We’ve seen this inevitable use of the Wii-mote a couple of times now, from games like Red Steel and Link’s Crossbow, but if ever there was a franchise that needed to experiment with the concept of hands-on swordplay, it was Koei’s Warrior series.

The massively prolific Dynasty Warriors (and spin-offs) series of games is too abundant in number for another new release to thrill, but still never fails to please with the rampant, proactive battlefield action it’s become famous for. So the concept of Samurai Warriors: Katana must have been on Koei’s mind since it first witnessed the wonderfully interactive nature of the Nintendo Revolution (as it was known during those embryonic days). The result isn’t the bushido-based extravaganza it could have been, but as a gameplay and marketing experiment in the new First Person Sword Fighting genre, Koei can proudly chalk it up as a success.

This is actually the area that makes Katana such an intriguing experience, but also ultimately costs it a few points. It’s a full on experiment – a large scale soak test of all the possible new control mechanics the Wii could offer to the Warriors franchise. While hacking and slashing with honourable vigour is undeniably entertaining – the sheer amount of different gameplay styles crammed in there somewhat robs Katana of focus. Ultimately, it feels as though the game would have benefited more from a greater refinement of one or two control styles, such as the sword and spear, rather than trying to include so much.

But this overabundance of possibilities could equally be viewed as great value for money, and even though it might essentially diminish the impact the game could have had, it also provides a great many hours of action packed Wii-mote bashing.

The crux of the game, despite its many variances, is of course taken from the title. The sword play features heavily, and it’s this aspect that’s going to attract gamers to the first Wii exclusive in the series. For the most part it plays like an arcade FPS; guiding players through the action “on-rails” while throwing up the occasional choice of branching levels. Once you meet the enemy (of which there are a great many, though not much in the way of variety) it’s a case of hit the A button for small attacks, and swinging the Wii-mote for larger ones.

Naturally these moves can be chained together, and it’s worth mentioning that the onscreen sword follows the movements of the controller quite accurately – you’re not simply shaking it to initiate an attack. Aiming, while not nearly as critical as a light-gun game (which feels perfectly in keeping with the close quarters combat), is still necessary, as a vertical slash will only hit a single enemy while a horizontal or diagonal cut is better against a screen full. Slashing, stabbing and button mashing all feel well mapped to the Wii-mote; a matter which ensures the player feels the steel in their hand and allows for a superb level of engrossing interactivity.

The Nunchuk also comes into use for various modes when character movement is passed back to the player, and also for defence. Blocking is a vital skill, and a well timed defence can stagger the enemy and allow for some spirited counter attacks. A host of other weapons come along at different instances of the wildly varying gameplay (everything you can remotely imagine a Samurai carrying into war, plus a couple of others) and even snippets more closely resembling the third-person gameplay of the rest of the series. Also included are the Warrior series’ trademark upgrades, shopping systems and weapons forge capabilities allowing for a dynamically fine-tuned experience for the player who likes to customise.

The experimental feel of Katana runs deep, however. Not only does the slightly schizophrenic gameplay feel a little rough-edged, but the visuals harbour a similarly unrefined quality. Bugs creep onto the screen quite regularly, and the enemy A.I. goes nowhere toward helping keep the animation smooth as the characters turn at sharp right angles and exhibit no awareness of their purpose or environment. But, since these are essentially just sword fodder, the fast paced and unrepentant action covers the cracks in the paintwork adequately.

The audio proves a rather dichotomous issue, however. The music has always been rather splendid and grand in the Warriors series, so in that respect Katana has a wealth of musical splendour to draw upon. The voice acting, on the other hand, is about as bad as any game we’ve ever played. There’s a vaguely hopeful (and foolishly optimistic) suspicion that maybe the Katana experiment delves even further than assumed, and Koei is dabbling in the realm of pastiche – deliberately sending up its own franchise. This suspicion arises due to the utterly ridiculous English voices, which swing between semi-offensive, pseudo-Japanese stereotyping and absurd, Disney-esque Donald Duck impressions. Quite why this decision was taken is utterly dumbfounding, and if it is a testing ground for lampoonery, it’s a dismal failure.

Without the rough edges and chaotic assortment of slightly unrefined gameplay styles, Katana could have been a revolution for action games on the Wii. There’s also no denying that, as an experiment in dynamic control systems for a new breed of fighting game, Samurai Warriors: Katana is blazing trail for a whole new genre of interactive action, and in that respect alone it earns itself a dignified Bronze Award.

If Koei successfully extrapolates the valuable market research Katana will provide, I think we can expect something damn spectacular on the developer’s horizon – so this game is also a recommended buy due to its grand potential as the catalyst for a new generation of First Person Sword Fighting games. Exciting times ahead for Koei, we predict.