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2000 · Ion Storm · Cyberpunk · First-person shooter

Daikatana

Nintendo console exclusive

Daikatana is a first-person shooter action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm. It was published by Eidos Interactive for Windows and Kemco for Nintendo 64. Players control a swordsmaster who travels through various time periods using the eponymous Daikatana, a powerful sword tied to the fate of the world.

Released: 14 April 2000
Platforms: Game Boy Color Nintendo 64 Windows
Genres: Cyberpunk First-person shooter Puzzle Shooter
Developers: Ion Storm Kemco
Publishers: Eidos Interactive Kemco
Modes: Co-op Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Fantasy Science fiction Historical
Engine: id Tech 2
Country: Japan United States
Age ratings: USK 16 ACB MA 15+ESRB M CLASS_IND 18
Languages: English
Time to beat: 12hmain story

About

John Romero's Daikatana, better known as simply Daikatana, is a 2000 first-person shooter action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive for Windows. A port to the Nintendo 64 was released the same year by Kemco. Players control a swordsmaster who travels through various time periods using the eponymous Daikatana, a powerful sword tied to the fate of the world.

Daikatana was directed by Ion Storm co-founder John Romero, a co-developer of the influential first-person shooters Wolfenstein 3D (1992), Doom (1993), and Quake (1996). Announced in 1997 as Romero's first game after leaving id Software, it underwent a troubled development that saw a change in its engine, release date delays, and the departure of several staff members. The protracted development, combined with promotion that focused on Romero's involvement over the game itself, resulted in negative publicity for Daikatana prior to its release.

›Story

D. , Kage Hishima used the magical powers of the Daikatana, the most powerful sword ever forged, to alter time and establish himself as supreme ruler. You are Hiro Miyamoto, one of the few people on Earth who remembers what really happened. The burden of saving the world, your version of it, has fallen unto your shoulders.

You’re not alone as your friends, Superfly Johnson and Mikiko Ebihara, travel by your side. You must gather weapons, overcome all obstacles, discover deviously concealed secrets, and battle a bewildering array of foes. Use your resources wisely as you’ll need all the help you can get.

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Daikatana is composed of 24 levels (18 in the console version) divided into four episodes, with a varying number of levels per episode. Each episode represents a different location and time period: Japan in 2455 AD, ancient Greece in 1200 BC, the Dark Ages in Norway in 560 AD, and near-future San Francisco in 2030 AD.

One element that Daikatana stressed was the important role of Hiro Miyamoto's two sidekicks, Mikiko Ebihara and Superfly Johnson. The death of either sidekick resulted in failing the level, and their assistance was required to complete certain puzzles. Due to poor AI implementation, the sidekicks, who were one of the game's selling points, became a focus of criticism. Tabs displaying the status of each sidekick are displayed on either side of the player's screen.

Story

In feudal Japan, two rival clans, Ebihara and Mishima, are at war. Mishima goes to swordmaster Usagi Miyamoto to craft a weapon to end the conflict: the Daikatana. However, Usagi realizes Mishima's dark desires and gives the Daikatana to Ebihara; Inshiro Ebihara throws the sword into a volcano at the end of the war.

In 2455 AD, swordmaster Hiro Miyamoto is visited by a man named Dr. Toshiro Ebihara, a descendant of Inshiro who is suffering from a plague and about to die. Toshiro tells Hiro that Kage Mishima, the ruler of the planet, took over the world by stealing the Daikatana and using it to alter history. In 2030, he stole the cure to a viral plague and uses the cure to control the world's population. Mikiko Ebihara (Toshiro's daughter) has been captured while trying to steal back the Daikatana, and Hiro must rescue her and fix history.

Development

Daikatana was conceptualized by John Romero, an influential developer whose résumé included founding titles in the first-person shooter genre (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake) when he worked at id Software. The game was developed by Ion Storm, a company founded by Romero, Tom Hall, Bob Wright, Mike Wilson, Todd Porter, and Jerry O'Flaherty. Wilson, the CEO, was removed in November 1997, after using $30,000 in company funds to buy a BMW. Wright was removed by Porter and O'Flaherty in May 1998.

Over 50 Ion Storm employees left after Wright's removal. Porter and O'Flaherty were fired in 1999, with rumors being that Romero was angry at Porter's interference in Daikatana.

Reception

Ion Storm's 1996 business plan projected that Daikatana would sell around 175,000 copies. 5 million units, a number that GameDaily called necessary for the game "to become profitable". According to American market research company PC Data, a week after its release, the game ranked number ten on their charts from the week of May 28 to June 3. The computer version of Daikatana sold 8,190 copies in the United States by July 21, which drew revenues of $271,982.

Mark Asher of CNET Gamecenter called this performance "a disaster". According to PC Data, the game's domestic sales reached 40,351 units through September 2000.