Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked is a beat 'em up video game for the PlayStation 2. It is based on the anime Samurai Champloo, though the game's story isn't related to the show's events. The game has three playable characters, Mugen and Jin, two of the show's main characters, as well as a hidden character named Worso Tsurumaki.
Plot[]
One day in the middle of their many adventures, Mugen, Jin and Fuu encounter a boat ride that provides free food to the passengers. They ride on it, and it eventually drops them off in the northern land of Ezo. They find it to be too cold and want to get back on the boat, but it sails away before they can get back on. They soon meet Worso and become involved with Ezo's political conflict.
Episodes[]
- Mugen
- #0 Ships Come and Ships Go ~ Easy Come, Easy Go
- #1 Quick as Lightning ~ Watch for the Witch
- #2 Wiles ~ Hare and Hound
- #3 Good Medicine Goes Down Bitter ~ A Lonesome Lover
- #4 Cruel and Inhumane ~ The Tale of Tails
- #5 Pure of Heart ~ Doer of Dreams
- #6 Flowers Blooming in Profusion ~ The Rose Room
- #7 A Fierce Battle ~ The End For End
- Jin
- #0 Ships Come and Ships Go ~ Easy Come, Easy Go
- #1 Once in a Lifetime ~ Close Crows
- #2 Waiting to Pounce ~ Lousy Liar
- #3 Gods of Heaven and Earth ~ Wicked Weather
- #4 Forbidden Place ~ Old Owl
- #5 Lost in a Haze ~ Tagger's Tagging
- #6 Moonlit Nocturne ~ A Dubious Deal
- #7 A Fierce Battle ~ The End For End
- Worso
- #1 All Things in Nature ~ Walk in the Woods
- #2 Self-contradiction ~ Word of Warning
- #3 Elusive ~ Bloody Blade
- #4 Dying in a Foreign Land ~ Morning More. Morning Less
Gameplay[]
Sidetracked is a beat 'em up and served as Grasshopper's inspiration for No More Heroes. However, Sidetracked does not rely on blocking or jabs as seen in such later games, instead using a combo system in which a combo tree is displayed at the top of the screen. The player must press buttons to follow the path on the tree in order to execute different moves. The combo trees can be swapped out by equipping different records, which also change the background music, encouraging the player to fight rhythmically.
Release history[]
- Japan disc โ February 23, 2006 (Namco Bandai Games, SLPS-25600)
- North America disc โ April 11, 2006 (Namco Bandai Games, SLUS-21343)
Other names[]
- Japanese โ ใตใ ใฉใคใใฃใณใใซใผ (Samurai Chanpurลซ), literally "Samurai Champloo."