The Spirit of the Samurai lets players battle yokais and undead enemies using unique attack combination mechanics. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

The Spirit of the Samurai Review Overview

What is The Spirit of the Samurai?

Lead Takeshi, a samurai from a reclusive village, and his unlikely allies in their quest to defeat Shuten-dōji and his army of yokai and undead beings. The characters and environment are presented in a unique stop-motion animation style.

The Spirit of the Samurai is an indie 2D action-adventure game mixed with Soulslike and Metroidvania elements. There are three characters to control, each with their own powers and abilities to defeat or bypass haunting enemies. Aside from the brutal combat mechanics, the game also features puzzle-solving and stealth.

The Spirit of the Samurai features:
　⚫︎　Stop-Motion Animation Style
　⚫︎　Features Soulslike Combat and Metroidvania Exploration
　⚫︎　Customizable Combo Attacks
　⚫︎　Detailed Levels with Many Secrets to Uncover

Digital Storefront
Steam	$19.99

The Spirit of the Samurai Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Detailed Levels Fully Voice-acted Customizable Combo Attacks Beautiful and Rich Environment	Lackluster Story Typical Playstyles

The Spirit of the Samurai Score - 88/100

The Spirit of the Samurai is a 2D action-adventure game combined with platforming elements and punishing combat mechanics. Its audiovisuals are impressive and successfully present a dark and desperate environment. Using a stop-motion animation style, the game stands out as one of the most aesthetically unique games of the genre. Meanwhile, each character plays a role with various abilities, making the combat and exploration enjoyable. However, the story and its delivery fall short in describing and explaining this dark, foreboding world.

The Spirit of the Samurai Story - 7/10

The game’s story is quite typical, featuring an evil entity that suddenly reemerges to dominate humanity. On the other hand, the plot is pretty straightforward, with Takeshi and his allies tasked with defeating the most powerful Oni to stop his onslaught. The explanation of the game’s plot is delivered through dreams involving young Takeshi and Kitsune, a supernatural fox, gradually revealing the significance of the samurai for the final battle against Shuten-dōji. However, not much is revealed about the game’s backstory, either through dialogues or item descriptions, making the game’s lore less engaging.

The Spirit of the Samurai Gameplay - 9/10

Gameplay is one of the strongest points of The Spirit of the Samurai. There are three characters to control: Takeshi, Kodama, and Chisai. Each of them has different ways of navigating the world and battling enemies, making exploration fun and less repetitive. For instance, Takeshi can mix and match attacks, allowing players to perform various combos. These characters have only three health points, making combat and exploration punishing for reckless players. There is also a stamina system for dashing, guarding, and other actions. Depleting stamina leaves them vulnerable to enemy attacks. Though the combat is fun, I would prefer the other two characters to also have unique playstyles of their own, on par with Takeshi. Additionally, the game suffers from a lack of enemy variety, but there are truly terrifying creatures that stand above the rest, like the grotesque Jorogumo.

The Spirit of the Samurai Visuals - 10/10

The Spirit of the Samurai successfully presents a grim and dark world, filled with death and destruction. The environment and characters are designed in a stop-motion animation style, making it one of the most unique action-adventure games out there. Though the game suffers from a lack of enemy variety, there are truly terrifying creatures that stand above the rest, like the grotesque Jorogumo. That being said, each location is painstakingly designed with great detail, matching the tone and setting of the game.

The Spirit of the Samurai Audio - 10/10

The audio in The Spirit of the Samurai successfully captures the desperate world it is trying to portray. There are no loud or bombastic soundtracks; instead, the game relies on ambient sounds and soft Japanese-inspired music, creating a cinematic atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cutscenes and even simple conversations with NPCs are fully voice-acted, heightening the immersion. Overall, the game prioritizes sound effects and ambient sounds that effectively support its plot and environment.

The Spirit of the Samurai Value for Money - 8/10

At a price of $20, the game offers good value for players who are fans of Soulslike and Metroidvania games, as well as Japanese culture and mythology. The audio and visuals perfectly capture the atmosphere of the game. Moreover, the combat is brutal but fair, enhanced by its feature of customizing attacks. While the story is not quite engaging, the other aspects of the game make up for it.

The Spirit of the Samurai Review | A Brutal but Beautiful Stop-Motion Game

I admit I played this game because it features samurai and yokai! Also, it has a stop-motion animation style, which is quite rare for action-adventure games. Fortunately, The Spirit of the Samurai manages to keep my attention as I try to eradicate Shuten-dōji and his army of undead and supernatural creatures.

Though the game is brutal and punishing, it is not quite similar to FromSoft’s titles, aside from its dark world and repetitive deaths. While it shares the same genre, The Spirit of the Samurai can stand on its own with its animation and flexible combat mechanics. However, it falls short in worldbuilding and in making the characters interesting to follow.

Tight but Ordinary Combat System

In terms of combat, you only have three health points, which can be easily depleted with a single enemy attack. Despite the limited health, you have the option to parry or guard to deflect and perform counterattacks. There are certain checkpoints in the areas that make repetitive deaths less frustrating, aside from the shrines where you can automatically save the game. I also applaud the fact that the bow is useful in this game, which fits with the samurai’s real-world history of primarily relying on bows in battles.

