Way of the Samurai 2
Encyclopedia
Way of the Samurai 2 is a PlayStation 2
action-adventure game released in 2004. It was released on PlayStation Portable
only in Japan in 2009.
The game is a prequel
to Way of the Samurai
.
who collapsed at the gate of a famous trading island-city called Amahara. Soon thereafter, a little girl shares her riceball with the ronin, giving him (or her, depending on the player's choice) energy. A choice appears, introducing the player to the diverse life of a samurai.
are carried over, albeit with some changes. Amongst them are the inclusion of "stance-breaker" attacks on nearly every weapon, a simplified guard/parry system, and instant kill techniques.
and bokken
.
Also, the "Appraise" feature is able to make the swords upgraded more powerful. Their effects include addition to attack, defense, durability, tension resistance, or a combination of the above. These, however, requires certain conditions to be met, such as number of kills. Some special swords are able to be appraised based on their name.
The first is the magistrate
s. Headed by Chief Kuroha, the alert and vigilant magistrates arrest anyone they think breaks the law. They do not hesitate to use forged evidence or invent ludicrous reasons. This oppressive rule made them feared by the townspeople.
The second is the Aoto gang. Under the leadership of the "Old Boss" in the past, the Aoto gang upheld chivalry, protecting the people from the exploits of the magistrates. All changed when the boss died. The elections for the new leader have not been done, but a powerful warrior named Hanzaemon stepped in and filled the void, much to the dismay of the previous boss's daughter Kasumi. Now they are a ravaging group of thugs, committing crimes.
The third group is the townspeople. Centered around the brothel
of Amakaze, the townspeople's livelihood very much depended on the brothel and the resulting trade that occurs in the vicinity. While they lacked warriors, they do possess enough money to occasionally hire ronin to solve their problems.
Amahara is an island trading post who is allowed to govern its own affairs. However, the Shogunate have been taking an interest in the area. Rumor has it that their spies have safely made their way in, blending with the crowd, and are watching every single movement within Amahara.
of the game was composed by the Japan
ese composer
Noriyuki Asakura
, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
action-adventure game released in 2004. It was released on PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
only in Japan in 2009.
The game is a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game released in 2002.Set in 19th Century Japan, the player takes on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans...
.
Gameplay
The player starts as a hungry roninRonin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
who collapsed at the gate of a famous trading island-city called Amahara. Soon thereafter, a little girl shares her riceball with the ronin, giving him (or her, depending on the player's choice) energy. A choice appears, introducing the player to the diverse life of a samurai.
Combat
The combat system from the original Way of the SamuraiWay of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game released in 2002.Set in 19th Century Japan, the player takes on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans...
are carried over, albeit with some changes. Amongst them are the inclusion of "stance-breaker" attacks on nearly every weapon, a simplified guard/parry system, and instant kill techniques.
Swords
Many swords have been added from the previous game. Some special swords from the previous Way of The Samurai are available. Way of The Samurai 2 adds two more stances, "Fencing" stance in which the swordsman keep the sword sheathed until it is required to attack, and "Two Hands" stance, in which the player is able to hold two swords at once. Also, there are new weapons installed such as handclaws, and even odachiOdachi
An , was a type of long Japanese sword. The term nodachi, or "field sword", which refers to a different type of sword, is often mistakenly used in place of ōdachi. It is historically known as ōtachi....
and bokken
Bokken
A bokken , "wood", and ken, "sword") , is a Japanese wooden sword used for training. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō...
.
Enhancements
Dojima from the previous game also makes an appearance, though unrelated to the main plot. Here he still serves as a blacksmith to enhance the player's swords. The stats, however, are simplified:- Attack: Attack strength, determines the amount of damage caused when an opponent is struck with the sword
- Defense: Defensive strength, determines the amount of damage suffered when the player is struck by an opponent
- Durability: Sword strength, increases the amount of tension the sword can generate before breaking.
- Quality: The number of upgrades left that can be performed.
Also, the "Appraise" feature is able to make the swords upgraded more powerful. Their effects include addition to attack, defense, durability, tension resistance, or a combination of the above. These, however, requires certain conditions to be met, such as number of kills. Some special swords are able to be appraised based on their name.
Factions
There are multiple sides in Amahara.The first is the magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
s. Headed by Chief Kuroha, the alert and vigilant magistrates arrest anyone they think breaks the law. They do not hesitate to use forged evidence or invent ludicrous reasons. This oppressive rule made them feared by the townspeople.
