You could be forgiven for thinking that Way of the Samurai 4‘s PC version – initially due out in February – has been forgotten and abandoned, but port devs Ghostlight have reiterated that it’s still happening.
There’s nothing in the way of official press releases, but Ghostlight have been pretty active on the Steam Community for the game. A post made on 9 June states that “The last couple of builds have fixed two of the longest standing, most annoying bugs and the game is looking a lot better than it was even a couple of weeks ago”, and notes “I can’t say for sure if it will make June, but if not I think there’s a pretty good chance it will be out soon after.” So yes, bugs appear to be the big problem right now, and seem to have been the main culprit for the game’s stalling.
While I’d still take these estimated release dates very much as estimates (Way of the Samurai 4 has been long delayed, after all) the game does indeed seem to still be happening. Hooray!
Way of the Samurai 4 puts you in the shoes of a wandering swordsman-or-swordswoman who comes to the port town of Amihama in 1855, and gets embroiled in the politicking and fighting consuming the region after the appearance of the British Navy. A playthrough will only take a few hours, but during those few hours you’re free to align with or betray whoever you like (if anyone at all), which’ll push you towards one of 10 or so endings.
It’s the sort of game you’re meant to play through repeatedly: you can carry the same character across multiple playthroughs, with all of your unlocked weapons and fighting styles, and attempt a higher difficulty for better rewards as you strive for a different ending. I love the series very much, so I’m quite looking forward to this PC release.
Way of the Samurai 4 is due out… uh, four months ago. With a bit of luck, it’ll be out sometime shortly after June.
