I don't know about you, but nowadays it seems like the only television shows that get greenlit to air on Kids networks are done so because they are bright and cute-looking rather than because they have any substance to them. Don't get me wrong, there are notable exceptions like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and, I'm told, Steven Universe; but there is one common trait shared by all of those shows: they're all over now. In today's world all of the Children's shows that have any effort put behind them go up on Netflix where I can't see them, whilst the fools stay on Network TV and flounder in their own mediocrity. However there was a age in the late 90's to early 2000's where this was not the case, (because Netflix was still an embryo) and that was an age that birthed unforgettable shows like Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Animanics and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. (Okay, Avatar was more mid 2000's but I still count it.) Amidst this age of great TV- oh did I mention 'Kim Possible'? Loved that show... Anyway, in the middle of that was one show that really stood out due to it's sharp aesthetic, bleak story, and easy to pickup set-up: Samurai Jack.
I'll admit that it has been well over a decade since I last watch that particular show so I can't really provide a full showcase of everything it had to offer, all I can say is that I really enjoyed it so they must have done something right. One aspect that sticks with me was the movement of everything which managed to compliment the sharp angular aesthetic to the show nicely and made everything feel fast and staccato. Maybe that was part of the reason why this show picked up such a loyal following from fans of melodramatic Samurai action, and those who always wanted to play the role of a katana wielding justice seeker. This is a fascination that we know has persisted to the current age, as we've seen the amount of white-hot excitement that has drum up in the wake of Sucker Punch's 'Ghost of Tsushima', so why hasn't there been a revival in the Samurai Jack licence?
Well as you likely already know there was one, and it was a very big deal at the time. Adult Swim, parent company of Cartoon Network, made the choice to revive this series for one final grand finale in 2017 and as far as I can tell the whole thing was very well received. The show had grown with it's audience to be more adult and brutal, without losing it's identity and becoming something else, allowing fans to finally see the end of Jack's journey however that went. (I say 'However' because I never watched it. I will eventually, but I know it's going to be a full 7 season binge and I just don't have that in me right now.) But since then the franchise has been quiet as all the stories have been told and there is no more movement needed, but this is a gaming blog so you're probably wondering: What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?
Obviously that there is a game coming out based on that licence and I am pretty excited to see what it has in store. Now of course, Video games based on Children's shows tend to have a pretty poor reputation, (which is well earned) but after 'Detective Pikachu' and 'Sonic The Hedgehog' we're living in a world where video game movies can be decent, so why can't a TV show - video game come out to buck the trend? I have my hopes on the right side of the fence this time, if for no other reason than because I would love for this practice to start a trend in getting great kids TV shows and making them into games. That way the trend can hit Nickelodeon and we can finally get a proper 'Avatar' game made which I know the perfect premise for. (Come on Nick, everyone wants it!)
But I'm getting off track, what about the Samurai Jack game? This new title, 'Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time' (Huh, do the TMNT know you stole their game title?) is being put together by Soleil and is getting published by 'Adult Swim Games', who I did not know even existed until just now. The story will be written by the original series' head writer, so they're really hoping to nail the feel of the show, and the voice of Jack will be provided by Phil Lamarr (whom I recall from his time as Vamp) who is the original voice of Jack. Unfortunately, Aku cannot be voiced by a beloved VO of mine, Mako, due to his untimely death but we have Greg Baldwin to fill in that void. (He's pretty much the professional Mako voice imitator.)
So all of the talent behind the game seems to be solid and the title itself seems pretty cool, although we haven't seen too much quite yet. The game appears to be a hack-and-slash adventure game in the style of the 2000's classics although this one has a speed to it that seems somewhat indicative of what you would expect from the show's animation. There has also been an admirable effort done to translating the 2D art of the show into a 3D environment and mimicking the sharp angles that the show in know for from all perspectives. (And can I just say that I absolutely love the lighting engine on this game, it compliments the textures so beautifully it just turns my legs to jelly.) Straight away, at a glance I can see that this title looks like a Platinum Games affair, although as anyone who plays their games will know that comparison means this game can either be fantastic or crap. (They really don't do inbetween's at that studio.)
The only real question for me going into it is where this story will take place in the timeline. Personally I haven't seen the wrap-up series but I was under the impression that everything was resolved, so I don't know where-else the story has to go. With a title that so heavily alludes to the concept of time travel the possibilities are really endless, and seeing as how this is being sold as "an original story" I have my hopes up for something special. I will admit, however, that I haven't personally seen anything really grand coming out of Soleil studios and all of their previous games look pretty so-so. (But I try not to judge the talents of a studio on their past. That's a lie, I totally do that all the time I'm just hoping this turns out to be something cooler.)
At the end of the day this may be something of a muted opinion, because I'm not sure how many folk grew up as fans of Samurai Jack and are actually excited for an old-school action adventure title with that as a backdrop. Although evidence would point to the fact that action adventure as a genre may be making a comeback. Nier Automata was one of this generation's masterpeices, Final Fantasy 7 just debuted it's demo (Playstation only, but still) and The Last of Us Part 2 is a hotly anticipated title. Why can't Samurai Jack slide in there with a title that looks cool so far. Time, and some more indepth marketing, will reveal this games' talents at which point we'll see if there's anything special here, however for now I'll just say that I have a good feeling about this one, keep an eye out for me.
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