Katana Zero is a 2019 platform game created by the indie developer Justin Stander. Set in a dystopian metropolis, the neo-noir storyline follows Subject Zero, a katana-wielding assassin with amnesia who can slow down time and predict the future. Zero unravels his past while completing assassination contracts. Katana Zero features side-scrolling hack-and-slash gameplay in which the player attempts to kill all enemies in a level without being hit, using Zero's abilities to manipulate time, dodge attacks, and take advantage of environmental hazards. In between levels, the story is told in sequences where the player converses with non-player characters through dialogue trees.
Stander began working on Katana Zero in 2013. He had previously developed freeware games, such as Tower of Heaven (2009), and conceived Katana Zero as his first commercial game. Using GameMaker Studio 2, Stander sought to make a difficult story-driven game that did not force the player to wait through dialogue and cutscenes. He focused on attention to detail and looked to films such as Sin City (2005) and John Wick (2014) for story inspiration. The development was prolonged and Stander worked mostly alone, although he recruited artists to design the visuals as well as musicians Bill Kiley and Thijs "LudoWic" Lodewijk to compose the synthwave soundtrack.
Katana Zero was published by Devolver Digital for macOS, the Nintendo Switch, and Windows on April 18, 2019. It sold 500,000 copies in less than a year and received positive reviews. Critics praised the gameplay—which they favorably compared to Devolver's Hotline Miami (2012)—and the visuals, writing, and music. The story divided reviewers and the unresolved ending was criticized. Several critics cited Katana Zero as one of the best games of 2019 and it was nominated for numerous year-end accolades. A port for the Xbox One was released in 2020, while Android and iOS versions and downloadable content are in development. Stander intends to continue the fictional universe in future games.
KatanaZero is a 2019 platform game created by the indie developer Justin Stander. Set in a dystopian metropolis, the neo-noir storyline follows Subject...
"KatanaZero's Ban Overturned, Receives R18+ Rating". Kotaku AU. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020. "KatanaZero | Australian...
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Terraria, Hotline Miami, Slay the Spire, Shovel Knight, Risk of Rain, and KatanaZero. A fourth and final paid expansion, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania...
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action-platformer inspired by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Hollow Knight, and KatanaZero, with the former for its deflection-focused combat system. It is described...
Creepy Castle, Puzzle Depot, Crypt of the NecroDancer, Enter the Gungeon, KatanaZero, and For Honor. Its music appears in Just Shapes & Beats and Voez. In...
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Gamepressure. Retrieved February 16, 2024. Grubb, Jeff (April 12, 2019). "KatanaZero is more than swords and style". Venture Beat. Retrieved April 12, 2019...
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[@LimitedRunGames] (May 25, 2020). "Last, but not least, Blaster Master Zero & Blaster Master Zero 2get a huge Collector's Edition. This CE features a certificate...
"Fire Festival" (Himatsuri) where the winner holds the "Fire Sword" (a katana) for a whole year until the next summer's tournament. They also hold a Yasukuni...
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affections, Zero means a lot to Katana, to the point where it being damaged depresses him. Zero is symbolically the image of what Katana wishes to be...
had constructed a fleet of highly automated heavy cruisers, known as the Katana fleet. A virus infected the crews of the entire fleet and drove them insane...
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