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Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked

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Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked
North American box art
Developer(s)Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s)Namco Bandai Games[a]
Director(s)Goichi Suda
Producer(s)
  • Takahiro Sasanoi
  • Yoshinobu Matsuo
Artist(s)Akihiko Ishizaka
Writer(s)
  • Goichi Suda
  • Masahi Ooka
Composer(s)Masafumi Takada
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: February 23, 2006
  • NA: April 11, 2006
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked[b] is a 2006 action-adventure game. A tie-in with the 2004 anime television series Samurai Champloo, the game was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Namco Bandai Games for PlayStation 2. Described as an untold story set within the series, the game has storylines following series protagonists Mugen, Jin and Fuu, and new protagonist Worso Tsurumaki during a political conflict in Edo period Hokkaido.

Premise and gameplay

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An early combat section from Samurai Champloo; Mugen fights a group of enemies.

Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked is an action-adventure game based on the 2004 anime television series Samurai Champloo.[2][3] Set in the Edo period, the anime's storyline follows the adventures of three wanderers; the outlaw swordsman Mugen, the ronin Jin, and the itinerant Fuu who saved the two from execution in exchange for help finding a samurai who smells of sunflowers.[2][4][5] The storyline is described as a "missing episode" of the trio's travels through Japan. They end up taking a ship to Ezo (modern day Hokkaido), which is suffering from conflicts between the ruling Matsumae clan and the indigenous people. Mugen and Jin's storylines run on separate yet parallel paths, and they interact with original character Worso Tsurumaki, who is associated with the native resistance of Ezo.[2][6][7]

Players take control of three characters; they first complete a story campaign as either Mugen or Jin, and after one of these is completed Worso's campaign is unlocked.[3] The remaining character Fuu is only playable in minigames.[6] Gameplay focuses on melee hack and slash combat with the chosen player character, completing basic combos using alternating weak and strong attacks. The battle system is split into multiple styles, which are influenced by what musical track is playing through equippable record albums, switched using the analog sticks. Filling a tension metre activates Tate mode, where a quick time event is triggered to kill a number of enemies within a time limit. The game is split into stages divided between the different campaigns, and separated by visits to the main town where new weapons and music discs can be purchased after being unlocked through high scores when in Tate.[6][7][8] The game also features a two-player competitive multiplayer mode, with the winner being determined by their kill number and combo count.[8]

Development and release

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Samurai Champloo was created by director Shinichirō Watanabe and anime studio Manglobe, with the aim of blending a traditional Japanese setting with the culture and music of hip hop.[5][9] Sidetracked was one of two licensed anime titles created by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PlayStation 2, the other being Blood+: One Night Kiss based on the series Blood+.[10] During the period after completing Killer7, Grasshopper Manufacture were left in a financially precarious position, taking on contract work including licensed titles.[11] Company founder Goichi Suda selected Sidetracked from a group of potential projects presented by Namco Bandai Games, coincidentally after he had watched and liked the anime's first episode.[12] Speaking in 2006, Suda cited these licensed projects as the first sign of the company's international recognition following the release of Killer7.[13] Suda acted as the game's director and co-writer.[14] It was co-produced by Namco Bandai's Takahiro Sasanoi and Yoshinobu Matsuo.[15][16] The original cast (Ayako Kawasumi as Fuu, Kazuya Nakai as Mugen, and Ginpei Sato as Jin) returned, with new character Worso being voiced by Akira Ishida.[17]

Suda co-wrote the scenario with Masahi Ooka, with whom he had worked since The Silver Case (1999).[15][18] Grasshopper Manufacture had to work on the project with two restrictions; no mention was to be made of the word Edo, and the "samurai who smells of sunflowers" was not to be included. Outside those restrictions the team were given complete creative freedom, influencing Suda to set the game in the Ezo region, intending it as a deliberate contrast with the characters going to Kyushu in the anime.[11] He described the relationship with the original studio Manglobe as "easy-going", with Grasshopper being allowed to choose the game's genre and Watanabe checking the script and voice work so it remained consistent with the anime. Suda enjoyed working with the staff, citing it as a positive interaction between game designers and animators that was rare in Japan.[12]

The gameplay was designed with a North American audience in mind, also incorporating the musical elements the anime was known for.[12] According to Matsuo, the genre was chosen as it fit in with the series's tone and action.[16] Suda felt Grasshopper and Samurai Champloo were a good fit due to the studio's reputation for games with a non-traditional style,[12] though he later noted that when contracted Grasshopper were asked to hold back the studio's "signature style".[19] The art director was Akihiko Ishizaka, while Katsu Fukamachi, Junya Iwata and Kazuhiko Enzaki acted as character designers.[15] The team used their experience creating cel-shaded graphics for Killer7 when creating the art design. The CGI opening was created by Jet Studio, re-creating the anime's opening using realistic versions of the anime's protagonists.[12] Motion capture was handled by Dynapix.[20]

