, the game will mark how far you ran with a tombstone. On subsequent playthroughs, if you pass this tombstone you can choose to use it to refill some of your energy, or skip it for a later run. So there is a bit of strategy involved. There are also in-game achievements for you to try and earn, too. The only problem I had with this game is that they don’t give you a lot of warning before a trap is laid and ninja stars are hard to see, so the game is needlessly difficult. I would say another problem is the overly simplistic gameplay, but considering the game only costs two bucks to download, it’s not that bad in retrospect.

Kid Factor:

Samurai G is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Blood and Violence. You do slash enemies with a sword and splashes of blood can be seen, but that’s it. Really the best reason why this game is better for older players is the high level of difficulty. It’s a bit of a stretch, but the game could also be somewhat educational as it might encourage players to learn more about Japanese folklore. Maybe.

Tags: Game Reviews