[Akai Katana/赤い刀] Type C ALL Clear (Score: 80,820,686) [CC Commentary]

Channel:

Weeb Nerd Gaming

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Published on December 26, 2022 8:25:19 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEh3Y3OCLME

Game:

Akai Katana (2010)

Duration: 29:27

138 views

4

Before I say anything about the game itself, I want to tell a PSA regarding the port by, gulp, CITY CONNECTION. There is an extra input lag by 1 frame from what I've heard, which, considering myself, it's not what I'd complain the most, but the port is a downgrade for 1 fatal reason:

NO TUTORIALS. CITY CONNECTION REMOVED IT FROM THE GAME!!!

Why? I don't know! They do upload the tutorial on their Youtube channel, but who would google how to play the game they have just bought!? The keyword is googling. The tutorial should be included as part of the purchase! This botching adds more to their infamy regarding the ports. What, were they, THINKING!? Live Wire wouldn't dare removing any tutorials! This is worse than the Cotton 2 port! Cotton 2 never had any, Akai Katana's got removed!

It's even worse considering Akai Katana, especially the old system for the Arcade and Zetsu, is one of the oddest among CAVE shmups! No, Akai Katana IS the weirdest CAVE shmup! At least the 2nd weirdest if you count Pink Sweets because no one replicates Recca again and it's a topic for another day. Right, where were we...?

Akai Katana. Basically ProgearGaluda. No, I'm serious. The weird viewpoint is like Progear and the Soul-Shift functions more similarly to Espgaluda's Kakusei instead of the usual Hyper since you can activate it anytime as long as you have the Guidance Gauge available. Heck, the bullet cancelling while in Soul Shift works like Progear's with stricter requirements. It is overall still its own unique beast. Perhaps it was proposed as a Progear sequel and might involve Junya Inoue again? But considering Progear's IP is held by Capcom and CAVE would evade paying licenses as much as they can like for ESP Ra.De, I get that they'd just make a new IP instead despite striking similarities including stage setpieces.

I love Akai Katana, including the worst iteration of the Akai Katanas: Arcade!

In fact, the situation is eerily similar to Deathsmiles II. The difficulty of Deathsmiles II and Akai Katana was pretty jacked up. The ported arranges then nerfed the pattern difficulty especially the bullet speed, including at the highest difficulty possible. It is not as sadistic as Fire Shark's situation, of course, but it sounded like a trend for CAVE at the time... The difficulty nerf applies to Zetsu too. I'll explain the janks exclusive to the Arcade mode at least as far as I've experienced it later.

The controls look like your usual CAVE affair: move, shoot, bomb, soul-shift (hyper), but the things you can do alone is crazy. At least the bomb is as simple as usual, aside of when you're at last life, auto-bomb is active where when you get hit all bombs get consumed, Mushihimesama Arrange style. The bomb is quite potent too for bullet clearing and DPS. The way shooting works is a cross between Progear's and Deathsmiles'. Rapid shot boosts the ship's shot power. Focus shot boosts the option's shot power. Unlike Progear, there is option control. And boy, I'd say it's one of the worst among CAVE games! It works, but for all types with rapid shot the option's movement pattern are all TRACE. This is not Mushihimesama where option position is more about the shooting... the options are also important to recharge your Guidance Gauge! In other words, it's SLOW! To add to the weirdness, depending on the shot type when you go into Focus shot your option either stay in place relative to your ship OR snaps to the furthest range from your ship. Then depending on the shot type while you move while using the Focus shot the option may not stay in place but rotates Deathsmiles style! Really!? What makes Deathsmiles' options great are their snappiness. The options all move strictly on rotation, so adjustments are quick. Trace is so slow in comparison! And you'll want to pointblank ASAP! Oh, unlike Progear, lock-on shots are a luxury, only for Type B.

There is a lot to write about Akai Katana yet I'm already running out of description text space! No extend item, which is okay, the weird scoring system and the Soul-Shift mode is already weird, which plays like Hydlide, on Defense Mode you're totally invincible but you'll attract bullets and in Attack Mode you're strong and even when you get hit you don't lose life, which makes Akai Katana considerably lenient for a CAVE game, my biggest criticisms for Arcade are the crazy pattern difficulty jump on Stage 5 boss fight and the bad shot type balance. Type C is the best despite the slow movement speed since its shots are very wide and while Suzuran's laser is melee-short, it's too strong! Meanwhile Type B's Kikyou is comparatively impotent. The setpieces and stage design is as usual, great, though. The fact that bosses summon big ships like it's just normal magic is so trippy!

Akai Katana Arcade is a fun relic to play. It can be too weird for its own good, though.

This is the Nintendo Switch port.
https://store-jp.nintendo.com/list/software/70010000051331.html

#赤い刀 #AkaiKatana #NintendoSwitch

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