Way of the Samurai 4 on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Way of the Samurai 4 takes place in the humble port town of Amihama during the mid 19th Century, several years after the arrival of the “black ships” from the West ended Japan’s long history of cultural isolation.
Way of the Samurai 4 is a action, jrpg and choose your own adventure game
developed by ACQUIRE Corp.
and published by Spike Chunsoft Co. and Ltd..
Released on July 23rd 2015 is available only on Windows
in 2 languages: English and Japanese.
It has received 1,868 reviews of which 1,483 were positive and 385 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.6 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 22.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Way of the Samurai 4 into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: 2.13GHz Intel Core2 Duo or equivalent
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card with 64Mb RAM and support for v3 shaders
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 7 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
I've been playing the WotS series since the first one on PS2 and to this day I have never found another game like it. The game has some quirks, there is no denying that, but the atmosphere and gameplay overcome any technical shortcomings from such a small development team. No other game has been meant to be replayed and experienced as much as WotS, much like one of those old Choose Your Own Adventure books, but you control all the action and story. Being able to interrupt cut-scenes is a neat addition for WotS4, so no two playthroughs will ever be the same. Just an FYI, this game will not work properly unless you install Nvidia PhysX (even if you have an AMD card like I do), copy all the dll files from the installation folder, and paste them into the WotS4 (or 3, if you bought that one as well) root folder. Once you do that it should run just fine. I also can play on my ultra-wide monitor, but it takes a little bit of patience playing around in the settings. Overall, if you like samurai sword fighting, choose your own adventure books, short games meant to be replayed over and over, roguelikes, or quirky japanese humor (foreigners say "WHHAHAAAAAAAA") you won't go wrong with Way of the Samurai 4.
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I don't get why this game is suddenly getting bad reviews. This is an old game by a small studio. Of course it's gonna be buggy! But I've managed to play through the game and get every ending multiple times, so it's not game-breaking. The port is crappy, yes, but the game is good.
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Before you buy this game in year 2024 and beyond, note that at time of writing, the game has technical issues. Some of the more severe issues can be resolved while others seemingly not. On a modern system, the game may not successfully launch out of the box (resolvable), and the game may crash when the "true ending" cutscene triggers (resolvable). Alt-tabbing may also cause the game to crash (don't do it). The frame rate is locked to 30 fps. You may need to fiddle with controller settings in Steam to a) get your controller recognized by the game, and b) have correct button assignment. Other than that the game has been rather stable, with "only" a few crashes from time to time. I suggest saving often just in case. I enjoyed the replayability of the game a lot back in year 2015, and I managed to squeeze more juice out of it nearly 10 years later by unlocking more accessories and story branches that you can probably never complete without a miracle or a guide. Sadly I felt that the final hidden branches were the least polished, and quite a bit more difficult than the normal branches just for the sake of being difficult. Side missions cease to be interesting eventually because they're all usually the same types of jobs, and there are so many of them, and so many more seemingly hidden ones. Collecting swords ceases to be interesting because you'll likely just find more of the same swords that you already have, and you need to do something about the ones you have because space is limited. Managing excess swords becomes boring because of the clunky user interface. For example, smelting swords is good for materials but you can only do one at a time, and you need to repeatedly navigate in the menu, select a sword to smelt and wait for it to finish (or skip the animations). Lots of repetitive actions require you to do them one at a time like this. Unlocking things is a big feature of the game but if you don't care about the hardships that come with it then you can just replay the game a few times for the story. It isn't a deep story at all, and the world is small, but there are humorous bits sprinkled all over the game that you may enjoy if you explore a little. You can expect to spend a lot of (maybe too much) time unlocking meaningless things, either until you're satisfied or you run out of steam like I did the first time I played the game. If only the technical issues could be fully resolved without any new content then I would wholeheartedly recommend this game at a price no more than $10 USD given its age of nearly 10 years. Since that seems unlikely, I can't recommend paying more than perhaps $5 USD. With some quality of life improvements then I would gladly bump up my recommendation and max price to $15 USD. Had it been 2015 again then perhaps I would have wanted to pay no more than $20 USD. Even with technical issues, I would still mildly recommend this game today at the right price.
