Way of the Samurai 4

The game is set in a fictional port town called Amihama during the last days of the Shogunate. Players can create their own samurai[7] and choose to align themselves with one of three factions: the pro-government forces, the anti-government rebels seeking to repel foreigners, or the British Navy stationed in the city to negotiate a peace treaty. When the negotiations between the local government of Amihama and the British goes wrong after a Prajna attack at the meeting point, the Tokugawa Shogunate sends one of their Tairō to quash the revolt.

The main story takes place over the span of five days. The character's decisions and actions will shape his/her path, and ultimately, his/her fate.

Endings, Events, and Customization

Acquire promised that 4 would be much longer than previous games, and there are 10 endings. The game also features flexible events and cutscenes such as deciding whether you want to explore a cave or just turn around and walk away.[8] Events are easier to follow, compared to previous games. There are more customization options than in the last game, allowing to choose features such as face, hair, clothing, footwear and accessories.

Health and Energy

An energy meter is added in this installment. It regenerates life points (which are set at 1000) if the player is stationary or moving away in combat, and depletes when your samurai fights, nightcrawls, or is regenerating health. Food and sleep regenerate the energy meter. There are straw blankets in set locations outside (or in) the dojo, inns around Amihama where you pay to sleep in, and any bed you can stand on can be used to sleep and recharge energy.

Combat

There is a wide variety of fighting styles and skills that a player can master. Swords can now be switched to any stance; and skills, once learned, are bound to the player, not the swords. Players then can assign learned skills to their own "school" of fighting style.

The "push and pull" mechanics in the first and third games are kept. A new special mode is introduced, in which the samurai enters slow motion for a limited duration and can slash enemies repeatedly, then he sheathes the sword and all dead enemies fall down at the same time.

The sword "heat" mechanics was removed and replaced by "durability points", which will drop gradually with use, and eventually weapons will break. This forces players to visit the blacksmith regularly for repairs, unless their weapons are "unbreakable".

Sword Enhancement/Creation

Players can go to the blacksmith and choose to enhance their weapon's attributes (attack, defense, durability), repair it, or appraise it. Player can also ask Dojima to melt a sword and then use the metal to recast another sword.

The custom sword-making system introduced in Way of the Samurai 3 returns. In addition to normal parts like blade, hilt and grip, players can also add a charm that will give a special effect. Beside swords and spears, pistols and muskets have been added as weapons. Muskets are primarily used by British soldiers.

A Shinsengumi costume DLC pack was offered for free from March 24 to April 27, 2011. After that, it was priced $6. Players need to apply a patch before using any downloadable content.[15]

Hijikata Toshizō and Kondō Isami are among the downloadable Shinsengumi characters.

Dona Dona from the original Way of the Samurai and a grown-up version of the character Sayo from Way of the Samurai 2 are also available for download. Sayo will appear in the road and offer rice balls.

Upon the release the game received mixed reviews, with PlayStation 3 version scoring 58 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic.[17] Many critics praised the story, customisation options, various non-combat activities and multiple endings,[18][19][20] however, the gameplay, bugs and technical issues were criticised.[18][19][20][21]

PC port received mixed to positive reviews, scoring 72 out of 100 on Metacritic.[16]

• Developer website