Sega has had a habit of developing games based on Astro Boy creator Tezuka Osamu's characters, and while their work on the boy wonder produced split results (great GBA game overshadowed by a lousy PS2 title), they're at it again, this time dipping into much darker territory with Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo, an ancient tale filled with terrifying creatures, cool swordplay, and tons of action.

I've seen a lot of tormented and unfortunate videogame characters in my time, but none of them can hold a candle to Hyakkimaru, the game's main character. Before he was born, his father, a local samurai named Daigo Kagemitsu, made a deal with 48 demons (known as fiends) where he'd gain unspeakable power in exchange for his unborn child's body parts! You see, Hyakkimaru was the child of light, a special human delivered by the gods of the heavens to end the fiends' rule over the ancient world. And so, when Hyakkimaru was born, the fiends took 48 parts from him: his eyes, his arms and legs, his digestive system, even his larynx! An empty shell, the boy was cast down the river where he was picked up by a physician named Jyukai. Remarkably, the child could speak using telepathy, and over time, Jyukai created artificial limbs for him so he could live somewhat of a normal life.

Unfortunately, the 48 fiends weren't too happy that the child of light wasn't dead, and they and their minions began appearing around Hyakkimaru. Terrified for his adopted son, Jyukai did the only thing he could do: fit deadly weapons to Hyakkimaru's body. Now armed with swords for hands, a machine gun in one arm, and a leg cannon, Hyakkimaru embarks on a quest for revenge, a journey marked with demon blood as he seeks to reclaim all of his 48 body parts.

Personally, I try to steer clear of explaining a game's entire preface in a review, but I just couldn't help myself because Blood Will Tell's is so bizarre. At times it's corny, but cool enough to carry you through to its end, and believe me, you'll be playing for a long time. The game is a standard hack-and-slash title whereupon you control Hyakkimaru and exact revenge on the demonic hordes that populate the game. While he carries a samurai sword (and you can collect numerous ones as you go), Hyakkimaru does the most damage when you're using his artificial limbs. His double swords can be linked together to perform combo and special attacks, he can fire his machine gun when you press the R1 button, and his leg cannon delivers a power blast of white, hot death when you press R2. However, ammo for both the canon as well as the machine gun is limited, so use it sparingly.

While I had reservations after seeing the game at E3, I think the game's combat is fantastic. The animation at times lacks fluidity, but the controls are spot on and the action is intense. Hyakkimaru's moves are a lot of fun to pull off, especially when you press and hold TRIANGLE. He readies his sword, and then plunges it into an enemy. Then, you must quickly press various combinations using the PS2 controller's face buttons to execute a deadly combo, so you may see something like, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, SQUARE, SQUARE, and then at least three other variations. Do it before time runs out and Hyakkimaru will go crazy and slice and dice everything. However, if you fail to complete the chain before the time limit, the damage caused can still kill enemies.

In addition to controlling Hyakkimaru, you'll also play as his sidekick, Dororo. A thief, Dororo, while not necessarily employing stealth tactics in the game, goes on more exploratory adventures searching for clues and going places his partner cannot fit. It serves to vary the gameplay and doesn't damage the experience, though Dororo's voice leaves something to be desired. I don't have a problem with him being a child, but I was a little disappointed that he (and believe me, I thought he was a girl for an hour) acts like he's not scared at all. You'd think that he'd be terrified going off alone into environments full of demons, but he could care less! Worse, he often times says really dumb things you'd expect to hear in a kid's game, but Blood Will Tell isn't for children.

Thankfully, Dororo's antics are practically washed away by the game world's detail. The environments include barren wastelands, run down towns, and spooky fog-filled forests, and complementing these creepy locales is an excellent soundtrack that really made me uneasy. Of course, the real stars of Blood Will Tell are its enemies. The 48 fiends are downright terrifying and brimming with detail. Some you'll stumble across as you play, while others are hidden and require summoning to bring them forth. Naturally, each time you kill one Hyakkimaru will regain one of this body parts. Some will allow you to do new moves (like the leg dash), while others will need other parts to make them work. Either way, it's fun to play the game because you don't know which body part you'll recover next, so it becomes a sort of sick Pokemon experience where you "gotta catch-em all!" Think of it as the board game, Operation, but in reverse! However, reclaiming his stolen pieces won't be easy, as the path between fiends is littered with all sorts of demonic creatures. Most of them are fodder, and ways for you to level up your sword arms and increase your Spirit Gauge (when full, you can perform various Spirit Attacks), but don't underestimate them all, as large numbers may prove fatal.

Thankfully, you'll have Dororo to assist you most of the time. He doesn't do massive damage right away, but believe me; he comes in handy, especially when killing some fiends. He'll take damage just like you, but will revive after death, meaning it's ok to be sneaky, run away from a monster and have him do most of the work so you can conserve health.

The game's graphics are very good, but its cut scenes stand out a lot more. Some are done using the in-game engine and they work, but the CG as well as the still-frame artwork is exceptional. The pictures are beautifully painted, and perfectly convey the game's atmosphere.

Blood Will Tell is an excellent slashing adventure, but there are some nagging issues that keep it from achieving GameDAILY GOLD status. I already mentioned the acting, and it's not all Dororo's fault. Hyakkimaru also sounds a bit strange given his appearance, and he says some bizarre things as well. Why Sega didn't include an option for Japanese voices with English subtitles is beyond me. Also, the camera serves to frustrate more than it helps. While you can manually control it to a degree, it's difficult to maneuver, and when you can't control it, the camera doesn't always select the best view. Lastly, it's sometimes hard to aim Hyakkimaru's machine gun. Just when you think you have him lined up with an enemy, he shoots in a totally different direction, wasting precious ammo.

Nitpicks aside, Blood Will Tell is one of Sega's best games of the year. Its long quest guarantees that you'll leave behind you a disgusting pile of demonic carcasses, and the collection system goes far beyond locating body parts (because there are swords and other items to collect as well). It's a bloody good time, and an experience best played at night. If you've been craving an old school Japanese adventure, Blood Will Tell is a must buy.