One aspect of current Web3 games that piques the interest of players is the move away from a gameplay style that emphasizes revenue to one that emphasizes fun and exciting gameplay. The vast majority of the original blockchain games focused on creating a revenue stream for players, but such a reality came too often with a lack of interesting gameplay. One such game offering martial mayhem and excitement to players is Katana Inu, a martial arts fighting game. Is Katana Inu's BETA Early Access worth playing? Does it scratch that action-packed fighting game itch for players? Read on and find out.

It should be noted at the start that this editorial review is for the current version of the game, which is in closed beta. Therefore, the game is still limited in a number of ways as the devs work on the core mechanics of the game. On the plus side, both the audio and visuals for Katana Inu are extremely strong. The visuals are very lush and colorful, helping bring the fantasy/historical motif to life. The various body and weapon skins range from very humorous to looking badass, with plenty of stops in-between. Players can sling some colorful spells against their opponents, helping to jazz up the battlefield. As for the dueling area itself, there are plenty of locations, located at various heights, that serve as great backdrops to the action.

The audio for Katana Inu pulls its weight as well. The dynamic music and combat effects help reinforce the game's immersion as the players draw blades against each other. My only critique is one I normally make in fighting games in that the music becomes repetitive over time. Fortunately, players can adjust the music volume in the settings menu. Overall, I give the sound and graphics a strong 4 out of 5.

Katana Inu boasts an intriguing lore that helps immerse players into the game. Long before humanity arose, animal clans had long existed. These ancient civilizations lived in harmony, and this harmony was due to seven ancient relics that were imbued with the essence of the natural world. Alas, calamity struck when a fissure in the Earth's crust opened and released entrapped demonic energy. This demonic energy rained chaos and destruction across the land, and the seven ancient relics were lost. The animal clans, which had lived in perfect harmony, began to fight each other. When humans began to make their mark upon the planet, further mayhem ensued as endless alliances were created and later fractured as the fight for dominance continued. Now a handful of individuals seek to find the ancient relics in the hope of restoring harmony once again or for less altruistic reasons. Overall, the world of Katana Inu is filled with vibrant young settlements, ruins and remnants of ancient civilizations, magic, majestic palaces, and more.  
 

Katana Inu boasts some strong gameplay when it comes to fighting. The action is very dynamic as players leap around the battlefield, slicing and dicing with their weapons, all the while dodging attacks, using abilities, and using the arena's full three dimensions and terrain to the best effect possible. The game offers three gameplay styles currently: a tutorial, one-versus-one duels, and three-versus-three fights. The tutorial runs the players through the basics, which is important as there quite a few options available to players while they are fighting.

When dueling other players, players fight in a series of rounds until one side achieves total victory. Then it's back to the main screen to queue up for the next opponent. Overall, the bare bones of Katana Inu are strong as this style of combat game has been popular for decades. The eventual layering of NFT weapons and skins will serve as icing on the cake. To be frank, the base gameplay of Katana Inu is pretty fun.

$KATA serves as the project's governance token, as well as being used for staking and the buying/selling of NFTs on the project's marketplace. The game's marketplace also features cross-chain NFT integration. What this means is that NFTs from other projects and blockchain games can be bought and sold in Katana Inu's official marketplace. Gamers can play Katana Inu for free but give up the ability to earn any crypto or NFTs while not using an official NFT. The game plans on holding regular tournaments to award prizes to players, as well as offer regular rewards to those promoting (or creating online content) for the game. It should be noted that there is a burn mechanism for $KATA to defeat inflation. The game also plans on using the game's tokenomics to provide relief to various charities, such as planting trees, helping orphans, and installing self-sustaining fountains in Africa.

Publisher

Katana Inu was created and published by ChainVision Games, which was founded in 2021. Marwan Haddad is the company's founder and CEO while Hamza Shamsi serves as the COO. In addition, Yezdan Nas serves as the Chief Human Resources  Officer and Marketing Manager. Overall, the company has over 40 team members, including in-house developers.

Pros and Cons

Pros
 

• Vibrant graphics
• Fun gameplay
• Players can key-bind controls

Cons
 

• Needs more beta players
• More development needs to be done

The Verdict
 

Overall, Katana Inu BETA Early Access holds a lot of promise. The game does need more work done on it, as well as beefing up the player base. However, the core facet of the game, the fighting, is well designed and executed. The game is definitely worth taking a look at, and I cannot wait to see it grow.