Genndy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack cartoon has a lot of cool things going for it: a unique look, smart stories, good sound design, and tons of action. The Samurai Jack game, however, has none of the above. The conversion of Tarakovsky's two-dimensional characters to three dimensions makes for graphics that look familiar, yet still crappy. Where the show looks lush, the game looks bland. But the graphics aren't the only dull aspect of this title.
As with the show, The Shadow of Aku follows Samurai Jack's quest to defeat the evil demon Aku by travelling back in time to thwart him before he can rise to power. Before he can head into the past, Jack has to free those Aku has enslaved. In each stage, Jack must seek out caged villagers and ancient relics to earn power-ups. Freeing villagers can earn Jack new swords, while relics can be exchanged for more life, power, or Zen (which allows Jack to enter "sakai mode" – basically a simplified bullet time). The trouble is that none of these power-ups have any real effect on gameplay. The various swords all appear to dish out basically the same amount of damage.
Like most licensed games, The Shadow of Aku is a collect-a-thon with simple combat, basic platforming, and little innovation. This isn't a truly bad game, just a very uninspired one. The various combat systems all work perfectly, they're just shallow and a bit counter-intuitive. The difficulty level is hilariously low; on the hardest setting, it's still a cakewalk, on the lowest, it can be easily completed by someone in a coma. Strangely, young kids don't seem to be this title's target audience, based on the Teen rating. Overall, The Shadow of Aku comes across as an amazingly generic action title. It's a shame, as Samurai Jack is easily one of the most unique cartoons on the air today, so this could have been so much more.
Concept: Take a Cartoon Network hero, dumb him down, and shove him in a generic third-person action title
Graphics: The look is pretty faithful to the show, which sadly doesn't make for a good-looking game
Sound: The music, sound effects, and voiceovers are all pretty minimal and forgettable
Playability: The slightly bizarre control scheme works just fine, but it isn't exactly deep
Entertainment: Even Samurai Jack fans will find themselves yawning through this one
Replay: Low
Rated: 6 out of 10 Editor: Jeremy Zoss Issue: May 2004
2nd Opinion: Every single one of the four points I'm giving this game is for the animations seen in sakai mode. Sakai, apparently, makes time slow down and allows Jack to execute some really nice kung fu-inspired moves. But to be kind, the rest of Samurai Jack's latest outing is less than inspiring. There are hub worlds. I really thought that we were past all of that sometime back in 2001. I don't want my missions doled out by ungrateful villagers in such a predictable and linear fashion. In addition, although the look of the game kind of resembles the show, it ends up just looking gross.
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Introduction- Being a Samurai Jack fan since day one of it's presense, my review here may seem a bit biased. I'll try to be objective as possible. Development- When I initially became aware of this game, I heard it endured quite a tough development, making my appreciation for the game moreso in it's release at all. After I heard of the switch and that the team heading production was now SEGA of America, I was very excited. SEGA is responsible for creating some of the best action platformers ever, especially the new Sonic Heroes. I knew SEGA would be true to Jack's inherient sleek action style and lovely spontaneous humor that never dissapoints. I am not dissapointed. Shadow of Aku retains the unique feel and qualities of the show while basing the games interaction mainly around pure Samurai Jack action. Control- Sakai mode, which is the games slow-motion feature, allows for recreation of stunning Jack show visuals. The combo system utilized is nothing short of extraordinary. It is used in conjunction with Sakai mode and give the player the ablity to literally immerse themself in the Samurai Jack universe while performing a vast array of Jack moves. Control only falls short when Jack jumps and attempts to land. Each forward jump and landing requires the forward directional button to be released at exactly the right time, or Jack will take a step forward. This only makes control difficult for hopping moving platforms. Story- The story line is pretty sparce, which could be viewed as a flaw. I believe however that due to the action oriented nature of this game that too much story line would draw from the intensity and break the continuity of the game. This is not saying that the game is without Jackness, in fact it is beaming brightly with Jack traits and humor. Graphics- I've heard several rumours that Shadow of Aku is Cel-shaded, but I have confirmed otherwise. Jack's graphics are superior and breathtaking, especially while combo's are being performed. Scenery stays very detailed even while action is ridiculosly heavy. Fog only appears in respect to the Samurai Jack universe and does not cover detail. Jack's animation stays fluid and constant. In few words, the graphics are very impressive. Sound- Beautifully orchestrated and truely complimenting to the feel of Shadow of Aku. Being a musician myself, I appreciate the time spent in creating rather long peices which capture the atomosphere of an area well and loop seemlessly. Sound effects and music blend well and never pose an annoyance. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially when the trademark Jack Techno and Orchestra elements blend for action sequences. Saving- Arrgh, okay. This is probably the most frustrating portion of the game. I'm not sure if the different versions of this game for other systems have the same delay in saving as the this version, but it certain poses an annoyance on the GameCube. The game loads very quickly, but saving is a different matter. Saving occurs after a level and before a level. Each save requires an unusually lengthy amount of time, sometimes in excess of 1 minute. This is aggrivating and heavily hinders the brilliant and well-planned pacing of the game. I suppose patience is key here, but it shouldn't be so... Overall- This game in few words is genious and beautifully executed. The graphics are smooth (especially while in Sakai mode), the control is delicate and transition between CGI elements and actual gameplay are virtually seemless. Recommended buy. I bought this title the day it was released, I suggest you do the same. Afterall, you do have the ability to randomly open portals to different points in time, don't you... Aku?! -draws sword-
Samarai Jack is cool with his Sakai mode windmill attacks. But he slashes many bugs, and free the green captives. I find the game needing Sage stage levels. It is fun, but there's gotta be more to the game than destroying aku's giant statue. I want to explore the world hub saved by his animated travels. The flame sword rocks, and I hear there are certain cheats where he attains the Ice Blade. So far I don't know how to play it.
