Akai Katana

Akai Katana (赤い刀) is a bullet hell shooter video game developed by Cave that was released on August 20, 2010 in arcades. A video game console port, Akai Katana Shin, (赤い刀 真) was released on the Xbox 360 on May 26, 2011 in Japan. Rising Star Games released the game in North America and Europe on May 15, 2012.

It is the fourth horizontal shoot 'em up game from the company, the prior three being Progear, Deathsmiles, and Deathsmiles II. The game's soundtrack was composed by Ryu Umemoto.

On February 17, 2022, an enhanced definitive version titled Akai Katana EXA Label was released in arcades on exA-Arcadia.

City Connection re-released the game as Akai Katana Shin for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on December 15, 2022.

Plot
Set in a parallel world resembling Japan's Taishō period, the people have discovered the powerful Blood Swords, the titular Akai Katana. Requiring human sacrifices to unleash their immense destructive power, these swords have been used by the empire to crush neighbouring countries. However, all the bloodshed and power gained through sacrificing close family members has made some of the swordsmen reconsider. With new fighter planes and the powered up swords at their disposal, this small band of rebels now fight back against the tyrannical empire.

EXA Label
On February 17, 2020, exA-Arcadia released a definitive version titled Crimson Katana EXA Label outside of Japan or Akai Katana EXA Label within Japan. There are 4 selectable play modes: Original, Zetsu, Shin and EXA Label. Each play mode has an additional difficulty level called Kiwami or Extreme. Only the EXA Label versions of Zetsu, Shin and EXA Label modes allow for 2 player simultaneous play which is not possible in the Xbox 360 or subsequent ports. Original mode removes the crippling slowdown seen in the original CV-1000 arcade version and smooths out the gameplay experience. Zetsu is an arranged widescreen version of the arcade original but now includes the ability to fight the true last boss in the EXA Label version. Shin on EXA Label is based upon the Xbox 360 version and not the later NESiCAxLive version. EXA Label is an all new arranged mode adding a complete FM soundtrack which was completed posthumously by Keishi Yonao and the extra stage from Shin. This mode focuses on bullet canceling and scoring. There are 3 selectable soundtracks: Original, Arranged, & FM that are available in any play mode. The DLC voice packs from the Xbox 360 version have been incorporated into each play mode. Input latency was reduced to 1 frame using exA-Arcadia technology.

Reception
Famitsu gave the game scores of 8, 8, 8 and 9 from four reviewers, adding up to a total score of 33 out of 40. As Rising Star's inaugural U.S. title, Tech-Gaming found the game a "promising offering, offering stateside shoot ‘em up fans an exceptional entry into an increasingly niche genre.", and praised the title's depth of play mechanics. GameSpot gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, describing it as "a well-crafted dose of over-the-top bullet-hell action." Destructoid gave the game a score of 9 out of 10, concluding that "you may just find yourself ascending to bullet hell heaven if you dedicate some time to learning the game’s obscure but absolutely thrilling mechanics."

Mean Machines described it as a "must-have blaster" for the Xbox 360, praising the gameplay, the "masterpiece" 2D graphics, and the "fantastic" hard rock soundtrack. Crunchyroll praised the challenging gameplay as well as Umemoto's "insane guitar" music as possibly "soundtrack of the year," concluding that "anyone interested in the genre should pick this one up and reward said risk with a small swirling bundle of gold."