Samurai Warriors: Katana

Samurai Warriors: Katana (戦国無双KATANA, Sengoku Musou Katana), originally called "Samurai Warriors Wave" and "Samurai Warriors Slash", is the first Koei game released for the Nintendo Wii played with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment. The action is seen from a first-person viewpoint. In battle, the player character is equipped with one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. The player can freely switch between melee and ranged weapons during combat or use both simultaneously. Attacks are performed through either pressing the attack button on the Wii Remote to attack single enemies, or motion-based attacks that can damage groups. When dealing with enemy officers, players may choose to strike at their weak points or deflect incoming ranged attacks right back at them.

Outside of combat, there are running sequences where the player must swing his/her arms with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in hand to simulate the arms pumping in a running motion. Horseback riding is also included, with the Wii Remote performing the function of the reins while the Nunchuk is used as a whip. Several stages in the game feature multiple mini-games such as race competitions, puzzles, exploration, on-rails shooting, etc. The player's success in these missions may earn them more gold for various upgrades and a higher ranking.

The game offers four different scenarios in Story Mode including a hidden one which can be unlocked by clearing the first four with a silver ranking or higher. It also includes a competitive Multiplayer Mode for two players and a Trial Mode featuring Goemon Ishikawa from the first game.

Aside from new gameplay elements, Katana also has a new soundtrack featuring remixed songs from the first title as well as original endings not otherwise found in Samurai Warriors 2.

Weapons
Players initially begin with the katana as their first weapon, but more armaments are automatically gained by going through certain stages. Each one has its own gimmicks and controls, requiring constant practice in order to wield them more effectively.

Melee Weapons

 * Katana
 * Hammer
 * Spear
 * Spinning Blade

Ranged Weapons

 * Bow
 * Rifle
 * Cannon
 * Boomerang

Allusions

 * Goemon Ishikawa, Yoshimoto Imagawa, Kojiro Sasaki, and Katsuie Shibata make appearances as unique enemies in this game. The former also appears in Trial Mode as an ally of sorts for the player.