Katana Zero Trailer Shows Off Cyberpunk Samurai Action

There’s a new trailer for Katana Zero, the stylish 2D action game from Askiisoft. It’s a short one, but it packs a punch, showing off a whole lot of environments, enemies and cool moves. There’s also a new release window (third time’s the charm), and it’s awfully close. Scroll down for the new video, and some thoughts on the game, universe and everything else.

First of all, let’s all agree that Katana Zero is a terrible name for a game. I almost skipped the video, but then I saw the developer’s name with the corner of my eye. Actually, that’s a lie – the name is in, like, the first frame of the video. Anyway, Askiisoft has some serious street cred from way back when. They’re the outfit responsible for Tower of Heaven, a hit indie game from the time those mostly came in Flash form. You can still give it a go if you don’t mind installing the Flash plugin.

It’s a pretty neat game with a great soundtrack, a plan well though-out and masterfully executed. Their output after that wasn’t that rich, and it’s been ten years, which is exactly why this new one makes me giddy. In Katana Zero, you play as a samurai in a cyberpunk dystopia, presumably dishing out some justice. What tickles my imagination here is “instant-death combat”, which I presume means each hit is fatal. There’s not enough games like that. Also, have you seen how that tiny guy deflects bullets with his sword? That’s some serious shit.

If you’re into this kind of thing, the trailer is well worth watching. Several times, even. The game’s supposed to be released in March, but the release date has been pushed back several times already, so don’t get your hopes too high up.