Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by UEP Systems and published by Agetec for the PlayStation. Notable for being the only game developed by UEP Systems to not be a snowboarding game, Rising Zan follows an idiosyncratic world between a mix of the eastern and western, where a young cowboy named Johnny, after almost losing his life to a mysterious assassin, is trained in the way of the samurai by his late father's friend, and returns home under the new name of Zan to defeat the evil samurais who threaten the wild west.

The Story Behind Rising Zan - The Samurai Gunman

Rising Zan received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the premise as unique and absurd, as well as finding enjoyment in the game's humor and soundtrack, with criticism primarily being aimed at the gameplay and controls. Due to the unique nature of the game, Rising Zan was inspired by several TV shows, one of which being Super Sentai, which was the inspiration for the game's enemies as well as their speaking mannerisms. However, Johnny is saved at the last minute by Suzuki, a samurai master and a friend to Johnny's late father.

The game was also unique in that it had its own opening theme song with complete, sung lyrics, in both the American and Japanese versions of the game, which also plays at the end of every stage. While finding no one there, Johnny is suddenly ambushed and attacked by a mysterious samurai with a mask, who cuts an X-shaped scar into his face. The Japanese opening song, , was sung by Hironobu Kageyama and composed by Atsunori Namba and arranged by Yohgo Kohno, and is more based on theme songs seen in anime.

How Rising Zan - The Samurai Gunman Plays

Notable for being the only game developed by UEP Systems to not be a snowboarding game, Rising Zan follows an idiosyncratic world between a mix of the eastern and western, where a young cowboy named Johnny, after almost losing his life to a mysterious assassin, is trained in the way of the samurai by his late father's friend, and returns home under the new name of Zan to defeat the evil samurais who threaten the wild west. Protagonist Zan fights using a revolver named "Johnny No More" (also the title of the game's theme song) in his left hand and a katana named "Demon Slayer" in his right. However, Johnny is saved at the last minute by Suzuki, a samurai master and a friend to Johnny's late father.

Realizing the danger his home is in, Johnny takes up both his blade and gun as he begins to uncover the Jackal's main plan, as well as do battle with Loki, the same samurai that almost killed him years ago. These include one of seven finishing moves for the enemy boss character at the end of each level (there are nine in all); these moves themselves are ranked, from lowest to highest - "Weak", "Yeah", "Neat", "Cool", "Groovy", "Wicked", and "Bitchin'". Said features include being able to play the game as Sapphire, Zan's Japanese stepsister.

Why Players Still Load It Up

Owing him his life, Johnny wishes to seek revenge against the samurai, which Suzuki agrees to, on the condition that he and Johnny travel to his home country of Zipang where Johnny is to train until he was ready to go back. Rising Zan received "average" reviews according to GameRankings, with moderate praise for its original premise and quirky humor tempered greatly with rampant criticism of the game's many technical shortcomings and unpolished execution. is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by UEP Systems and published by Agetec for the PlayStation.

In 2009, GamesRadar+ included it among the games "with untapped franchise potential", commenting: "Rising Zan may not have been the best PS1 game ever, or even among the best, but it has the words 'Samurai Gunman' in its name, and that’s more than enough to warrant a sequel." Official UK PlayStation Magazine stated that the game had "an excellent plot and occasional flashes of brilliance" but that it was "nothing special". Notable for being the only game developed by UEP Systems to not be a snowboarding game, Rising Zan follows an idiosyncratic world between a mix of the eastern and western, where a young cowboy named Johnny, after almost losing his life to a mysterious assassin, is trained in the way of the samurai by his late father's friend, and returns home under the new name of Zan to defeat the evil samurais who threaten the wild west. However, he finds that his hometown has now been overrun with ninjas and men made of wood., revealed to be the work of the Jackal, an organization of samurai and ninja who have begun to loot the wild west of their resources for their own schemes.

Rising Zan - The Samurai Gunman — Frequently Asked Questions