Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked

PlayStation exclusive

Samurai Champloo steps out of the hack-and-slash action genre and offers a new way to swing a finely-honed samurai blade. Set in Japan with hip hop feel from the hit TV series by the same name, this title allows gamers to breathe life to a "lost episode" as one of three playable characters - Mugen, a reckless samurai with break-dancing fighting style, calculated Jin who abides by the decorum of Bushido, and a mysterious new character exclusive to the video game. Stranded in northern land of Ezo (current day Hokkaido) in search of the samurai who smells of sunflowers, the player must face foreign mercenaries, master swordsmen, diabolical assassins, mythical beasts, and gangster monkeys. The core of the game's unique combat system lies in the innovative integration of music and linked attacks.

Released: 23 February 2006
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Beat 'em up
Developers: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Publishers: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Historical
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB T
Composers: Masafumi Takada

About

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked is a 2006 action-adventure game. A tie-in with the 2004 anime television series Samurai Champloo, the game was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Namco Bandai Games for PlayStation 2. Described as an untold story set within the series, the game has storylines following series protagonists Mugen, Jin and Fuu, and new protagonist Worso Tsurumaki during a political conflict in Edo period Hokkaido.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Story

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked is an action-adventure game based on the 2004 anime television series Samurai Champloo. Set in the Edo period, the anime's storyline follows the adventures of three wanderers; the outlaw swordsman Mugen, the ronin Jin, and the itinerant Fuu who saved the two from execution in exchange for help finding a samurai who smells of sunflowers. The storyline is described as a "missing episode" of the trio's travels through Japan. They end up taking a ship to Ezo (modern day Hokkaido), which is suffering from conflicts between the ruling Matsumae clan and the indigenous people. Mugen and Jin's storylines run on separate yet parallel paths, and they interact with original character Worso Tsurumaki, who is associated with the native resistance of Ezo.

Players take control of three characters; they first complete a story campaign as either Mugen or Jin, and after one of these is completed Worso's campaign is unlocked. The remaining character Fuu is only playable in minigames. Gameplay focuses on melee hack and slash combat with the chosen player character, completing basic combos using alternating weak and strong attacks. The battle system is split into multiple styles, which are influenced by what musical track is playing through equippable record albums, switched using the analog sticks.

Development

Samurai Champloo was created by director Shinichirō Watanabe and anime studio Manglobe, with the aim of blending a traditional Japanese setting with the culture and music of hip hop. Sidetracked was one of two licensed anime titles created by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PlayStation 2, the other being Blood+: One Night Kiss based on the series Blood+. During the period after completing Killer7, Grasshopper Manufacture were left in a financially precarious position, taking on contract work including licensed titles. Company founder Goichi Suda selected Sidetracked from a group of potential projects presented by Namco Bandai Games, coincidentally after he had watched and liked the anime's first episode.

Speaking in 2006, Suda cited these licensed projects as the first sign of the company's international recognition following the release of Killer7. Suda acted as the game's director and co-writer. It was co-produced by Namco Bandai's Takahiro Sasanoi and Yoshinobu Matsuo. The original cast (Ayako Kawasumi as Fuu, Kazuya Nakai as Mugen, and Ginpei Sato as Jin) returned, with new character Worso being voiced by Akira Ishida.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of three eights and one seven, for a total of 31 out of 40.