Katanaut is a Metroidvania-inspired action roguelite that teleported me back to my childhood as I sat in front of my Super Nintendo trying to get to Mother Brain. Players step into the shoes of Naut (think futuristic samurai) who is tasked with exploring a space station that has been inexplicably overrun. The result is other inhabitants becoming atrocities you hack-and-slash your way through to find the truth of what happened.
Gorgeous, pixelated art and atmospheric music lend itself to Naut’s quest as you traverse multiple themed maps, picking up memory fragments, skills, and upgrades. Don’t like your current katana? There’s a rack where you can swap one for the other. Fancy a shotgun? During your exploration you’ll find several options to swap out your firearm with to truly customize your gameplay. Alongside weapon options are skills you can equip that enhance combat and again truly make the gameplay your own.
R Stands for Replayability
Typically, I find roguelites a teeny bit frustrating as death means starting the run from the top. Admittedly, I am not the most skilled and found myself restarting many, many times. However, Katanaut managed to make this fun and challenging in ways that kept me engaged. The game features a run-timer stating how long you played before you perished. Should you reach a checkpoint that transitions you to a new map area, players receive a recap of their run displaying kills, time, and so on. This information felt like a personal challenge to be better round after round. Katanaut is a game for both veterans of the genre and newcomers alike. On Steam, there are 100 achievements allowing for as much challenge as a player desires. Or you can simply enjoy the smooth gameplay and intriguing storyline.
Gameplay
The gameplay and movement in Katanaut is addicting. He moves quickly and comes with a myriad of movement abilities such as jumping, sliding, rolling, and is able to traverse vertical hallways by jumping side-to-side. This fluidity really lends itself to the feeling of fighting for your life amid a space station of chaos. It also makes for enjoyable high-speed combat. Unlockable fast travel points and portals to undisclosed locations make exploration vast and fun. Dying also means slowly meeting new NPCs. They offer such amenities as recalling items and skills you discovered in a past run. And did I mention you can pet cats?
Where to Buy
Katanaut is exclusive to steam and plays quite well on the steam deck. It’s on sale for $14.39 until September 24th. But even at its full price of $17.99 USD it’s a lot of content at a very low price point. I highly suggest this game for fans of its genre. Or if you’re looking for a great indie to dive into, this may just be your next game.
