Katana ZERO
Katana ZERO screenshot 1Katana ZERO screenshot 2
ActionIndiePixel GraphicsGreat SoundtrackStory RichPlatformerCyberpunk

59 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 120

Peak in the last 7 days: 172

Katana ZERO Steam store

Game description

Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.

Basic info

DeveloperAskiisoft
PublisherDevolver Digital
PlatformsWindows · macOS
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateApr 18, 2019
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 x64
ProcessorIntel Pentium E2180 (2 * 2000) or equivalent
Memory1 GB
GraphicsGeForce 7600 GT (256 MB)
Storage200 MB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 420 reviews from the past 1 year

93.2/ 100
Top 5%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (98%)

Metacritic: 83 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

One hit kills on both sides in this neon pixel art action game, which scores 93.2 from 420 analyzed reviews.

👍 Strengths

Gameplay ranks 34th of 1396 and Visuals & Sound ranks 32nd of 1249. 99 reviews praise the story, with its psychedelic narrative, plot twists and multiple endings, and Story & World ranks 245th of 1096. 90 find the combat fun and satisfying to master through repeated attempts. 64 admire the sharp pixel art and stylish presentation, and some single out the music as well.

👎 Where it falls short

67 reviews say the content runs out fast, with little left once everything is done, and some call it short for the price. 28 fault the developers for the years long wait for more DLC, a delay some joke about year after year. 27 find the story confusing, and a few dislike a cliffhanger ending that leaves too many mysteries unresolved. Content Volume ranks 1009th of 1351, and Tech & Support ranks 915th of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“gripping story with philosophical depth, excellent narrative execution” · 99 reviews
“Masterpiece, completed every achievement, absolute cinema” · 90 reviews
“Completed everything, nothing left to do” · 67 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 63% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Controls & feel +4.08 · Responsiveness, precision, and how the menus handle
Positive “animations smooth and responsive, great synergy” · 62 reviews
Negative “controls confusing, frequent accidental item throws and self-damage” · 7 reviews

Progression 2% · Difficulty 33% · Onboarding 4% · Freedom 1% · Strategy 13%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 78% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Story +3.32 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “gripping story with philosophical depth, excellent narrative execution” · 99 reviews
Negative “story unclear and confusing” · 27 reviews

Characters 10% · World 21%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 39% of reviews · Bottom 30% of the games we've analyzed

Volume -1.75 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Negative “Completed everything, nothing left to do” · 67 reviews

Variety 3% · Replayability 9%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 56% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Audio +4.54 · Music, sound effects, and voice acting
Positive “music is great and difficulty is well-balanced” · 44 reviews

Visuals 41%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 1% of reviews mention this.

Community +2.00 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly

Playing together 0% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 5% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Balance ±0.00 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 4% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 17% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support -0.37 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Negative “waiting for DLC every year since 2019, none delivered” · 28 reviews

Stability 1% · Performance 2%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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