In Short: Idle clicker RPGs are usually the opposite of immersive purely by design, but Samurai Kazuya manages to subvert that with some serious style, a beefy storyline and a wealth of options and goodies. The bulk of your game time will be spent tapping on the training screen to swing your sword at bamboo, wood blocks, dummies and whatever else may yield materials to make your next sword. You’ll craft better weapons and awaken your samurai over time, increasing your power and allowing you to eventually invade the Tower of Corruption to seek your brother and his beloved. The game is available in the Play Store for free right now.
Background: Casual RPG fans that step to Samurai Kazuya expecting just another vapid time waster that practically plays itself and doesn’t linger in their minds will likely find themselves disappointed. The game is staged across an epic poem. It starts off telling the story of Kanna, the wife of low-ranking warrior Kenji, being summoned by a warlord and not coming back. When Kenji went after her and failed to return, his younger brother Kazuya decided to take up arms and fight his way up the Tower of Corruption. The game starts humbly, with Kazuya whacking a stack of bamboo shoots with a stick to farm bamboo and make a better weapon. That bamboo sword brings down the first of many feudal lords, then the game really opens up. You can craft better weapons, obtain boosts, and awaken Kazuya to enhance his strength and change his appearance. Combat sees you tapping to attack, and using a separate button to defend quickly when an enemy attack is about to land. This is not a game that you can win by skill alone; your defense gauge recharges slower than the enemies attack, and at a certain point, your attacks just don’t do enough damage to get rid of enemies before your own health runs out. As such, there are certain requirements in place to take on each floor of the tower; you can’t enter without meeting those simply because if you tried to, you’d be wasting your time and in-game resources on a futile attempt. That limitation speaks to the honesty and respect for players’ time this idle clicker has, something that’s extremely rare in the genre.
Impact: Anybody with an interest in the Edo period and related Japanese history would do well to check this game out; the art style fits the period, and the story and characterization is well-thought out amid its respectful backdrop. Those who have read Japanese classics like Eiji Yoshikawa’s “Musashi”, or Murasaki Shikibu’s “The Tale of Genji” will find familiar story beats and details in this game. The game is also extremely deep, for an idle clicker, and has a fairly good skill-based combat system that’s somewhat reminiscent of gym battles in Pokemon GO. Mobile gamers who enjoy idle clickers in general should give this one a try, as should fans of Japanese culture.