The first is an early chapter where you have to sneak into a prison. There are only two main problems I have with the game and that is usually when they try to shake up the mechanics. It’s the kind of game where all of your moves are required to successfully beat the levels and there is nothing sweeter when you finally get through with a perfect combination of dashing, dodging, bullet deflecting, wall jumps, and slowing down time. In fact there was one section near the end that I kept dying at, when I realized my problem was my overreliance of slowing down time, instead I focused on dashing and dodge rolling and a few tries later I beat it. You always feel capable despite the odds and while slowing down time is useful later levels challenge your mastery over the it in a way that feels very natural. While it is incredibly easy to screw up many times it is insanely satisfying when you finally clear the room and the game replays that run before the next level. The main selling point of the game is the fast paced gaming. Finally you have the ability to slow down time for a few seconds, which you could use to easily strike down enemies or avoid of a hail of bullets. You have a doge roll you can use to avoid attacks, a short ranged dash, a wall jump and use your sword to deflect bullets. You’re character is armed with a sword and can also pick up various objects to throw at enemies like bear bottles, lambs, or sticky bombs. You die in one hit, but the levels are usually short to make up for that. The goal of most of the levels is to kill every enemy in the room and make your way to your target. Gameplay wise Katana Zero is a 2-D platformer. It can honestly get rather confusing especially when the idea of time jumps and hallucinations but it is also surprisingly engaging. While the basic idea of the story is simple it soon grows into a complex plot about gang wars, government conspiracies, and super soldier experiments. However it soon becomes obvious the drug has nasty side affects that become more clear as the story progresses. These powers come from a rare drug know as Chronos that is being supplied to the assassin by his boss. Katana Zero focuses on the exploits of an unnamed assassin with the ability to manipulate time and predict the future. Katana Zero checks both those boxes off featuring fluidly animated sprites and a lot of brutal violence. For those unaware Devolver Digital is a publisher know for releasing games with a retro pixel aesthetic and/or incredibly visceral gameplay, see games like Hotline Miami, Serious Sam, and Shadow Warrior. Katana Zero is a 2d platformer developed by Askiisoft and published by Devolver Digital.