Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: 7 Blades

Written by Omer Ali on September 24, 2001

First Impressions: Ah ha, my blade's bigger than yours!

Any game that has to do with Ninjas and Samurais has to be somewhat appealing. The Tenchu series made us want to put on a pair of black pajamas and ski mask and run around in the dark, silent as the night wind. Onimusha let us cut through Japanese devils with one swift stroke of our razor sharp kitana blade. Konami will try and us give us their own rendition this winter with 7 Blades, which we hope will be a nice awakening after MGS2.

7 Blades, while mostly fictional, will revolve around some actual historical events. The base of the story will function around the Japanese man-made island of Dejima. The historical events at Dejima involve the execution of 28 Christian priests, because the ruler during that time (1597) did not want any western contact at all. Later in 1635 the island was the only part of Japan that outsiders were allowed to visit, it's at this point that 7 Blades begins its story. Gokurakumaru, a young samurai, and Yuri are the two main characters who are sent to the island of Dejima to investigate the disappearance of some high officials, who were sent to the island as ambassadors to the outside world. As you've probably already guessed, things go horribly wrong when the two heroes' arrive at the island.

Gameplay will be a cross between Tenchu and Dynasty Warriors 2. The entire game will be done in real time 3D. Players will be able to fight multiple targets using various arrays of weapons. Gokurakumaru will have a variety of hand held weapons such as long and short swords, while Yuri will be a master of long range weapons such as bows and shurikens. Players will also have to practice stealth techniques to avoid certain battles and situations.

The game thus far looks beautifully crafted and designed. The backgrounds are enormous and full of lush colors. The environments really give you the feeling that you have traveled back to the 1600's in Japan. The character models also have been polished and rendered very smoothly, but then again all of Konami's game look really good.