The second is the Aoto gang. Under the leadership of the "Old Boss" in the past, the Aoto gang upheld chivalry, protecting the people from the exploits of the magistrates. All changed when the boss died. The elections for the new leader have not been done, but a powerful warrior named Hanzaemon stepped in and filled the void, much to the dismay of the previous boss's daughter Kasumi. Now they are a ravaging group of thugs, committing crimes.
The third group is the townspeople. Centered around the brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
of Amakaze, the townspeople's livelihood very much depended on the brothel and the resulting trade that occurs in the vicinity. While they lacked warriors, they do possess enough money to occasionally hire ronin to solve their problems.
Amahara is an island trading post who is allowed to govern its own affairs. However, the Shogunate have been taking an interest in the area. Rumor has it that their spies have safely made their way in, blending with the crowd, and are watching every single movement within Amahara.
Characters
At the start of the game, the character's default name is Mifune.- No Name: Maikaze's errand-girl. She is the first person that the player meets when starting the game. She offers the player food at the start. It later emerges that her name is Sayo and that she is being used to grow soma. Three endings are related to her, in one of them, she dies at the carnival; in the second the player must choose to sell her to Hanzaemon; in the third one the player must reject Hanzaemon's offer, to kill him and his thugs, after that Donpachi and Maikaze will tell the player that Sayo has been kidnapped by the magistrates. the player must then defeat Muto and many magistrates, after that Kuroha turns up and tells the player that he'll not give up until the girl is dead, because she knows the secret of the soma. In the end, she and the player leaves town. Voiced by Asuka TaniiAsuka Taniiis a Japanese voice actress.She was born June 19, 1978.-Anime:*Black Jack *Elfen Lied *Futakoi *Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart: Friends of the Snow-Laden Sky *Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart...
- Aoto Three: Members of the Aoto gang who take pleasure in extortion. They all look the same, but have different weapons. Their leader seems to be Ichikichi, followed by Santa and Nihei, the dumb one. They can be seen walking around town. Voiced by Taido Kusuyama
- Chiyo: Chiyo is Dr. Genan's friendly assistant. Her real name is Oboro and she is a kunoichiKunoichiis the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
working for the Shogunate. In the late night of 27th she appears at Otsuka-cho and instanctly fights the player, she might be killed to obtain her weapons. Voiced by Yuki Hamano
- Danpachi: A citizen of Amakaze, a man who looks after Sayo. Danpachi is a kind man who does only the best for Amahara. He is a skilled fighter and something of a playboy. He is married and has two children. Voiced by Hiromichi Kogami
- Kyojiro Kagenuma: Crazy, yet the strongest member of the Aoto gang, she likes violence very much. Even though she serves Hanzaemon, she values bloody fights more than anything. She hates it when she is called Okyo. This Character is possibly based on Bijomaru Mogami from film Azumi. She can be a final boss in one ending, but she'll always be fought at the carnival. Voiced by Akiko KoikeAkiko Koike' is a Japanese voice actress who is affiliated with Arts Vision. She was formerly affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-TV Anime:*Cyborg 009 *Naruto *Naruto Shippūden *Secret of Cerulean Sand...
- Hanzaemon Takanuma: The current leader of the Aoto gang, he is determined to take over Amahara at any cost. He's the game main antagonist, he killed Kasumi's father and is a final boss in many endings. He uses a large sword named Zannkimaru. Voiced by Toshitaka ShimizuToshitaka Shimizu' was a male seiyū from Saitama Prefecture, affiliated with Mausu Promotion. He committed suicide on November 1, 2003 at the age of 34.He was best known for dubbing over the voice of Eddy in the Cartoon Network program Ed, Edd n Eddy...
- Yasuno Kuremon: A corrupt magistrate actually working for the Aoto gang, he is quite mischievous and serves as a lapdog for Hanzaemon. Voiced by Masayuki KatoMasayuki KatoMasayuki Kato was the president and founder of the Nihon Falcom Corporation that has made video games for various Japanese PC systems and consoles . The company's key franchises include the Dragon Slayer series, The Legend of Heroes series, and the Ys series.-References:...
