Way of the Samurai 3 - 50% off on GOG

Way of the Samurai 3 is an action RPG available on GOG for 50% off until February 6th.

Release: Way of the Samurai 3

13 hours ago
Can you survive a thousand cuts? Way of the Samurai 3 is now available 50% off until February 6, 2PM UTC. Buy them together and get 15% off Way of the Samurai 4.The acclaimed open-world action/RPG series marches on with the epic journey of a tormented lone samurai who must weave his own destiny into the bloodied tapestry of the Sengoku era. Build your story out of dozens of choices and cut your enemies with your customizable weapons, your sharp wit or perhaps your weighty gestures.Find extra weapons and accessories inside the Deluxe Edition (-40%), or Upgrade later.

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More information.

Surprised that there is no discussion about this game. From what I have seen, it is in the 'immersive sim' genre, with light rpg elements and has more than 20 endings depending on your actions. The setting is also very interesting and authentic.

If I didn't have 5 more games to play I may think about it.
I also have another 30+ games in my steam wishlist...

I watched a bit of a let's play and it does look quite good so anyone interested should give it a go.

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But is it fun to play ?

you said:

But is it fun to play ?

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"Fun" seems to be the keyword in most of the Steam comments for this game. I tried it for 10 minutes and I had fun chasing and killing an old hag, a nameless samurai, steeling onions and fish, and then being chased and killed by the village people!

The combat is surprisingly tactical and responsive and does not involve button mashing, as you have stances, defence, light and heavy attacks.

The only issue might be the slightly unusual UI migrating from the PS2 original console version.

SpoonFULL said:

Surprised that there is no discussion about this game. From what I have seen, it is in the 'immersive sim' genre, with light rpg elements and has more than 20 endings depending on your actions. The setting is also very interesting and authentic.

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No such genre.

Before I buy it I need to know if enemies are immortal, if K+M controls are at least decent and if it allows saving anywhere.

SpoonFULL said:

The only issue might be the slightly unusual UI migrating from the PS2 original console version.

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That issue usually means no buy in my case. Remember my thumb down on Neptunia port on Steam.

Are you using KB/M or controller? I want a game that is well done for KB/m

SpoonFULL said:

"Fun" seems to be the keyword in most of the Steam comments for this game. I tried it for 10 minutes and I had fun chasing and killing an old hag, a nameless samurai, steeling onions and fish, and then being chased and killed by the village people!

The combat is surprisingly tactical and responsive and does not involve button mashing, as you have stances, defence, light and heavy attacks.

The only issue might be the slightly unusual UI migrating from the PS2 original console version.

Click to expand...

you said:

Are you using KB/M or controller? I want a game that is well done for KB/m

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I only played with KB/M and they control fine and very responsive. The camera is more sensitive than what I would like, but there are camera sensitivity options available. You can customise the KB controls within the game menu. You will need to experiment with the controls to see what suits you (jump button, defend, bow, pick stuff up .. etc.).

Navigating menus is less conventional due to the console heritage of this game and takes a little to get used to. But it works fine with the mouse/keyboard and I am used to it from Dark Souls.

joxer said:

Before I buy it I need to know if enemies are immortal, if K+M controls are at least decent and if it allows saving anywhere.

That issue usually means no buy in my case. Remember my thumb down on Neptunia port on Steam.

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This is not open world, it is more of a simulated sandbox in a village - so no respawning bears/animals and whomever you kill you will have to live with the consequences. If you exit the game, you will start where you left last time.

It is not easy to die in this game as you can take quite a lot of damage and can use items to heal. Since this is a short narrative with consequences and plenty of endings based on your actions (but with simulated world, day/night cycle, simulated npc responses, .. etc.), if you die you will start from the beginning and make same/different choices as you see fit.

I played one of these recently but it's just not a game for me. It's sort of weird, you're some samurai in a village and get to help people with their issues, but hmm… I didn't care for it, lots of walking around, very light in the RPG aspects (loot, equipment, stats, etc), it almost feels more like an action/adventure game. I think it's part of the Playstation Now list if you are a subscriber.

SpoonFULL said:

Surprised that there is no discussion about this game.

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It is not surprising.

First, the game must be known.
Second, it has roleplaying in it. On a site that considers that RPGs are about everything but roleplaying, the game is a UFO.

The role is set by a fictionalized, romanticized vision on the samurai role with many borrowings and references to the chambara genre.
Players are provided with various situations to build their character into the role.
As samurais were known to put their life on the line as part of their role, it is quite easy to die by putting the character's life on the line in a situation a player does not have the skills to back up the decision.

Because combat is skill based ( a vs fighting background is appreciated to make the most of the game), especially as it is possible to be the wooden stick type of samurai. Controller/stick are likely to be better. Players might also consider that the parade/riposte system, which is essential to performance, is reflex based.

Another thing is that it is very short and made to be played over multiple runs: so repetition is core to the game. It is about getting proficient in combat and deal with situations that happened to be the same in a different way.

Roleplaying, gameplay, nothing surprising it is not spoken of.