The game also offers different ways of approaching enemies through the three playable characters. Takeshi with his katana, unleashing customizable combo attacks. He also utilizes a bow for inflicting long-range damage. On the other hand, Kodama also uses a sword and can fire magic projectiles, but without the ability to alter attacks. Meanwhile, Chisai, with its small and nimble body, must stealthily explore the area to avoid detection. If detected, it results in death, accompanied by a gruesome cutscene that resets your progress to a specific checkpoint. Though well-executed, I hoped that these other two characters would also have a unique combat mechanic like Takeshi’s mix-and-match mechanics.

Another minor issue I had with its combat mechanics was the lack of enemy variety. Sure, I was almost crippled by fear when trying to go past Jorogumo, a human-spider yokai, but it was just a rare moment for me. I wish there were fewer undead samurais and more Yokai enemies who would challenge me in different ways. For instance, most undead enemies can be defeated with a bow, aside from the ones bearing a large shield. However, the enemy visuals and their behaviors are challenging and horrifying enough that I can look past this issue.

Save for Takeshi’s Mix and Match Attack Mechanic

Moving forward to Takeshi’s customizable combo attacks, many games I’ve played feature various attacks and skills that can be unlocked through leveling up, buying from merchants, or acquiring them through exploration. However, The Spirit of the Samurai’s combat system takes it a notch higher by allowing players to modify Takeshi’s swordplay.

Each attack, such as frontal and upward strikes, has two slots where you can place sword attacks with varying damage values and speeds. Initially, only the first slot is available, and you can unlock the others by leveling up. The game also allows players to modify their attacks on the go according to their preferred combat style or enemy class. For example, when fighting nimble spider enemies, it’s useful to slot in swift but less damaging attacks. On the other hand, slow enemies can be dealt with using slow but powerful sword swings.

For those who enjoy min-maxing their characters, the combat system is enjoyable. With 24 attacks to unlock, there are tons of combos to test out with enemies. The flexibility to create unique combo attacks makes battles more interesting, despite the difficulty.

Successfully Painted a Grim World

I remember watching the trailer for this game, and I was immediately enthralled by its stop-motion animation and highly detailed environment. I was glad that the actual game did justice to its trailer, presenting a dark and unforgiving world where every inch and corner is filled with corpses and enemies.

In my opinion, this is where the game shines the brightest, as the developers created a world full of details that fit the narrative. Aside from the painstaking effort of animating each character's movement and cutscenes with stop-motion, the designs and object placement make sense. For instance, the hidden village appears desolated and cut off from parts of the world, which is presented by unpaved roads littered with dried leaves and stones. Meanwhile, the undergrowth is filled with bioluminescent plants and entangled roots, fitting with Kodama’s magical world.

It Would Be Even Better with Engaging Story

While the combat mechanics and audiovisuals of this game are quite great, I regrettably admit this is not the case with its narrative. The story is typical, where a foreboding evil resurfaces again to bring havoc to the world, and it's up to you and your allies to bring peace to the lands once again. Though there’s nothing wrong with that kind of story setup, I was expecting more, given that the game incorporated elements of Soulslike games, which are not only known for their high level of difficulty but also for their rich lore.

Some character dialogue also doesn't really mesh well with the narrative. For example, Takeshi is known to have the gift of communicating with Kitsune, yet the village chief just brushes off his warnings in exchange for a sparring match. Take note, the sky is already dark and the atmosphere is quite unnerving, which makes Takeshi’s warning more alarming.

Though the game tried to explain the lore via dreams with Kitsune, I would have preferred additional ways of telling the narrative and backstory of the world, characters, and creatures. For instance, the game could have added item descriptions, offering limited but interesting information about the world and its inhabitants.

Is The Spirit of the Samurai Worth It?

For Fans of Samurai Culture and Japanese Mythology

The game is worth it for fans of action-adventure games interested in Japanese culture and mythology. While the story delivery is dull and typical, the other aspects of the game make up for it. Fighting off different enemies while having the ability to change combo attacks on the go is a refreshing addition to the action-adventure genre. Additionally, the audiovisuals and animation of this game are quite breathtaking, successfully setting up the dark and desperate world of Takeshi. If you do not mind a typical narrative and weak story delivery, then this game is worth your time.

Platform	Price
Steam	$19.99

The Spirit of the Samurai FAQ

What are the System Requirements to play The Spirit of the Samurai?

The System Requirements (as listed on Steam) are as follows:

Game8 Reviews

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The Spirit of the Samurai Product Information

Title	The Spirit of the Samurai
Release Date	December 12, 2024
Developer	Digital Mind Games
Publisher	Kwalee
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam & Epic Games)
Genre	Indie, Action, Adventure, Platformer
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	RP
Official Website	The Spirit of the Samurai Official Website

Jaime Sampana Aclo..

A fan of simulation, strategy, and RPG games. He loves management games despite their complexity. Though not a fan of Soulslike games, he is currently hooked on Elden Ring.