When a country has such a broad and attractive historical context, it’s only natural that certain sectors should seize on ideas to represent, from their point of view, historical events that actually happened one day. Japan, without going any further, is one of those countries where culture can be felt on every street, whether in the big city or in towns close to the center.
Whatever the case, and leaving aside the fact that Japan is one of the most developed countries on the planet, the Sengoku era – well known to fans of manga or anime – has been complicit in a multitude of literary works, high-quality feature films and, how could it be otherwise, video games, including Samurai Warriors 4 as a good example.
And that’s because the samurai era is very attractive to players who want to experience such emblematic concepts as honor, truth and respect, concepts which in other video games are not too pronounced given their characteristics.
The other side of the coin is that this type of video game doesn’t usually leave Japanese borders for fear of not getting a notable reception… and those that do come to our country, unfortunately, don’t usually make the sales podium.
And perhaps that’s why the titles that arrive with this Japanese cup do so in the way that this latest Way of the Samurai arrived, with a significant delay in relation to its launch in Japan and with a non-existent location in our language, something that the closest of the sector won’t forgive.
Game Story
Way of the Samurai 3 is a video game with some very good ideas, although unfortunately, it fails to make the most of them, suffering from the same shortcomings as its predecessors: small scenarios, dubious gameplay, and strange objectives that will confuse the player who wants to enter samurai territory.

Before we talk about the video game in question today, we need to make a quick stop to explain the concept the developer is trying to demonstrate at Way of the Samurai’s presentation. A samurai who has lost his master is the worst thing that can happen to a fighter of this caliber, that the only thing he can do is try to wander the world in search of new goals or, without going any further, perform seppuku more commonly known as harakiri – kill himself.
On this occasion, we’ll represent a samurai who has lost consciousness in a great battle, feeling lost and unaware of all he knew, allowing the player to write the story of this young, or experienced, depending on which guise we choose, Japanese warrior.
Gameplay
As we said, the work will present a battle between different clans, in one of the many wars that the Japanese feudal system has known, resulting in a large number of victims for the struggle of Asian lands. Our character will be unconscious and will have no choice but to begin again to give meaning to his life.
As soon as we start the adventure, we’ll be able to select various aspects of our hero, such as name, appearance, from a young fighter to a tanned man in a thousand battles, and other aspects which, no doubt, seem a little poor compared to other publishers who have other video games more or less in the same genre. As we progress through the game, we’ll have access to new outfits and appearances, though it’s not something that worries a true samurai.

One of the highlights of the work is that the developer wanted to give the player total freedom in accomplishing their objectives. In other words, as soon as we come back from unconsciousness, we’ll come across a few passers-by who will meet our protagonist, giving rise to a cinematic scene in which we, if we wish, can draw the katana and end their lives in no time.
This is perhaps one of the great tricks of Way of the Samurai 3, which allows us to exterminate each and every one of the uncontrollable characters in the room, with the exception of the children, of course, giving rise to a dark path that will change the course of the scenario.
It’s quite nice to be able to decide whether we want to fight or otherwise kneel before one character or another, even if we have to be careful, as we don’t want to draw our sword in front of the boss of one of the warring clans, as we may end up biting the dust in a matter of seconds. Yet the video game gives us the opportunity, which at first may seem a little disconcerting, but then it becomes rewarding.
Difficulty
Perhaps it’s a little unbalanced to be able to annihilate, right from the start, everything that’s stirred up. And we say that because if we’re a blood-loving gamer, we can fall into a spiral of unconsciousness that can make us abandon the video game.
For example, in the first village we wake up in, if we’ve decided not to kill the first passers-by, we’ll be introduced to some very useful characters to learn more about the basic concepts of the adventure, such as the combat system, how to view active missions or simply what to do to end the adventure.
However, if we’re “easy beginners” and end that character’s life until another random character, usually asleep or leaving the scene and returning, steps into his position and gives us the chance to redeem ourselves for our actions. So we recommend that, if we don’t want to get too lost throughout the adventure, we think twice before drawing our weapon.
Missions
Explaining the basics and precautions for the uninitiated, Way of the Samurai 3 uses the same adventure system as other exponents of the genre. As we get to know characters, they’ll grant us missions of all kinds, which serve to encounter new scenarios, reunite us with other characters and, of course, be rewarded for our actions.

