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 it. They soon meet Worso and become involved with Ezo's political conflict.
Gameplay
Sidetracked is a beat 'em up and served as Grasshopper's inspiration for No More Heroes. However, Sidetracked does not feature techniques like blocking 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 play rhythmically.