There's always tons going on, but the high contrast between resources and bullets helps you keep track of your guy.Why are fighter pilots battling bombers and flying supervillains in the skies over Japan? Who knows: we don't speak Japanese, and only Akai Katana’s ending videos offer subtitles. But that doesn't diminish the excitement of dodging bullets in this wild side-scrolling shooter.
Odd as it may sound, you spend as much time gathering resources as blowing stuff up. In Origin Mode, you use the green energy orbs dropped by damaged enemies to transform your plane into a hovering, bullet-deflecting warrior. You do the same in Slash Mode by holding the fire button, but there you'll also gather blue "steel" orbs by tapping the button instead. Your warrior then forges all that steel into huge swords that do tremendous damage and fill the screen with golden scoring icons.
Phantom Mode attacks can rack up hit counters in the thousands, and turn steel orbs into deadly launchable katanas.It all feels rather complicated at first, but you'll quickly settle into a satisfying groove. Choosing when to switch between plane and warrior forms demands split-second decision-making, and being able to pick one of three planes at the outset — each with unique firing patterns and orbiting-platform behaviors — encourages strategic experimentation.
Throw a local partner into the mix, and Akai Katana is just plain nuts, whether you take turns shielding one another in warrior form and working as a team, or compete for resources and score bonuses with no regard for the success of your mission. The action occasionally slows down as if you're playing an old Super NES cartridge, and $40 is a bit steep when you can grab classics like Ikaruga for $10 on Xbox Live Arcade. But even so, Akai Katana certainly belongs in any bullet-hell aficionado's library.
Work together with a local partner and you're both bound to nab much higher scores.PUBLISHER: Rising Star Games • DEVELOPER: Cave • ESRB: Teen • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in co-op (local only) • ACHIEVEMENTS: Rapid • COST: $40 • AVAILABLE: May 15, 2012
+ Unusual resource-gathering mechanics add an absorbing layer of shape-changing strategy.
+ Completely insane local co-op sessions.
– Rules of play aren't exactly intuitive; occasional slow-down; no online co-op; at $40, game is overpriced.
? Why so few English subtitles to go with all the Japanese speech?
