Mr. Kissyface is the first boss you’ll face in Katana Zero. He looks intimidating, but he’s not too tough once you know how to counter his attacks.
Mr. Kissyface may have a ridiculous name, but he’s nothing to scoff at. He carries a giant axe, has a couple of dirty tricks up his sleeve, and unlike the chumps you’ve faced so far, he won’t go down in one hit.
How to Beat Mr. Kissyface
Talking to V
You’ll square off against Mr. Kissyface at the end of the Mansion level. Before the fight starts, you’ll be tied to a chair and questioned by V. No matter what you say the first time you talk to him, V will kill your character. Thanks to your time-bending powers, though, that’s not a big deal. The second time you talk to V, choose the dialogue option, “I want answers, V.” He’ll get upset and kill you again, but not before letting some information about himself slide. When you wake up again, choose “Don’t be late for your date, V.” He’ll eventually kill you yet again. The final line you need to choose is “I’m not here for the Chronos. I’m on it. Don’t be late for your date, V.” After that, just choose every option to interrupt V before you finish speaking, and he’ll eventually get frustrated and leave Mr. Kissyface to deal with you.
Breaking your restraints
When the fight starts, you’ll still be tied to the chair with Mr. Kissyface and two of his goons in the room. As the boss approaches, rapidly press left and right to tip the chair over. He’ll swing his axe, destroying the chair and breaking off one of its legs. Quickly roll past him, pick up the chair leg, and throw it at the henchmen. You’ll kill one of them, who will drop your sword. Immediately roll toward it, pick it up, and use it to dispatch the other enemy. Now you’re ready for the real fight.
Fighting Mr. Kissyface
Mr. Kissyface is fast and has a few different attack types, and like the rest of the enemies in the game, he can kill you in one hit. Don’t forget to use your time-slowing power if you’re having trouble reacting in time. Whenever you dodge an attack, you have a short window to counterattack, knocking Mr. Kissyface on his back. When this happens, approach him and hold the attack button to lock weapons with him. It’ll take several tries, but once the meter that appears when you do this fills, you’ll strike the killing blow.
While he doesn’t use his attacks in any predictable patterns, they all have clear tells that let you know which one is coming. When Mr. Kissyface ducks down and glows red, he’s about to leap. This is the easiest attack to dodge, as you can simply roll behind him to avoid it and counterattack. When he raises his axe without changing color, he’s getting ready to throw and recall it like a boomerang (or maybe it’s a trick he learned from Kratos). Dodge the flying axe, then make sure you get behind him before attacking. If you stay in front of him, the axe will kill you when it returns to him.
This boss also has two attacks that don’t allow you to counterattack. When Mr. Kissyface ducks and glows purple, get as far away from him as you can. He follows this move up by leaping into the air and swinging his axe in circles around him. His last attack is the rarest and possibly the most deadly. Occasionally, the boss will juggle a mine then toss it at you. You won’t be killed when it strikes you, but you will be knocked backward. The mine explodes just a moment after hitting the wall, so if you get caught by the initial throw, you’ll very likely not have time to escape the blast radius. When you see Mr. Kissyface pull the mine out or you suspect this attack is coming, it’s a good idea to slow time so you can avoid it.
There’s a lot to keep track of in this fight, and it’s easy to misread the boss’s tells, but with a little practice, it’s not too hard. If you’re having trouble, try to stay at a distance where rolling once will put you directly behind him. That way you have time to react to all of his attacks without missing your chance to strike back. Also, try to avoid backing all the way up to either wall, or you’ll be an easy target for both the mine and the leaping attack.
Once you’ve taken care of Mr. Kissyface, you’ll be able to pursue V in a Road Rash-inspired motorcycle chase, and eventually take him down for good.
