Samurai Jack |Battle Through Time| Gameplay | Arc 8

Samurai Jack |Battle Through Time| Gameplay | Arc 8

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a 2020 hack-n-slash game based on the Samurai Jack TV series. It is a 3D hack-and-slash where players control Jack as he travels through different timelines towards his final showdown with Aku. It was first announced on February 25, 2020 and was released on August 21, 2020.

The game primarily consists of Jack going to an area, defeating all the enemies in that area, then moving on to the next area, and so on. Some of the areas and enemies are optional for completing the level, while others such as boss fights are mandatory. There are four difficulty levels: Jack, Samurai, Master Samurai, and Master of Masters, the last of which can only be unlocked by completing each of the other levels on Master Samurai difficulty. Jack can use strong attacks, quick attacks, ranged weapons, combos, and Kiai Attacks. Kiai attacks can only be used after the player has filled their Kiai Fire gauge, but when used, Jack is temporarily invincible and deals massive damage in a manner specific to the kind of weapon he currently has equipped and his proficiency level in that weapon class.

In addition to his starting Magic Sword and bare fists, which are unbreakable, Jack can acquire a wide range of other weapons which can wear out and break. They fall under the following categories: Swords, Axes, Hammers, Spears, Clubs, Thrown Weapons, Handguns, Machine Guns, Bows and Arrows. He can also acquire Consumables (which can be consumed to give Jack health and temporary bonuses), Collectibles (Corrupted Emperor's Kamon), Prayer Beads (Bracelets which Jack can equip to provide non-temporary stat bonuses), and Jewelry (magic Jewels which Jack can sell or spend to unlock certain skills). Jack can acquire weapons from certain enemies by defeating them with a throw while his fists are equipped.

In exchange for enough Gold, Jack can buy and sell weapons, ammunition, and consumables at Da Samurai's shop, which you can access by talking to him at any of the various locations where he appears. But the kinds of items Da Samurai has in stock differ from location to location, and he has a limited supply of each per location. You can also spend Gold at his shop in return for repairs, which restore durability in weapons that have been worn out from use in combat, and weapon training, each purchase of which increases Jack's proficiency in one the various classes of melee weapons by one level. Some of Jack's other allies, Sir Rothchild, The Scotsman, and The Scotsman's Daughters, appear throughout various levels as well and can be interacted with for gameplay advice and a single item each.

Jack has a skill tree with three categories: Physical, Spiritual, and Combat. The various skills in each can be unlocked by spending blue Skill Fire, green Bushido Spirit, and occasionally specific kinds of Jewels. Jewels can only be acquired from allies and chests in certain levels, and specific kinds of Jewels can only be found by playing or replaying the specific levels they are available in. Skill Fire, Bushido Spirit, Kiai Fire, and Gold can be acquired by defeating enemies, finding them in chests and destructible objects, and collecting them floating midair in certain places. Blue Skill Fire can be found in overabundance compared to the green Bushido Spirit, which is much less plentiful and will ultimately be the limiting factor towards completing one's skill tree. Skill Fire can also be acquired as a reward for completing Challenges, various side-objectives the game keeps track of in the Records menu. One such challenge is opening all 100 different chests in the game.

There are 50 Corrupted Emperor's Kamon and 100 chests in all, and while many of them are in obvious locations, some are more difficult to find. So unless one is following a guide, one would likely require multiple playthroughs of each level to acquire them all. Many require shooting far-off medals or skulls with well-aimed bow-and-arrow shots.