Some games marvel in their simplicity. The fantastic puzzle-platformer Thomas Was Alone is a beautifully simplistic title where you merely guide multiple shapes through various environmental puzzles. There’s not much to it, but the puzzles themselves evolve over time adding complexity, becoming more involved. That’s what makes a simple game a good game; the evolution of mechanics across the course of your play time which then brings new ideas molded around the game’s core mechanics and structure. It’s a difficult thing to balance, simplicity versus complexity and games like Super Meat Boy or The Witness have proven that something as simple as, say, a line puzzle, can become one of the best games of all time through mechanical evolution.
Black and White Bushido is a simple game, but it isn’t one which evolves above its core. As a four-player multiplayer slash-em-up, Bushido is a pretty standard affair. Taking place on a 2D plane, Black and White Bushido puts you in the role of a ninja clad in one of the opposing colors. Depending on the game mode of your choice, you’ll be competing with three friends for either the most kills or the most flags captured.
The game does bring with it a unique flavor of environmental play which allows you to choose between two different gameplay styles. Across the course of the game, the map will change different regions of the arena between black and white allowing the two teams of said colors to blend in completely with the background. It’s simple, but it’s effective and if you’re not paying absolute attention to your enemies, one could easily pick you off from the shadows. This can change what is usually a hectic game of wall jumping and mashing the X (slice) button into a game dripping in tension when you realize two of your enemies are seemingly missing.
Outside of the two multiplayer game modes, Black and White Bushido spouts a simple but fun challenge mode. Available on any of the game’s five arenas, the challenge mode is a never-ending mix of both deathmatch and capture the flag simultaneously, with extra challenges added for extra flavor. These can range from staying alive for a certain amount of time, to killing enemies with a certain pickup that appear around the map. There aren’t many variations of challenges however, and you’ll find yourself clasped in a never-ending spiral of repetition the longer you stay alive.
Reading through this, you’d think that Black and White Bushido is nothing special. That’s because it’s not. Its simplicity is almost elegant, and it brings a fantastic idea to the table, but developer Good Catch Games have shoved what could’ve led to a unique game idea inside an extremely standard shell. Their standout mechanic is one which is desperate to be used in a more fleshed out, or bigger title and the addition of bigger maps or more players could’ve greatly added to the experience.
The game shines the most when played in local multiplayer. Whilst you can enjoy the game on its own, bots are fairly inefficient at providing a decent challenge in any game mode and throughout all my testing I couldn’t find a single person playing online. Co-op is what Black and White Bushido was made for and a total of four mates slashing it up with a few (definitely alcoholic) drinks is where you’ll get your money’s worth. Again, it’s still nothing special and there are a huge host of other games that may be better for your drunken gaming nights, but you’ll still be able to have a good time.
Summary
Black and White Bushido is simple. Without much complexity to itself mechanically, and a tiny amount of content available for the price, this isn’t a game that you need to jump out and buy straight away. Outside of the draw of its unique color-based mechanic, Black and White Bushido is an extremely average indie title that would be tempting to pick up during a sale but undeniably forgettable outside of one.
Lewis is a games journalist, freelance gaming and consumer-tech journalist. They contributed 344 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: has since served as Editor-in-Chief at StealthOptional and Gaming Editor at MSPoweruser, with bylines at Gfinity Esports and FRVR.