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Sharpened Steel: Branching Paths: Your choices throughout the game significantly impact the story, leading to multiple endings and replayability. Open World Exploration: Explore the town of Amihama, interact with its quirky residents, and take on various quests, fostering a sense of freedom. Multiple Combat Styles: Master different sword fighting styles to approach battles with variety, adding a layer of strategy to the combat. Whimsical Charm: The game embraces a unique blend of historical setting and lighthearted humor, making for a memorable experience. Blunted Blade: Low Production Values: The visuals and character models are not on par with modern games, which may be a turnoff for some players. Repetitive Combat: While multiple styles exist, the core combat mechanics can feel repetitive and button-mashy. Technical Issues: Some players report bugs and crashes that can disrupt gameplay. Questionable Content: The game features some elements of sexual humor and violence that might not be for everyone. Overall: Way of the Samurai 4 isn't a polished AAA title, but it offers a surprisingly engaging experience with its branching storylines, open world exploration, and quirky charm. However, the low production values, repetitive combat, and potential for technical issues might deter some players. Here's a suggested rating based on your preferences: For players who enjoy open-world exploration, branching narratives, and a touch of the absurd in a historical setting: 4 out of 5 stars For players who prioritize high production values, polished combat, and a more serious historical experience: 2 out of 5 stars Alternatives to Consider: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: A challenging and rewarding action RPG set in a fantastical interpretation of Japan's Sengoku period. (Paid) Ghost of Tsushima: An open-world samurai adventure with stunning visuals and a more serious story. (Paid) Kenshi: A sprawling open-world RPG with a focus on sandbox gameplay and base building, set in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by feudal Japan. (Paid) If you're looking for a unique and quirky samurai adventure with branching paths and replayability, Way of the Samurai 4 might be worth a try, especially for the budget price. Just be aware of the game's limitations in terms of visuals and combat. Way of the Samurai 1 will always be top-tier and near and dear to my heart.
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Way of the Samurai 4 is a pretty big step away from the general series tone, but retains most of what makes the previous games fun, and adds some fun twists the idea. for those wondering which to get between 3 and 4: 3 is -more narrative focused and serious. its story is simply better, with more characters that are all deeper, and it has much more endings (22 total, not counting death in combat, and a secret one). -more rewarding. learning to parry took long enough, but instant kills are awesome, and it takes more effort and practice to master the kill chain mechanic, and its quite giving with sword parts, so making your own swords comes quick, but making the best swords still takes real effort. -easier to prolong. the story and events are kinda based on how many inklings you do (iirc, 15 triggers the Nobunaga invasion). almost every inkling starts by talking/approaching specific, non-job related NPCs. 4 is -simpler and less serious. its scenario is still compelling, focusing on the period when Japan was just starting to let the English in and mistrust is rampant, however, its characters are taken much less seriously. much fewer NPCs are named, Melinda Megamelons is an actual character, and its got much fewer endings (still like 9 or 11 or some shit though!) -easier to beat. a retry mechanic allows you to reload from the last area basically, even if you didn't save. as a result, dying in combat is not a good way to reset the game, as your money, weapons, and items will be lost. -more personalized. a clothing store in the main plaza allows you to buy a HUGE variety of haircuts, clothes, and accessories for decently cheap (check on different days/times). create your own fighting styles and Dojo. Unlock female characters faster (go to Unlocks when starting a new game from an ending save) -the only game ive ever played that lets you shoplift AND dine n dash. maybe the only one. you can also fight your old characters--unless they canonically died or joined the demonscales. they can also be recruited to your dojo lmao. combat is hugely varied and fun. there are literally dozens of styles (plus the ability to make your own), each being hard enough to find to begin with, and then each allowing for skill unlocks and further depth. all of them have insane moves near the end. the world is small and easy to memorize but a little TOO small. a story flow chart helps guide you through it, but its more in your face and proceeds much faster than 3. 3 has more busywork but more interesting consequences, 4 has more to do but goes too fast to let you really enjoy the ride. i do still recommend easily, as its 25 bucks and easily is worth it. as for the port quality, its not great but it works? bugs arent very common, but initial load takes a long enough time that Windows will assume the game is crashing and ask if you want to end the process. crashes when you alt-tab as well as when you let the computer idle to sleep, so be wary.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 06 April 2025 22:03 |
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| SteamSpy data | 12 April 2025 06:23 |
| Steam price | 15 April 2025 12:48 |
| Steam reviews | 14 April 2025 22:03 |
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Online players
18
Developer
ACQUIRE Corp.
Publisher
Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Release
23 Jul 2015
Platforms