In 1993, SNK took the fighting games world by storm by introducing the first weapon based fighting game Samurai Shodown. The title soon became a cult classic and spawned a number of sequels and spinoffs, but unfortunately lost its momentum and was almost forgotten. In fact the last game in the series was released 11 years ago to very negative reviews. But the king of weapon fighting games is back with a bang.
Announced in October 2018 through a trailer that received big positive response, Samurai Shodown is finally here on both PS4 and Xbox One. So how good or bad this series reboot is? Let’s find out in our review.
From the first teaser trailer we knew what to expect in terms of style. Samurai Shodown takes the series back to its 2d roots in terms of gameplay but uses 3D models, Similar to most recent fighters, like Street Fighter V, KOF XIV and others. SNK gave the game a very artistic heavy Japanese ink brush style that fits the setting of the series quite well.
Unlike what SNK did with KOFXIV where they used their own 3d engine, which was met by harsh criticism, Samurai Shodown uses the well-known and tried Unreal Engine 4. And we are all thankful for that: Characters look crisp and detailed, and each colourful warrior shows more personality that ever before.
The backgrounds are all mesmerizing, being mostly re-imagining of the old stages from the first 2 games. It is a shame however that not all character have their own stage, as few of them share the same background.
Gameplay wise the snk team decided to go back to what made the first game such a hit. Gone are the overcomplexity of Slash and Bust seen in most of the series titles. The game feels like a mixture of Samurai Shodown 2 and 5 Special, the 2 titles regarded by most as the pinnacle of the series.
One of the aspects that were unique to Samurai shodown since 1993, is the high damage of some moves, and here is no exception. The new Samurai shodown does not shy for the fact that been hit with a sword can be fatal, and definitely should take away more life meter than other fighting games relying on punches and kicks.
System wise Samurai shodown is one of the simplest to grasp, but hard to master. Unlike most fighting games that rely on tricky set ups and long combos that easily throw off new comers, Samurai shodown is fresh breath of air. Any one can pick up the game and do well against seasoned players. Samurai Shodown’s battles are slow and methodical, and require players to be patient, careful, in order to reap the reward of slashing your opponent in half.
Most of the cast have all their moves back. Haohmaru’s kogetsusan are as fast as ever, and Hanzo’s command grab is still a joy to witness. But with old moves and mechanics also comes some new tools. Similar to previous titles, each character has a second meter which is the famous pow gauge, or rage meter. As it fills up, through the damage by taking damage, your moves get stronger and more damaging. Once filled, you can use your power gauge to inflict a disarming flashy move called the weapon Flipping technique. And to make it easy, all character have the same input for this devastating move. Hitting your opponent with the WFT will disarm them and force them to figh using their weak limbs as they try to recover their weapon.
Another form of super moves are the brand new super special moves. This devastating technique can be done, only once, any time during the match, with no requirement whatsoever. Landing it properly can take away up to 70% form your opponent’s life. But don’t go trying it without being sure it is gonna hit. The super special move has a very slow startup and a slower recovery. Missing it might mean instant death for you.
And speaking of instant death, at any moment during the match you can go into rage explosion mode by pressing the 3 weapon attack buttons. This mode, which made its debut in Samsho 3, replaces your power gauge with a depleting meter which you can use to either do WFt techniques, or a fatal flash also known as the Issen. This fast dash one single attack, that makes your character look the coolest, has the potential to kill your opponent in an instant, as damage form an issen can reach up to 60%. Just be careful though, as once you go into rage explosion mode, you will lose your rage gauge for the rest of the match.
Since its conception, Samurai Shodown always had a bit of gore compared to other SNK fighters, And this reboot takes things a bit to the next level. Characters get bloodied, and their clothes stained with their opponent or their blood. Hitting your enemy with the heavy slash button at the end can split them in 2 halves, while doing the same with the medium slash can drained them of all their blood, in a very Samurai anime fashion. The finishing moves are nowhere near as violent as Mortal Kombat and are a bit cartoony but they still have hat very satisfying effect once performed on an opponent that was inches away from beating you.
Menus are easy to navigate, clear and all have that heavy feudal Japanese influence. Character art, whether in prologues, portraits or endings is top-notch thanks to the very talented Yumi Saji. Her colourful style definitely fits the setting of the new game.
We cannot talk about presentation without talking about the beautiful music in the game. The Samurai Shodown series always known for its music, which uses and combines both traditional and new instruments, and the new Samurai Shodown not only follows its predecessors but definitely surpasses them, offering, quite easily, the best soundtrack of a fighting game in recent years.
While Samurai Shodown is a reboot of sorts for the series in terms of gameplay and mechanics, story wise it fits right in the series time line as the game takes place after Samurai Shodown V and before the major events of Samurai Shodown 1. Having the game set in that timeline made it easy for SNK to bring back favorite characters like Nakoruru, Jubei and Earthquake who meet their ends in subsequent sequels.
