Way of the Samurai 2

Way of the Samurai 2 (侍道2, Samurai Dou 2) is a PlayStation 2 (PS2) action-adventure game released in 2003. It was re-released on PlayStation Portable in 2009 in Japan only.^[2]

Way of the Samurai 2
Developer(s)	Acquire
Publisher(s)	JP: Spike NA/PAL: Capcom
Director(s)	Tomohiro Tsuchida
Designer(s)	Kōjirō Endō
Programmer(s)	Masatoshi Washimi
Composer(s)	Noriyuki Asakura
Series	Way of the Samurai
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable
Release	PlayStation 2 JP: October 9, 2003 NA: July 6, 2004[1] PAL: July 7, 2004 PlayStation Portable JP: September 3, 2009
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

The game is a prequel to Way of the Samurai.

Plot

The game takes place in the late Edo period. The player starts as a starving rōnin 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 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.

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.

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack of the game was composed by the Japanese composer Noriyuki Asakura, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"This World - Land of the Chance Meeting"
2.	"Vicissitudes"
3.	"Walking About"
4.	"The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - The Shadows of Dreams"
5.	"The Valley Between Heaven and Earth - In the Lonely Night"
6.	"Reality and Illusions"
7.	"Scattering Seeds of Chivalry"
8.	"The Boundaries of Pleasure"
9.	"Vestige of the Age of Gods"
10.	"Spirit in Conflict"
11.	"A Gentle Bearing"
12.	"From the Depths of My Heart"
13.	"The Scheme"
14.	"The Sound of Utter Delusion"
15.	"A Number of Omens"
16.	"Quiet Agony"
17.	"Startling Memory"
18.	"Fragmented Thoughts"
19.	"Fresh Bonds"
20.	"After All the Worry"
21.	"The Whirlpool of Transient Life"
22.	"A Pure Soul"
23.	"Hope and No Hope, Escape and No Escape"
24.	"Pressing Forward"
25.	"Discovery"
26.	"Souls Bonded and Split"

All music is composed by Noriyuki Asakura.

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	63.09%[3]
Metacritic	59/100[4]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Edge	6/10[5]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	5.5/10[6]
Eurogamer	4/10[7]
Famitsu	32/40[8]
Game Informer	3.25/10[9]
GamePro	[10]
GameRevolution	D+[11]
GameSpot	6.3/10[12]
GameSpy	[13]
GameZone	6.2/10[14]
IGN	6/10[15]
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine	[16]
Maxim	4/10[17]
The Times	[18]

Reception

Way of the Samurai 2 was met with mixed reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 63.09%,^[3] while Metacritic gave it 59 out of 100.^[4]