Xbox 360 PS3

Afro Samurai

Hack and slash/Beat 'em up

Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Afro Samurai is a 2009 action video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is loosely based on the manga and anime series of the same name. It was released on January 27, 2009. The game was developed by Namco Bandai Games and in North America, it was the first (and would end up being the only) game published under their western label, Surge. In Europe and Australia the game was released under the Namco brand instead and was distributed by Atari Europe.

Afro Samurai is a 3D brawler with platforming elements. Most levels culminate in a boss fight, which become more frequent as the game progresses.

Afro's father was the old Number One until he was brutally killed by a gunman named Justice, an event witnessed by Afro as a child. Now an adult, Afro Samurai is the current Number Two and a master swordsman who seeks revenge on Justice. Lengthy flashbacks throughout the story detail how Afro rose from a frightened boy fleeing the death of his father to a brutal samurai warrior, and eventually became the current "Number Two". The story in the present deals with the adult Afro making his way to the mountain top keep of the "Number One" to duel Justice, while at the same time battling a mysterious cult known as the Empty Seven Clan as their agents repeatedly try to kill Afro and take his Number Two headband.

All of the main characters are voiced by the same actors as in the anime. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn served as the voice director, while the hip hop producer RZA was behind the soundtrack of the game.

The game was given moderate reviews, resulting in the Metacritic score of 65/100. Namco Bandai posted on its fiscal year report that the game sold 420,000 copies across all platforms in the US and Europe.