- Kasumi: The daughter of the former boss of the Aoto gang, she tries to do whatever to save the town from their terror. In many endings, the player may choose between helping her defeat Hanzaemon or causing her death. Voiced by Masako Inui
- Kusaburo: A painfully shy medicine peddler, who roams around in town. He is a Shogunate spy helping out Beniya with his plans. In 27th late night, he can be seen in Otsuka-cho, he'll instanctly try to kill the player, just like Oboro. Voiced by Satoru Tsugawa
- Muto Goshiro: A true follower of the Chief Magistrate Kuroha. Will maintain law and order in Amahara at any cost. Despite he is an honorable good man, he is very strict and let nothing intervene in the chief's plan. He can be a final boss. In the end he has forgotten that the way of the samurai is to use their sword to protect people. His sword is theOborozukiyo Voiced by Toshiaki Kuwahara
- Nakamura Sosuke: Perhaps the most powerful magistrate in town, Sosuke has a very strange appearance, wears make up and talks in an effeminate voice. Voiced by Masakazu SuzukiMasakazu Suzukiis a retired Japanese football player and manager.-References:...
- Chief Kuroha: The head magistrate, who strives to bring peace and order to Amahara. Even if his intentions are good, he somehow forgot his duty to the people, making him a Tyrant. Voiced by Naomi KusumiNaomi Kusumiis a Japanese seiyū from Fukuoka Prefecture. He was formerly attached to the Seinenza Theater Company; as of 1999, he is attached to Mausu Promotion...
- Nami: Nami is the lover of Yasuno and is a courtesan working at the Amakaze Inn. She appears to be foreign due to her blond hair and fights using a naginata. Voiced by Miyuki SawashiroMiyuki Sawashirois a female Japanese voice actress and singer who works for Mausu Promotion.She voiced Puchiko in the English dubbed releases of Di Gi Charat the Movie and Leave it to Piyoko, making her one of the few Japanese voice actors to have reprised a role in English in addition to the original Japanese...
- Dr. Genan: The town's doctor, he actually grows the drug Soma that has the magistrates so worked up. Trying to save people he develop the anestesy called Soma, which is made with a flower. It has some secondary effects that made it very addictive, that's why the aoto gang sells it. Voiced by Atsushi Imaruoka
- Beniya Kakube: An undercover merchant working for the Shogunate. If the player does nothing until day 26, after the carnival in day 27 Beniya will ask the player to kill Hanzaemon, if Hanzaemon is already dead and Kuroha is alive, Beniya will ask the player to kill Kuroha. Voiced by Takahiro Yoshino
- Maikaze: The most popular geisha of Amakaze who owns Sayo. Despite being strict, she is a very kind and helpful person. Voiced by Takako Kodama
- Kotsubo: A boy fixing matches for people at the shrine. Voiced by Soichiro Shibata
- Otomi: Kasumi's friend who is targeted by the Aoto gang because she owes them money. She suffers from Soma's side effects and shows signs of withdrawal. Voiced by Hikari Yono
- Nishino: A ronin that is targeted by the Aoto gang because he owes them money. Voiced by Naoki BandoNaoki Bando, often credited as Naoki Bandou, is a Japanese voice actor who has worked on a few videogame titles and anime series. He provides the voice of Lord Emon in Shadow of the Colossus, and the voice of Larikush in Baten Kaitos. Some of his anime voiceovers include the role of Gatō in Naruto...
- Dojima: The town's blacksmith, located in Numata-cho. Voiced by Atsushi Imaruoka
- Master Tessho: The town's dojo master. Voiced by Yosuke AkimotoYosuke Akimotois a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is currently attached to Mausu Promotion. He is a graduate of the Hosei University business school.-Television animation:*Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple *Angel Heart...
Soundtrack
The original SoundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the game was composed by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Noriyuki Asakura
Noriyuki Asakura
is a Japanese music composer and vocalist. He is famous for composing the soundtracks to the anime series Rurouni Kenshin and the popular video game franchises Tenchu and Way of the Samurai...
, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game.
See also
- Way of the SamuraiWay of the SamuraiWay of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game released in 2002.Set in 19th Century Japan, the player takes on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans...
- Way of the Samurai 3Way of the Samurai 3is a video game made by Acquire, released by Spike on November 13, 2008 in Japan for the PlayStation 3, and later ported to the Xbox 360. It is the sequel of the PlayStation 2 games Way of the Samurai and Way of the Samurai 2....
- Way of the Samurai 4Way of the Samurai 4is a video game developed by Acquire and published by Spike for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the game Way of the Samurai 3. The game offers a mix of story, combat and event scenes, just like past entries...
- Samurai WesternSamurai WesternSamurai Western is a PlayStation 2 game released in 2005. The player assumes the role of a samurai named Gojiro Kiryu, who travels to the Wild West in search of his brother, Rando....