And here’s one of the major shortcomings of the job: the missions are fairly repetitive, collect a certain item, put an end to one or more enemies, etc… And the job doesn’t allow us to have more than one job at a time, which will force us to complete one mission before starting another.
Fortunately, the degree of freedom doesn’t end there, because as we’ve said, there are three very powerful clans trying to conquer all Japanese territory, and we can decide to enter one of them to play a good samurai role, enter the opponent or enter both and annihilate all living beings to become the sole master and lord of Japan.
Each choice has its own consequence, and this will be reflected in one of the video game’s 20 different endings, should we have the patience to complete it. In this way, the work is presented as a pseudo-sandbox, in which we’ll have total freedom of action even if the complete map of the work is divided into several sections.
Weapons
Way of the Samurai 3 ignores the typical skill trees in which character progression is the key to accessing the territory’s most dangerous locations. Special emphasis has been placed on weapons rather than the concept of character, with over a hundred completely different and customizable weapons at our disposal to carry out our actions.

Of course, we won’t be able to carry them all at once, but we’ll have to keep them at home or tell one of our partners to carry them while we’re in the middle of a mission. These partners are nothing more than characters we can rely on during various missions, depending on our actions and reputation within or outside the clan. Some partners will need care to maintain the bond of friendship. We serve either by drawing his sword and giving his life for us or, as we’ve already commented, by carrying our essential items during missions
Graphics
Without a doubt, where Way of the Samurai 3’s most obvious flaws is presented, leaving aside the above, is in its technical section, which looks as if it has undergone a high-definition filter from a PlayStation 2 video game.
Character modeling isn’t altogether bad, and their faces are, if repetitive, remarkable. However, the animations of these characters are brutal, rough, and too unreal for a video game appearing in the new generation.

The physics of the video game doesn’t work in their favor either, with existential inconsistencies that will leave the player wondering whether the developer really wants to make us feel like a samurai or a ninja.
As if that weren’t enough, the game suffers from excessive slowdowns that directly affect gameplay when multiple characters meet on the same plane, especially when we face several fighters in a single session.
Today, it’s inconceivable that a video game of this style, and with an obsolete technical section compared to other titles, should arrive poorly optimized for current-generation hardware. There’s no excuse.
On the other hand, we find a camera that, while well located, will pose the odd problem in towns and castles, perhaps leaving us sold out to the dangers we encounter if we’re not a little dexterous with the control command.
Sounds
On the other hand, and this is perhaps the best section of the whole work, the video game soundtrack is quite remarkable, with characterization and staging broad enough to delight us, for a few seconds, with its composition.
Instrumental themes with a multitude of percussion instruments to represent the Japanese war anthem, and unconventional instruments produce a sound characteristic of the Japanese continent.
The voices, on the other hand, have a characterization that doesn’t match what’s expected (in English), although fortunately, we’ll be able to choose Japanese dub, which will help us get into the world and, fortunately, is much better characterized for the characters.
Way of the Samurai 3: a little irregular game with good ideas
In conclusion, Way of the Samurai 3 is one of the select titles you’ll love from an industry sector that knows what you want and how you want it. Any follower of the series will be delighted with the result, as this is just an update and an “up-to-date” update of a proposition that has already appeared on PlayStation 2.
Unfortunately, those who want to enter this particular world won’t find too much satisfaction, and the video game will probably end up on the shelf before enduring the hours it takes to finish it (around 8 or 10 hours, depending on our ability and patience with the control).
Finally, the video game came with English subtitles, with no possibility of understanding it in our language. One more failure to add to the list of the work’s shortcomings.