When Red Steel arrived with the launch of the Wii, it received a Crystal Pepsi sort of reception. People immediately lauded it for being new and a different experience, creating a big rush to buy. But after time wore away the novelty, many realized it wasn’t so refreshing and left a bit of a bad aftertaste.

It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if we had never heard from the IP again, but Ubisoft instead chose to maintain the core concept of first-person shoot-n-slice and completely overhaul just about everything else. You have to respect such a return to the drawing board, as well as the managerial confidence in one’s team to greenlight such an endeavor. And in terms of improvement, the reconstruction significantly paid off: Red Steel 2 is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor.

But the fact Pepsi Max is leaps and bounds ahead of Crystal Pepsi doesn’t make it perfect, and such is the case with Red Steel 2. In my hours with the game so far, I’ve seen some flaws but there’s also a good deal to like.

Like Sushi with a Tequila Shooter

Whereas Red Steel took on a dark, contemporary approach with yakuza influences, its sequel throws much of that out the window for more of an “alternative history” that combines samurai and western with a touch of steampunk. It feels quite refreshing. I mean, when’s the last time you’ve ever seen Far East collide with Wild West?

Whatever you do, don't cut his hair!

OK, I’ll give you that one but you’d be hard pressed to find another. It takes true creative inspiration to combine such ide–

No punchline need, folks...

Oh, come on! Fine, but I will say that Red Steel 2 manages to blend its stylistic elements better than either example above. The desert town of Caldera and its surroundings manage to be simultaneously familiar and exotic. Dusty streets and shops boast neon signs and mechanical doors. Classic saloons and sheriff’s departments intermingle with bamboo gardens and dojos. It balances well by not being overly extravagant in either regard, but the minimalistic leaning also leads to some repetition. Why are 90 percent of the ladders in this game made of scrap wood and sheet metal? How many of the same crate can you see? These squabbles are relatively minor, though, and there are a number of unique little details to notice when you take time to look around. It even took me a few moments once to realize a duststorm was passing through an area.

Adding well to the theme are the supporting characters, ranging from a sheriff with a fu manchu to your very Asian-looking female communications expert with a southern twang. Perhaps most memorable is the sensei, however, who plays mainly on the Eeastern side of the board but is so biting and sarcastic to your outcast main character that he really stands out.

Swordslinging

Fighting feels completely opened up compared to Red Steel. While the former locked you into shooting until someone challenged you metal-to-metal, the sequel allows you to switch seamlessly between bullets and blade. Enemies wielding each will also often be thrown at you simultaneously, and they’re not of the “wait patiently while our friend is getting impaled” type.

Every battle is a self-contained affair, facing off against a set number of enemies that must all be eliminated before moving on. Health is instantly restored after every battle with no need to ever worry about any kinds of restorative or status-changing items. On the downside, though, it doesn’t seem you’ll ever experience any surprises in this format. Also, while you’re open to explore areas, the map always shows you which route to take to advance. It’s a godsend in one respect, but again takes away from anticipation. When your mission is “Search for signs of life,” it’s pretty anticlimactic having your map pinpoint exactly where this life is.

Taste my blade!

Although “repetition” threatens to rear its head again, a growing repertoire of techniques — called “Hidden Strikes” — learned through the course of the game helps keeps the lineup of battles fresh. It’s fun to experiment since a loss rarely sets you back very far, and different enemies will force you to pay attention to your moveset to gain an edge. Further, many techniques serve dual purpose as finishing moves. There are plenty of choices for the player who doesn’t get easily excited into a waggling frenzy. Outside of battles, I also experienced a QTE sequence that proved more thrilling than I would’ve thought.

The swordplay definitely takes precedence over the shooting, but it’s easy — and hard to resist — throwing some bullets between swipes or shooting someone out of the air who’s diving at you with a sword. There are four standard guns to use (basically pistol, shotgun, machine gun and rifle) but the pistol was my go-to. There just didn’t feel like much reason to work deeply with the guns, but the options are there, including purchasable upgrades that noticeably change the weapons’ appearances and actually have realistic descriptions such as “filing the recoil pin.” Heck if I know whether all these alterations are real-world, but it’s still much cooler than blandly raising stats.

There is no multiplayer, which is surprising, but may be due to the emphasis on swords over guns and getting that to work with four people in one room without noses getting busted.

HypePlus

When it was announced Red Steel 2 would incorporate Motion Plus, expectations of true 1-to-1 swordplay ran wild. While the extra sensitivity definitely makes a difference in immersion and the sword moves with you, it’s not added as deeply to actual fighting. Your sword moves are basically horizontal, vertical and thrust with no need seen to tune your angle any further.

This might be the biggest dealbreaker for some who were hoping for epic, precise sword duels, but I still found one-on-one boss fights challenging given the need for strategic dodging and use of techniques. I fell to several bosses a number of times before figuring out their patterns. Whether the challenge is enough to make up for the lack of super-real control will be up to the player’s expectations.

Taste my bullet! Get that pointy thing away from me!

Kindly, you can adjust sensitivity to your individual needs through the menu. Still, there were occasional instances when I felt the game was not reading what I wanted it to do. A little frustrating at times, but these instances were fewer as I grew more experienced with the game.

The game comes packaged with a MotionPlus for an extra $10 USD over your average Wii game price. It’s a good deal, although I wish I could see just a game-only version for those who already own enough peripherals.

A Second Slice is Nice

If you liked the core of Red Steel enough and saw the potential for more, the sequel has the potential to satisfy. It’s not quite the “true motion” game some hoped and a specter of repetition wisps around in the distance, but there’s a likable style and enough focus on technique to make this more than just a basic remote-swinger. Definitely worth a try.

Red Steel 2 is currently available for the Nintendo Wii for $59.99 USD (MotionPlus included). Impressions based on approximately 7 hours play time on Normal difficulty. Name of my Hidden Strike: The Wish I Had a Rocket Launcher.