The IGN Summer of Gaming Expo continued with a welcome surprise, the return of Samurai Jack in an all new video game, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time.
Though the first trailer for Battle Through Time was released back in February, adult swim and developer Soleli have been quiet about the project until today. Officially this is Samurai Jack game in over sixteen years, Battle Through Time is an all new adventure where Jack's battles against the demon warlord Aku come to a head once more. The new Battle Through Time is a fully 3-D experience action experience. The story itself is by writer Derek Bachman, and takes place in the continuity of the cartoon, where Jack is sent through time by Aku close to the climax of the cartoons finale.
Based on the cult classic cartoon of the same name, Creator Genndy Tartakovsky showed off the game itself live on stream with IGN's Max Scoville, where the two talked about the games mechanics, themes, and other tidbits through a streaming showcase of gameplay, as well as talk about how Samurai Jack has come a long way in the sixteen year hiatus.
"Sixteen years ago, video games, especially for licensed characters...you kind of get the 'B class' treatment." notes Tartakovsky. "You just kind of go into whatever engine they have, they do some new graphics but generally its not great, and they were doing it when I was in production of the show, so its hard for me to be super involved."
This time around, Tartakovsky is putting his full weight into the game project, making Battle Through Time a more authentic Samurai Jack experience. A lot of this is poured into the games presentation and combat. Jack moves with speed and fluidity, uses a variety of weapons to defeat enemies, and can battle in a fully interactive 3-D environment. Some sections also showcased side-scrolling action thrown into the mix, adding more variety to the gameplay set pieces.
The feel of the game though is of course heavily based on the show. The locations, enemies, and weapons are all inspired by the TV show, and Tartakovsky also pointed out that the full voice cast - minus the late Mako - are returning to reprise their roles. Several fan favorites are also returning to the franchise, from Jack's ally the Scotsman to the evil Demongo.
Ultimately, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is shaping up to be an authentic recreation of the cartoon in game form. Battle Through Time is slated for release later this year on the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
