Genji: Days of the Blade

Overview

Genji: Days of the Blade, known in Japan as Genji: Kamui Soran, is a 2006 hack and slash game developed by Game Republic and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to Genji: Dawn of the Samurai and the first game released under the newly renamed Japan Studio.

The story picks up three years after the first game. The Heishi clan, beaten at the end of the last game, has come back with unholy magic that turns its soldiers into hulking demons. Yoshitsune and his friend Benkei must fight the restored Heishi army, this time with two new allies, the priestess Shizuka and the spear wielder Lord Buson. Like the first game, it is loosely based on The Tale of the Heike.

The gameplay is close to Capcom's Onimusha series. You control four characters, Yoshitsune, Benkei, Shizuka and Lord Buson, who has taken the body of Yoshitsune's old enemy Kagekiyo. All four have separate life bars, but if one dies the game ends. Unlike the first game, every character can switch weapons in real time without interrupting combat. It was one of the first PS3 games to use the console's built-in hard drive.

The E3 2006 presentation went viral after the presenter said the game was based on famous battles that really took place in ancient Japan, and two minutes later showed a boss fight against what he called a giant enemy crab. Phrases from the demo, such as attacking a weak point for massive damage and real-time weapon change, became internet memes.

Reviews were mixed. Famitsu scored it 29 out of 40 and said the graphics and controls were the high points while the camera was a weakness. IGN gave it an award for Best Artistic Design on PlayStation 3 in 2006.

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Action-adventure, Hack and slash

Developer

Game Republic

Publisher

Sony Computer Entertainment

Series

Genji

Composers

Yasuharu Takanashi

Designers

Akiteru Naka, Toshihiko Kurata, Shigeo Takai

Writers

Hideyuki Ishizeki

Producers

Kenji Kataoka, Takashi Shono

Directors

Yoshiki Okamoto, Yuichi Ueda

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Release dates

Subscription history

Trophies

Platinum

0

Gold

0

Silver

0

Bronze

0

Total

0

Points

0

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	PS3	55	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
IGN	6	10
GameSpot	6.4	10
Game Informer	6	10
Eurogamer	6	10
Edge	5	10
GameSpy	2	5
GameTrailers	5.9	10
GameZone	6	10
GamePro	3.25	5
Electronic Gaming Monthly	5.17	10
PlayStation: The Official Magazine	4.5	10
Famitsu	29	40

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Director	Yoshiki Okamoto
Director	Yuichi Ueda
Producer	Kenji Kataoka
Producer	Takashi Shono
Designer	Akiteru Naka
Designer	Toshihiko Kurata
Designer	Shigeo Takai
Writer	Hideyuki Ishizeki
Artist	Keita Amemiya
Composer	Yasuharu Takanashi

Notes for collectors

• It came out on the PS3's launch dates in Japan (November 11, 2006) and North America (November 17, 2006), well before PS3 trophies existed, and it has none.
• The giant enemy crab from the E3 2006 demo became one of the best known memes of that show.
• If any one of the four playable characters dies, the game is over, whatever the others' health.
• Two disc IDs are known: BCUS98131 for North America and BCES00002 for Europe. Sony's patch server lists no updates.
• Demos were released on the PlayStation Network under IDs NPUA80026 (North America), NPEA90008 (Europe) and NPKA00001.

Credits

Region

US

Time to beat

about 11.5 hours