Way of the Samurai 2
The game is a prequel to "Way of the Samurai". Gameplay. The game takes place in the late Edo period. The player starts as a starving rōnin who collapsed at the gate of a famous trading island-city called Amahara. Soon thereafter, a little girl shares her riceball with the ronin, giving him (or her, depending on the player's choice) energy. A choice appears, introducing the player to the diverse life of a samurai. Combat. The combat system from the original "Way of the Samurai" are carried over, albeit with some changes. Amongst them  are the inclusion of "stance-breaker" attacks on nearly every weapon, a simplified guard/parry system, and instant kill techniques. Enhancements. Dojima from the previous game also makes an appearance, though unrelated to the main plot. Here he still serves as a blacksmith to enhance the player's swords. The stats, however, are simplified: Also, the "Appraise" feature is able to make the swords upgraded more powerful. Their effects include addition to attack, defense, durability, tension resistance, or a combination of the above. These, however, requires certain conditions to be met, such as number of kills. Some special swords are  able to be appraised based on their name. Soundtrack. The original soundtrack of the game was composed by the Japanese composer Noriyuki Asakura, it was released on May 21, 2003. It consists of 26 short songs that are played within the game. Reception. "Way of the Samurai 2" was met with mixed reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 63.09%, while Metacritic gave it 59 out of 100.