Katana ZERO on a Mac with a controller
The Katana ZERO layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: Native on macOS through Steam with the game's own gamepad support. Use that first. This layout is for pads it does not detect and for remaps.
Yes, Katana ZERO runs natively on the Mac with its own controller support, so use that first. This layout exists for a pad it misses, and for one change: in the keyboard game, slow motion is a held Shift, and holding a key while also aiming, jumping and slashing is exactly what some hands cannot do. One setting fixes it.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move. The left stick moves (A and D). Up and down are W and S, which climb and drop through platforms.
- Jump. Space on the bottom face button.
- Attack and throw. The right trigger attacks (left mouse button). The left trigger throws the item you are carrying (right mouse button).
- Face buttons. Roll (Return) on the right, slow motion (Left Shift) on the left, interact (E) on the top. Start opens the menu.
Slow motion sits on a face button, ready for the toggle below.
Tune it to how you play
- Slow motion on a toggle. Open the slow motion row's Options and set the press mode to Toggles on and off. One press slows time until the meter runs out or you press again.
- Slash where you point. In the keyboard game the katana swings toward the mouse. Add four rows for the right stick that send mouse motion, and the slash follows the stick. Keep the speed high. The pointer only needs to be on the right side of you.
- Restart a room. Put its key on Back or the touchpad press.
Toggled slow motion is the reason this layout exists.
If the game does not see your pad
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check the Mac. Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar should list the pad.
- Relaunch with the pad awake. Quit, press a button on the pad, and open the game again.
- Change Steam Input. Change the override for Katana ZERO under Properties, Controller.
- Send keys. This layout needs only a keyboard and a mouse.
With the game's own support, the slash already aims with the stick, and with this layout you add the right stick as mouse motion.
Katana ZERO controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Katana ZERO, so the game was made to be played on a controller, menus included. A keyboard and mouse work as well, and the choice is yours. On a Mac, use the game's own controller support first when it sees your pad; this layout is for a pad it does not see, or for buttons it will not let you move. Full support listed means the controller is a first-class way to play Katana ZERO.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Katana ZERO
When Katana ZERO does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Katana ZERO. In Steam, open Katana ZERO, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Katana ZERO still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Katana ZERO already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Katana ZERO ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Katana ZERO and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Katana ZERO controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Katana ZERO's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Up (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Down / drop (S) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Attack |
| Left trigger | Right click | Throw item |
| B / Circle | Return | Roll / dodge (Enter) |
| X / Square | Shift (Left) | Slow-mo (Shift) |
| Y / Triangle | E | Interact (E) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does Katana ZERO on Mac support controllers?
Yes, natively. This layout is for pads it does not see and for remaps like slow motion on a toggle.
Can I aim the slash with a stick?
With the game's own controller support, yes. With this keyboard layout, add the right stick as mouse motion, because the keyboard game slashes toward the mouse.
Does Katana ZERO have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Katana ZERO, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Katana ZERO better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Katana ZERO, so it was made to be played on a controller, and a keyboard and mouse work as well.
Why is my controller not working in Katana ZERO on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Katana ZERO still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Katana ZERO layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Katana ZERO on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Katana ZERO has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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