Samurai Shodown comes with 16 characters, 3 of which are brand new to the series. Returning cast includes series protagonist Haohmaru, Nature priestess Nakoruru, Dying and romantic warrior, Ukyo Tachibana, Iga ninja Leader, Hanzo Hattori, Kabuki dancer, Senryio Kyoshiro. French knight Charlotte, Greenhell champion Tam Tam, enigmatic Shiki, the assassin Genjuro, thug leader Earthquake and american ninja Galford.
Joining the 13 returning characters are 3 brand new warriors: Kurama yashamaru, a ninja like robin hood style character who hides an immense power within. He is an antihero driven by revenge for his unjustly executed father. Darli Dagger, a strong ship building and ass kicking woman of color with a huge weapon, and insane damage, and finally Wu Ruixiang, a shy, glasses wearing Chinese girl wielding a mystical shield like weapon that can summon dragons. Yes a freaking dragon.
Some old-time favorites are definitely missing, like the green monster with scissor hands Gen an, or the old hermit Nicotine, who also has the best name of any fighting game character, as well Wan fu and Siger. However fans of these characters should have hope as SNK is planning a multi-year support to the game which will include multiple characters added post launch, in seasonal packages.
While a 16 character starting roster might seem small, and It is a bit small, each character is quite unique and the base roster really feels satisfying. But if that is not enough for you, SNK is offering fans who purchase the game before June 20th, the first season pass for free. This includes 4 extra characters, the first being the recently revealed Rimururu who will be added in August.
Samurai Shodown offers a number of game modes that will sure leave fans busy. In terms of single player content First we have the story mode. An arcade ladder style where your chosen character gets a prologue, a rival battle cut scene and an ending. Fans wanting a a full cinematic story mode akin of Mortla Kombat 11 or street fighter v will be disappointed, as there are no sign of such thing. While it is understandable that we are not getting a full-fledged story mode with SNK’s first real effort in bringing the series back, I would have hoped to get more story information on our beloved characters. One character that really would have used the extra story material is the game’s finbal boss. Who even after defeating her with the entire cast, I still do not know much about her or her motives. And the story itself feels like an appetizer for things to come, which is probably Amakusa’ resurrection. Seeing all the character endings, and prologues gives a sense that this the first episode of a long running anime, we are just getting started and getting to know these characters.
If knowing about your favorite character is not your thing, and you are not interested in fighting the game’s new boss, then you can jump into a multitude of Vs battles. These include your normal Vs mode. Gauntlet mode, where you fight every character of the roster one after the other. Survival and time trial.
Samurai Shodown also offers a unique new mode, one that SNK is very proud of, and that is Dojo mode. This AI controlled feature is constantly watching the player playing offline modes, analysing, learning their play style and then creating an AI ghost of the said player. This ghost data can then be used to make you fight against yourself and see your weaknesses. The Ai ghost can also be uploaded online, and similarly a player can download Ghost data for other players including world champions to test their skills against theirs. While dojo was available during the time of review, player ghosts were very few, and SNK said that the Ghost data would not be real until post launch. Nevertheless I was able to download couple ghosts and tested my Genjuro skills against them.
In today’s day and age a fighting game lives or die by its online capabilities. Samurai shodown obviously offers online play. Players can choose between Ranked or Casual matches. And both modes can be run in the background with the fight request feature, which is available in every single player mode. Gone are the days where you have to sit in an empty room before being able to play. You can set the fight request feature to accept ranked or unranked challenges as you test your skill in story mode, or just learning new set ups in training mode.
You can also train online with your friends in an Online training feature that is an option available in casual online match mode
Since Samurai Shodown was shown back in October last year, people were asking about the netcode, what type is it, how good is it. While I cannot guarantee how things work when everyone gets online on June 25th, I am happy to reveal that I have played over 2 hours of online matches, and more than 95% of those matches were buttery smooth. I had few matches against the famous SNK escorts player Frionel that worked like a charm. I also had few matches with a player from France (knowing I am located in Morocco) and they were flawless. The only bad experience I had, which was still playable, was against a player in the west coast. And seeing how much distance is between us, I am surprised that the game was still somewhat playable. In terms of netcode technology, Samurai Shodown uses the input delay method rather than rollback.
Samurai Shodown is back! With a robust single player experience, tense and easy to play gameplay, a well-rounded, even though a bit small roster, and beautiful graphics and music, this new reboot of the franchise is quite the hit, and leaves us waiting for more characters and content that should be added as DLC or left for an eventual sequel.
Samurai Shodown releases on xbox One and PS4 on June 25, with a Nintendo Switch PC, and stadia version to follow in Q4.
