The Best Order to Play Way of the Samurai Games
Way of the Samurai is a franchise of open world video games. These games typically take place in feudal Japan, allowing players to play as a customizable samurai main character, whose choices greatly affect the outcomes of the story and of the scenario. The games also feature swordplay combat, open world exploration, side activities, multiple NPCs and dialogues. While each Way of the Samurai game is set in a different time period, all of the main games in the series share the core gameplay of open world samurai adventure.
It is important to note that the open world in the Way of the Samurai series is than done differently than the open world in some well-established open world franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Assassin's Creed. While these franchises typically focus on offering vast open worlds, Way of the Samurai instead offers a dense, smaller open world. In other words, Way of the Samurai video games generally do not have game world as vast as the worlds in GTA or Assassin's Creed, but focus on offering a variety and density of gameplay options in their game world, including side activities and dialogues. In this sense, the open world of Way of the Samurai video games is somewhat similar to the open world of Dead Rising games, while having very different themes.
Way of the Samurai video games allow players to customize the main character, experience different samurai weapons, have dialogues with many different NPCs, explore the open world inspired by historical Japanese time periods, along with other features. The series is also known for its replayability, also called replay value, due to this many choices and branching storylines available in each game. Indeed, each Way of the Samurai game is a chance to experience the life of a samurai and its many choices.
The Chronological Story Order of Way of the Samurai Video Games
While each Way of the Samurai game tells the story of a different player protagonist character, these games are set in different time periods of Japan and sometimes certain characters appear in more than one game. Due to these characteristics, it is possible to write a chronological story order list of the Way of the Samurai games. This list is useful in organizing these games in the chronological order of the story events that happen in each game. This list is different from the order of release date of the games.
This is the suggested order in which to play the Way of the Samurai video games to have a clear notion of the passage of time, as well the story development across multiple games. Even though each Way of the Samurai game tells its unique story, due to the appearance of characters in more than one game, as well as the different time periods portrayed in the games, it is reasonable to play the games in this order as this is the order that organizes the game in their chronological order in the Way of the Samurai games universe.
Way of the Samurai 3
Way of the Samurai 4
Way of the Samurai 2
Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story
Way of the Samurai
While Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is generally considered to be a spin-off game to the Way of the Samurai series, it includes characters that are seen in the Way of the Samurai main games. Also there isn't a clear reason to consider this game not to be canon in the Way of the Samurai universe. For this reason, I've included Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story in this chronological story order list that I've written.
The Story Timeline Order of the Way of the Samurai Video Games
Even though Way of the Samurai video games often take place in fictional locations, they are set in historical time periods. In other words, these games are inspired by real time periods that happened in Japan and influenced the culture of that country. Many of the Way of the Samurai games can be set either in exact years or in specific time periods, and for this reason, it is reasonable to organize these games in a list that includes the years, or time, in which they take place.
It is important to remember that these are fictional years. In other words, these years should be considered "years in the Way of the Samurai games", "years in Way of the Samurai time" or "years in the Way of the Samurai timeline". It is specially important to consider these fictional years because there are characters that appear in multiple Way of the Samurai games, even when some of these games could be separated by decades or centuries, meaning that these characters were immortal. For this reason, this timeline should not be considered a strict historical timeline, but rather, a fictional timeline that exists to give a better notion of the time period in which each game is set.
1??? Way of the Samurai 3
185? Way of the Samurai 4
186? Way of the Samurai 2
1868 Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story
1878 Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai 3 takes place during the Sengoku period of Japan. Considering that the Sengoku period lasts between 1450s to 1610s, there is a quite large range of years in which Way of the Samurai 3 could take place. However, it clearly takes place before Way of the Samurai 2, which is set in the late Edo period.
Way of the Samurai 4 takes place during the end of the Edo period, or Tokugawa shogunate period, in Japan. Considering that the events of this game take place after the Perry Expedition, then it necessarily takes place after 1854. Considering that the Edo period ended in 1867, Way of the Samurai 4 necessarily takes place in that year or before that year.
Way of the Samurai 2 takes place in the late Edo period, placing it sometime in the 1800s. Considering that the first game of the series, Way of the Samurai, takes place in 1878, and that Way of the Samurai 2 is a prequel to Way of the Samurai, then Way of the Samurai 2 necessarily takes place before 1878. The Edo period in Japan ended in 1867. For this reason, Way of the Samurai 2 necessarily takes place before 1867.
Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story takes place during the Meiji Restoration in Japan. This took place in 1868, setting the game in that same year. For this reason, this game is necessarily set after Way of the Samurai 2, which happens either in 1867 or before. Also, this game necessarily is set before Way of the Samurai, which is set in 1878.
The first game in the series, Way of the Samurai, is set in the year 1878. Thus, the events of this game happen after Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story, which takes place in 1868, and after Way of the Samurai 2, which necessarily takes place either in the year 1867 or before that year.
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