Katana Zero is getting Hard mode, Speedrun mode in big update this month
And you can finally pet the cat!
Developer Askiisoft has revealed that its wonderful, neon-drenched action extravaganza Katana Zero will be getting a whole bunch of new additions in a "significant update" due on Switch and PC at the end of the month.
Katana Zero, if you've not yet had the pleasure, plays out something like Hotline Miami meets Groundhog day, casting players as a sword-wielding, drug-addled assassin and then setting them loose across enemy-packed levels where one wrong move means instant death.
The trick, then, is to chain your small but powerful set of moves together with absolute precision, clearing the room with a swift set of dodges, deflections, and sword slashes. If you mess up though, and you likely will at first, a full rewind is just a button away, meaning you can try over and over until you nail the level in one breathlessly balletic display of blood and steel.
Chuck in gorgeously lurid visuals, a pulsating synth score, and a brilliantly feverish, surprisingly rich plot, and you've got a bit of a winner.
When Katana Zero's big update arrives later this month, its most notable additions come in the form of a new Hard mode and Speedrun mode. Hard mode, says Askiisoft, will introduce new enemies, alongside remixed versions of existing levels and bosses, while Speedrun mode will add the ability to skip cutscenes and brings "stable enemy behaviour". Most importantly of all though, it'll be possible to pet Katana Zero's cat.
Finally, it's not just dog lovers having all the fun.
There's no release date for Katana Zero's update just yet, beyond that "end of this month", but it's an experience well worth investigating even without the new additions. Eurogamer's Christian Donlan slapped it with a big ol' Recommended badge in his review, calling its blend of punishingly precise sword action and woozy narrative acrobatics "a darkly compelling treat".