Katana ZERO review

written 2026-08-29

Katana ZERO is an indie fighting game with one-hit kills, that emphasizes precise timing and a time slow ability. They call it a platformer, but I wouldn't, since elevation and environmental hazards play only minor roles. I first played it probably in 2021, taking about 8 hours, and last played in 2026/08. My overall opinion is mediocre.

Combat

Combat is very simple: you have a melee attack that can parry enemy attacks or deflect bullets, an invulnerable roll, an ability to slow time for a few seconds, and sometimes one-time use throwable weapons (whch can't be carried between rooms).

These mechanics are fine. But I dislike that enemy attacks are almost all unreactable, even with time slowed, because they have no telegraph at all. So it takes much trial and error to learn the exact timing you can expect them to attack at in each situation.

And that - learning timings through trial and error, and then executing them precisely - is most of the game. There's not much depth in movement because most rooms are flat and empty besides enemies, and jumping gives no advantage. There's not much depth in prioritizing enemies because they have a strict hierarchy: melee enemies at the bottom, shotgun or rapid-fire at the top. And there's not much depth in how you approach a given enemy because if you can't attack from behind or through a door (which trivializes them), there are really only two approaches: try to roll through their bullet, or try to deflect it. And sometimes one of those options is completely disabled by the enemy or room design (for example, shotguns can't really be deflected because they fire a burst of bullets, and you can only deflect one, you'll be hit by the others).

There is one thing I think is really cool about this game and unique among PvE fighting games: no progression. You don't get upgrades throughout the game. You play the end with the same abilities and stats you had in the beginning.

Story

Bad. It leaves mysteries and absurdities unexplained, has few likable characters, and the main antagonist is especially revolting. He's not cool or smart, just crude and sadistic and gets to humiliate the player character, and you don't even get to kill him - someone else does. And it's full of dialogue choices that look like they matter, like they'll affect whether or how soon your character figures out a mystery, or make or break alliances, but they all lead to the same results.

Conclusion

Overall, Katana ZERO has a unique vision but lacks the tactical depth to execute it.