The game was first announced by Namco Bandai in August 2005.[21] It was previewed to the public at that year's Tokyo Game Show.[2] The localization was handled by Bang Zoom! Entertainment, the same studio who handled the original series.[15][22] The original English cast returned with the exception of Mugen's voice actor Steve Blum, who was replaced by Liam O'Brien.[2][23] Worso is voiced by Lex Lang, who voiced the characters Shoryu and Xavier III in the anime dub.[15][24] It was released on February 23, 2006 in Japan, and on April 11 in North America.[3] His work on Sidetracked together with Blood+: One Night Kiss, both using more action-based gameplay, informed Suda's design on his next project No More Heroes.[25]

Music

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See also: Music of Samurai Champloo

The anime's opening theme "Battlecry", composed by Nujabes and performed by Shing02, is used in the game's CGI opening.[6][26] Due to difficulties with licensing, none of the anime's soundtrack was used for the in-game music.[12] The music was composed by Masafumi Takada, a long-time collaborator of Suda's and a core member of Grasshopper's in-house sound team.[12][27] Takada was a fan of the anime's soundtrack, listening to it and emulating it as much as he could within his original music.[27] Sidetracked was Takada's first time using the Logic Pro workstation, finding it well suited to creating the game's soundtrack.[28] A soundtrack album was released on March 1, 2006 by Scitron Digital Contents.[29]

Reception

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The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[30] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of three eights and one seven, for a total of 31 out of 40.[40]

Notes

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  1. ^ Released under the Bandai brand in Japan.
  2. ^ Known in Japan as simply Samurai Champloo (Japanese: サムライチャンプルー, Hepburn: Samurai Chanpurū)[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b (PS2) サムライチャンプルー. Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "TGS 2005: Samurai Champloo -- First Look". IGN. September 15, 2005. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c サムライチャンプルー. Grasshopper Manufacture (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Samurai Champloo". Newtype USA. Vol. 2, no. 10. Kadokawa Shoten. October 2003.
  5. ^ a b "Road Trip: Samurai Champloo". Newtype USA. 4 (7). Kadokawa Shoten. July 2005.
  6. ^ a b c d "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked Updated Hands-On". GameSpot. May 17, 2006. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Turner, Benjamin (January 24, 2006). "Previews - Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Li, Richard (January 24, 2006). "Preview: Samurai Champloo". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "'Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime". The Daily Texan. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  10. ^ Ciolek, Todd (21 July 2015). "The Art of Japanese Video Game Design With Suda51". Anime News Network. Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  11. ^ a b 『SUDA51 OFFICIAL COMPLETE BOOK GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE & HUMAN WORKS』 (in Japanese). PIE Corporation. 30 June 2018. ISBN 978-4-8356-3857-7.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Halverson, Dave (April 2006). "Samurai Champloo: An Interview with Goichi Suda". Play (52). Fusion Publishing: 47–49.
  13. ^ "Into The Darkness". Edge. April 2006. Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. ^ ラジオ 第108回 (06.10.05). Konami. October 5, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  15. ^ a b c d e Grasshopper Manufacture (April 11, 2006). Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked (PlayStation 2). Namco Bandai Games. Scene: Credits.
  16. ^ a b "Bandai Announces Samurai Champloo for PlayStation 2". Anime News Network. September 20, 2005. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  17. ^ サムライチャンプルー (PDF). Bandai Namco Entertainment (in Japanese). 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Wojnar, Zack (March 1, 2017). "Suda 51 Shares The Secrets Of The Silver Case And His Legendary Career". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Sheffield, Brandon (July 6, 2007). "Die Without Regret: An Interview With Goichi Suda". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on July 10, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  20. ^ Dynapix - モーションキャプチャ (in Japanese). Dynapix. Archived from the original on 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  21. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (August 23, 2005). "Samurai Champloo to PS2". IGN. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Bertschy, Zac (2007-11-07). "Eric P. Sherman, President of Bang Zoom! Entertainment". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  23. ^ "Samurai Champloo - Mugen". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  24. ^ "Anime". Lex Lang Website. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Vazquez, Suriel (November 22, 2018). "The Strange History Of Grasshopper Manufacture". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Samurai Champloo Roman Album. Dark Horse Comics. March 13, 2017. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-5930-7642-9.
  27. ^ a b Sheffield, Brandon (June 27, 2008). "Masafumi Takada: Grasshopper's Musical Craftsman". Gamasutra. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2011-02-09. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  28. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (July 15, 2010). "A Blast From The Bast: The Original No More Heroes With Masafumi Takada". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  29. ^ SAMURAI CHAMPLOO ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK 【HipHop Samurai Action Game】. Scitron Digital Contents (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 14, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  31. ^ Edge staff (June 2006). "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". Edge. No. 163. p. 96.
  32. ^ Li, Richard (April 11, 2006). "Review - Samurai Champloo". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  33. ^ Juba, Joe (May 2006). "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". Game Informer. No. 157. p. 101. Archived from the original on June 12, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  34. ^ Burner, Rice (April 11, 2006). "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". GamePro. Archived from the original on April 20, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  35. ^ Bedigian, Louis (April 11, 2006). "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  36. ^ Roper, Chris (April 11, 2006). "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". IGN. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  37. ^ "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. June 2006. p. 94.
  38. ^ "Review: Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". PSM. May 2006. p. 78.
  39. ^ "Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked". X-Play. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original on April 17, 2007. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  40. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (March 1, 2006). "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
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