Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time for Xbox One review — A hack and slash adventure that maintains the artistic integrity of the cartoon

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Aku Evil Smile Source: Windows Central

I was a tween when the Samurai Jack cartoon first aired on Boob tube. It fascinated me with its unique blitheness style, dramatic scenes, and lengthy boxing sequences. The bear witness'southward first four seasons ran on Drawing Network from 2001 through 2003 and told the tale of the titular Samurai Jack, who was out to destroy the evil demon, Aku. Yet, the demon opened a portal and sent the Samurai into the future where Aku's evil power flourished. Throughout the serial, Jack sought to brand it back to the past so he could put an end to the evil demon. Forth the fashion, he met many different people and engaged with several dissimilar cultures.

The 4th flavour ended without concluding Jack's story. But then in 2022, Adult Swim picked up the testify and gave fans some proper closure within the fifth and final season. Now, three years afterwards, Adult Swim Games has released Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, an chance-fighting game that revisits many of the show's iconic locations and allows players to accept part in Jack'due south quest to destroy the evil Aku.

Demon slayer

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Xbox

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time

Lesser line: Samurai Jack: Battle Through Fourth dimension is a hack and slash adventure with a few platforming elements. If you like taking on punishingly difficult hordes of enemies and proving your fighting prowess, you'll enjoy this game.

Pros

Stays true to the show
Cute art management
Enough of weapon types
Challenging combat

Cons

Very repetitive
Plot is confusing for newcomers

Samurai Jack: Boxing Through Time What I like

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Hair Down Source: Windows Central

Plays like the show Dramatic cutscenes and battles

Category	Game
Title	Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
Developer	Adult Swim Games
Publisher	Developed Swim Games
Genre	Action, Fighting, Risk, Platformer
Play Fourth dimension	8 - 10 hours
Players	1 Actor
Launch Price	$40

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time opens with a classic 2nd cutscene that makes you lot feel like you're watching the original cartoon and then transitions into the 3D fine art style employed throughout the game. Many of the 3D cutscenes maintain the artistic integrity of the original show by doing shut-ups on Jack's face, positioning characters in dynamic means for key shots, or splitting the screen during intense situations to give that dramatic comic-book-like view of two or more than characters at once.

Fifty-fifty the battle sequences remind me of the cartoon. There are situations where you're set up upon by a massive horde of Drone Beetles, and Jack slices through them similar butter. But so when the number of enemies whittles down, the fighting becomes more challenging, and Jack can no longer destroy them with one swing. I love how the game recreates those intense battles scenes and actually makes it a challenge to defeat the bosses.

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Aku Source: Windows Central

Jack had various high and low points throughout the drawing serial, which was emphasized by his advent. The game pays homage to this by irresolute the samurai'south looks equally he takes damage. If your health is total, Jack looks pristine with his hair upward and his clothes bright white. But every bit he gets hit, his gi becomes stained and ripped, his face becomes dirty, and his hair flows loose. This also helps serve as a visual cue when fighting, so your optics don't need to be continually darting towards your health bar in the center of an intense battle.

Brutally hard gainsay For those who like a challenge

You take to call up a little more critically when you set on then as not to waste a powerful, rare tool on a common enemy.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is not for the casual actor. The game offers iv dissimilar difficulty levels (ane of which must be unlocked), and they are all rather difficult. The difficulty massively increases as y'all make your mode to the ninth and final level. Y'all will likely die several times throughout Jack'southward journey. Fortunately, you can replay levels to earn experience points, acquire specific weapons, observe subconscious items, and unlock new powers in Jack's skill tree.

Jack has admission to two types of weapons: ranged weapons and close combat weapons. Ranged weapons consist of things similar bows and arrows, guns, throwing knives, and shuriken, while his shut combat weapons consist of things like hammers, spears, fists, and swords. The sheer number of possible tools helps provide different ways of defeating your enemies and keeps things interesting.

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Hair Stage Clear Source: Windows Fundamental

Jack can buy some weapons from his old rival, Da Samurai. However, other weapons tin can only exist acquired if Jack's foes should happen to drib them. The thing is, bated from the holy sword, these tools suspension over time. Some weapons work more than effectively confronting specific foes than others, so you take to think a little more critically when yous attack so as not to waste a powerful, rare tool on a common enemy. Should ane of your favorite tools pause, you can replay past levels and try to gain another 1.

While on that subject area, upon completing a level, a bill of fare pops up showing your functioning stats. They include how long information technology took yous to crush the level, how many enemies you defeated along the style, how many items you used, how many times you relied on continues, and finally, your high score for beating that level. If you lot're the competitive, completionist type, yous'll become plenty of replay value out of running through each of the nine levels multiple times on your quest to go perfect scores.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time What I don't similar

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Giant Beetle Source: Windows Fundamental

This championship is intended for preexisting Samurai Jack fans since the plot banks on the fact that you're already familiar with the show's 5th season. Equally yous play, the game hardly explains any of the grapheme's relationships or backstories. Every bit such, the game's story will exist confusing for any newcomers or those who haven't watched the show in a long time.

Repetitive gameplay Non-terminate fighting

Running from 1 fight scene to the next for hours upon stop gets one-time real quick.

Granted, Samurai Jack has ever been about ballsy battles and over-the-top enemies. Withal, running from one fight scene to the next for hours upon end gets old existent quick. I would take liked the game amend if information technology had split upwards the fighting sequences with more than puzzles or more than places to explore. While there are some secrets to uncover, Jack is kept on a narrow path. It doesn't allow for much exploration and moves from ane horde-infested room to the next in each level. If that's your kind of thing, groovy for yous. I but found it a bit wearisome.

Boss fights are a welcome change to the regular onslaught. Each one has its own fighting style and is all-time defeated using unlike tactics. Yet, you also square off confronting Aku's true-blue retainer, Demongo, in every level. The boxing is basically the same every fourth dimension and just feels like a cheap throw-in. The tertiary time I faced Demongo, I was bored to tears and couldn't wait for the boxing to be over. Encountering him merely got worse after that.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time Should y'all buy information technology?

Samurai Jack: Boxing Through Time does an fantabulous job of staying true to the artistic management of the bear witness, especially given that it's pulling iconic 2D imagery into a 3D infinite. Much like the cartoon, this game focuses primarily on hacking and slashing Jack'south way through any given area. There are a few platforming elements thrown in, but the confines of Jack's bodily walking infinite brand exploration a very limited ordeal.

If you love testing your fighting skills and enjoy punishing combat, so Samurai Jack'due south latest adventure will exist right up your aisle. The game starts off easily enough but then steeply increases in difficulty as you progress through each level. The fighting does get very repetitive. But, since Jack employs many different weapons and can widen his abilities using a skill tree, you lot tin can take on foes using completely different tactics every bit you progress further into the story. Still, due to the overall difficulty level, this game is best meant for more intense players.

Demon slayer

Samurai Jack Battle Through Time Xbox

Samurai Jack: Boxing Through Fourth dimension

Defeat Aku's hordes

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a hack and slash hazard with a few platforming elements. If you like taking on punishingly hard hordes of enemies and proving your fighting prowess, you'll enjoy this game.

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