- Must we fight?
- Yes. You're treacherous. You made a fool of me.
- Don't get so mad. I couldn't help it.


I really wanted to begin this review with a haiku, Jin would probably have preferred but the stylish dynamism this game provides led my honorable path to the Kurosawa legacy, the legendary Japanese director this game is heavily inspired by. Everything is so incredibly cinematic and true. Both the story and locations depicted are an evident love letter to Japan and its culture, it is so satifying to save a little town from the invaders and then relax in one of the sparse onsen's or to calmly compose haiku's. It also invites you to wander in its woods, lakes and prairies and lose yourself in pure wanderlust.
On the technical side the inspiration from other games, especially Assassin's Creed is clear but the combat is pretty complex and unique. The game is also short enough not to become boring or a chore like other open world games, even if secondary missions can become a tad repetitive on the long run. The music is top notch to say the least,and is always on point in every situation.
Is this game perfect? Not at all, but it's an amazing experience I absolutely recommend. And there is even a button to take a bow:) ("6" if you play with keyboard + mouse)

(If you're curious about the quote at the beginning, please check this extract from Sanjuro (1962, Kurosawa), where it's clear where the inspiration for duels in this games came from.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkkF6Zz67TE


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3404711114