First Cut review: one strike is all it takes
First Cut is a ridiculously good skill-based sword-fighting game. Unlike games where you can take hit after hit from a sword, one clean strike here is enough to end the round. That makes every duel tense: you can’t afford to get careless.
I had a lot of fun playing it with my boyfriend. Trying to land that one hit before he did was easily the best part for me.
A couple of things held it back. I couldn’t get fullscreen working, which was annoying, and the fights started to feel a little repetitive after a while. For me, it’s a game that’s much more fun with someone else than on my own.
That’s why I’m giving it 4/5. The sword fighting is excellent, and I’d love an online version so I could play with people who aren’t sitting next to me.
This review is of the original free First Cut on itch.io, rather than First Cut: Samurai Duel on Steam.
Play on Mac with wingames
macOS 15 or later
- On an M-series Mac, install Rosetta first. Open Terminal, paste this command, press Return and follow Apple’s prompts.Apple’s Rosetta instructions
softwareupdate --install-rosetta - Download and open the DMG.
- Drag wingames to Applications.
- Open wingames from Applications.
- If macOS blocks it, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway → Open.