Afro Samurai 2

Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma was a third-person action-adventure video game published by Versus Evil and developed by Redacted Studios. The game was released for the PlayStation Network and Microsoft Windows in September 2015, with an Xbox One version planned for October. The sequel to 2009's Afro Samurai, originally a manga series by Takashi Okazaki, the player controls Kuma, a swordsman who seeks revenge on the titular character.

For the film sequel, see Afro Samurai: Resurrection.
Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma
Developer(s)Redacted Studios
Publisher(s)Versus Evil
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Microsoft Windows
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows & PlayStation 4
  • WW: September 22, 2015[1]
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The game received widely negative reviews from critics. Originally planned to be released in three volumes, Versus Evil removed Revenge of Kuma from all platforms, issued refunds, and cancelled the other two volumes. The Xbox One version was also never released.

Plot

The plot of Afro Samurai 2 is about Kuma trying to fight Afro, the titular character of the anime series. Kuma following his defeat by Afro now seeks to challenge him for the Number One headband and take his revenge.

Development

The game was developed by Redacted Studios and published by Versus Evil. After the release of the first Afro Samurai in 2009, former Namco Bandai senior producer David Robinson left the company, and founded Redacted. Along with leaving Namco Bandai, he secured the rights to make other games in the series.[2]

Afro Samurai 2's story was written by Jim DeFelice, co-writer of American Sniper.[3] The soundtrack to the game was done by rapper RZA, who also produced two soundtrack albums of the animated series.[4] The game's still image cutscenes was done by series creator Takashi Okazaki.[5]

The game was released for the PlayStation Network and Microsoft Windows on September 22, 2015. An Xbox One version was also planned to be released on October 9.[1] After the negative reception of the other versions, however, it was never released.[6]

Reception

Upon release, Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma received widely negative reviews from critics and fans of the series.

Polygon called it one of the worst games of 2015.[12] Giant Bomb called it the worst game of the year.[13] It was the second worst-reviewed game of 2015 according to aggregate review website Metacritic.[14]

Withdrawal and cancelled trilogy

In November 2015, Afro Samurai 2 was pulled from the PSN and Steam. In an interview with CGMagazine on the game's withdrawal, Versus Evil's Steve Escalante called the game "a failure" and announced the cancellation of the other two volumes and refunds for customers.[15] Escalante later expanded on the decision in an interview with Gamasutra, saying, "Given the game quality was not what people were expecting, it didn’t sell like hot cakes, let’s just put it like that."[16]

References
  1. Scammell, David (September 22, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2 hits Xbox One in October, PS4/PC today". VideoGamer.com. Candy Banana. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  2. Lien, Tracey (June 25, 2014). "Afro Samurai 2 currently in development". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  3. Hansen, Steve (September 4, 2015). "Wait, the American Sniper writer is doing Afro Samurai 2?". Destructoid. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  4. Makuch, Eddie (September 23, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2 Hits PS4/PC, With Xbox One Edition Coming Later". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  5. Matulef, Jeffrey (September 11, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2: Episode One arrives on PS4 and PC this month". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  6. Barnes, Ken (November 24, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2 Release Cancelled Indefinitely Due to Quality Concerns". Pure Xbox. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  7. "Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume One for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  8. Carter, Chris (September 29, 2015). "Review: Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume 1". Destructoid. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  9. Brown, Peter (September 25, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume One Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  10. Bohn, Jason (September 26, 2015). "Review: Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Episode One". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  11. Meli, Jowi (September 21, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume 1 Review — Unadulterated Ugliness". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  12. Frank, Allegra (December 30, 2015). "The worst video games of 2015". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  13. "Giant Bomb's 2015 Game of the Year Awards: Day Four Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. December 31, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  14. Dietz, Jason (December 21, 2015). "The 10 Worst Video Games of 2015". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  15. Frank, Allegra (November 20, 2015). "Afro Samurai 2 pulled from retail, deemed 'a failure'". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  16. Graft, Kris (November 23, 2015). "In-depth: The decision to un-publish Afro Samurai 2 and refund buyers". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.


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