Expeditions: Samurai arrives in Early Access carrying the legacy of a series that has already produced some memorable tactical RPGs. After thoroughly enjoying Expeditions: Rome and spending some time with Expeditions: Viking, there was little question that this new campaign deserved an early inspection.
After a little more than two hours, the verdict is equally straightforward: what is here looks promising, but this is one expedition better saved for 1.0.
Despite appearing under the name of a new developer, Samurai feels like a proper continuation of the series. The studio includes former developers from the team behind the previous Expeditions games and that is apparent almost immediately. The familiar flow of the tactical combat remains intact and as pointed out by chat, we start on a ship at sea once again.
There are changes, however. A new stealth system introduces another option for approaching encounters and already shows potential to add some welcome variety to the established formula.
The presentation has also changed considerably. The art direction differs from previous games in the series, while the interface embraces a brighter and more stylized appearance. Out of the gate I am fine with the changes outside of the normal Early Access caveats. The UI needs additional refinement, content remains to be added, and various systems may change over time. None of that is particularly concerning at this stage, it is simply the reality of playing an RPG before its campaign is finished.
And that is ultimately the reason to stop now.
Expeditions: Samurai has shown enough to make returning an easy decision. Rather than experience its story and systems piecemeal as they are developed, the campaign can wait until the full journey is ready.
Expeditions: Samurai is therefore recorded as Cryostasis.
The blade is sheathed until 1.0.
Pronouncement: Placed into cryostasis.