4/5 ★ – Jim_Howdy's review of SANABI: The Revenant.

Sanabi is a great title that will sadly go completely under too many people's radar. Sanabi definitely is a special little game. One I'm very mixed on, that's for sure. On the one hand, the story is phenomenal and unfolds in an amazing way, yet on the other the gameplay gets a bit dry over time with somewhat repetitive sections throughout. I initially played the demo of the game because it reminded me of Katana Zero (which is another super good game that you should definitely play) and it didn't disappoint in that regard. It features interesting and engaging gameplay then mixes in an even better world and story that is quite though provoking and satisfying as things start making sense. As stated however, the gameplay does sadly begin to feel a bit dry after some time. This is due to the limitations from a focus on grapple hook mechanics. They're fun but the variation from section to section isn't all that large. It's pretty clear that the story and world has a lot more of the focus of the game. The legendary difficulty you unlock after beating the game does provide an interesting challenge and forces at least some thought. Not wanting to spoil much of the story I'll be pretty brief and keep things vague here. The story progresses in a very interesting way and similar to Katana Zero things slowly get pieced together to form a larger picture. There's somewhat of a mystery aspect to understanding the lore and situation as a whole. As expected of that structure of story, this makes the conclusion feel very nice and makes it hit quite a bit harder. I even got a little bit emotional at the ending which I always appreciate and points at the quality of the storytelling. Also, obligatory music mention, the music is pretty good but not incredibly memorable. There are few good songs but none that I can see myself listening to outside of the game. Overall, Sanabi is great. While there are some faults in the gameplay it still is satisfying to swing around and plow through the game. Combat encounters aren't incredibly engaging but they still require some strategizing and the bosses have some neat mechanics. The story comes together nicely, and the overall aesthetic is consistently cool. I'd highly recommend grabbing the game, especially if it's on sale. It took me around 15 hours to complete it and it was fun pretty much the whole way through.