Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a love letter to the animated series and a throwback to classic platform action games of the PS2 era, in the best possible way.

Even if you’re not a Samurai Jack superfan, Battle Through Time may be worth a playthrough just for the refresher course in how action games used to work and how vital that style can still be in 2020. There are plenty of quirks that come with the game’s curious dedication to the past, but the overall package excels despite them. Following so many slow, tanky duels with skeletons that can take you out in one hit, it’s a blast to tear through countless rock creatures with a single smash of a spiked club.

While not the slickest, fastest character action out there, Battle Through Time feels like a game that fans will be playing time and time again.

At $40 it has a lot to offer. I never found myself angry or bored revisiting previous levels. There’s a fair bit of content for that $40, it’s just that it isn’t perfect and one should know that going into Battle Through Time. Fans of Samurai Jack however will most likely love this game as it canonically takes place during the final season as Jack is trapped in time. I also think Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is great for both adults and kids (whilemost action games nowadays definitely leans to a predominately adult audience). Definitely check it out in that downtime between big releases as there’s plenty here to be impressed by.

Even though I’d not seen an episode of the show before playing I was really rather taken with Samurai Jack: Battle Though Time. It looks great, the combat is fun and fluid, there’s lots to do with upgrading Jack’s abilities, and lots of replayability with the different difficulties and scores to beat. A great game all round and one worth checking out.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a hack and slash adventure with a few platforming elements. If you like taking on punishingly difficult hordes of enemies and proving your fighting prowess, you'll enjoy this game.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time occasionally stumbles, but it often manages to be a strong showcase for the TV series.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time definitely doesn't offer anything particularly groundbreaking but it does feature satisfying old-school hack and slash fun that's hard not to enjoy. Throw in some RPG elements and you're left with a solid albeit lackluster experience.

A perfectly serviceable game that would be more fitting on last generation’s consoles, the only real investment in this will only come from being a fan of the source material.