Samurai Shodown - a return of a king. A game whose history is as extensive as the praise it received in the arcades, but that king has long since ruled. In order to compete with the heavy hitters that currently pioneer the genre, Samurai Shodown would need to bring something different to the table, that only developer SNK could pull off.

The story throws you into an unfaithful rendition of feudal Japan, with various characters having intertwining parts of the narrative. In order to fully realise the story, you will need to play Samurai Shodown’s story mode with each and every character. That being said, it feels like a traditional arcade mode and just offers very little to be desired. You pick a character, fight through a few matches, have some dialogue between you and another fighter, then make your way to the ending. That’s it. While Samurai Shodown aims to bring back the best of the past, the lacklustre story mode isn’t going to make the cut in 2019. I’m not asking for the game to give me an adrenaline-fueled story for two hours straight, but some context to the plot would have been useful.



Samurai Shodown really starts to show its appeal in the way it feels to play. Unlike many other modern fighters, Samurai Shodown removes lengthy combos, frame trapping, and various other high-level fighting mechanics to double down on getting players to focus on their timing. You have your light slash that deals faster attacks but lower damage hits, a medium slash that can clear more distance, and a heavy attack that deals a substantial amount of damage. Knowing what each button does is one thing, but taking the time to know when to use them is another. Yes, this is present in every other fighting game, but Samurai Shodown takes that simple idea to a whole other level. The basic knowledge of knowing when to block, parry, and counter-hit is exactly what makes Samurai Shodown so intense. The game punishes you heavily for your mistakes, making you have to think on a more tactical level.

...Samurai Shodown removes lengthy combos, frame trapping, and various other high-level fighting mechanics to double down on getting players to focus on their timing.

While Samurai Shodown may be less forgiving than other games, its simple mechanics and easy to learn tutorial allows players to hone in and focus solely around timing their attacks. Baiting an opponent’s attack turns into a quintessential aspect of the game. Get the timing right and you will do a surprising amount of damage that will cause your opponent to reel in fear. For example, you could purposely start attacking with light slashes to bait your opponent into attacking, which can end up in you disarming them during the counter-attack. Mistime this, and you’ll find a large portion of your health bar gone. However, get it right and your reward will be substantial.

Over and above your regular slashes, you get special attacks, super attacks, and a rage meter. The rage bar makes a return from the older Samurai Shodown games, with a few useful features to enhance the overall gameplay. You can use the rage bar to perform a disarming special attack once per round, or you can trigger rage mode which gives you access to increased damage and a lightning slash, that could turn the tides of battle. That being said, you will lose access to your rage bar for the rest of the game.



There are sixteen very different characters to choose from. Yes, I know it doesn’t sound like much. While it may not reach the high numbers of its competitors, every character feels completely different, and each expresses themselves in the minor details throughout the game. You wouldn’t think this would be possible, considering every character has almost identical button prompts, but SNK have managed to present a level of diversity that would give these modern fighters a run for their money. Sadly, the depth in their personality doesn’t translate to the customisation on offer. You can choose between four different preset colours. It isn’t too much of a problem, but it would have been nice to give my favourite characters a little personal touch.

SNK have managed to present a level of diversity that would give these modern fighters a run for their money.

The game comes with a few extra modes to practice your fighting technique. You have Survival, Time Trial, Gauntlet, and Dojo. The other modes consist of you just fighting against time, health management, or simply fighting every character in the game. Dojo, on the other hand, promises something a little more unique. You fight against other player’s ghosts. That, in theory, sounds like a promising offline mode to help sharpen your skills. However, I was pit against ghosts that didn’t even pose the slightest challenge. The Dojo may require the players to play for extended periods of time before the ghosts are not brainless, but the mode was pointless and didn’t offer anything better than what the CPU could dish out.

Then again, you’re going to mostly play this game against other humans. Thankfully, you’ll be in for a visual treat throughout every match. The characters are 2D, but have been made to look 3D through the usual developer witchcraft methods. The maps have excruciating amounts of detail, with almost every map being given dynamic animations that don’t detract from the game’s nostalgic value. Paired with the eastern visuals, you’ll get an announcer that sounds like he is consistently running out of air and music straight from a Bruce Lee movie. It may sound like something you would get annoyed by, but it has a way of growing on you. That being said, the extreme loading times are one thing that cannot be missed. You will be looking aimlessly at a black screen for longer than 30 seconds before and after matches. This wouldn’t be an issue, but the matches are short, so it feels jarring to have longer loading screens.



Samurai Shodown feels like it was pulled from a forgotten era and given new life in 2019. SNK has more than proven they have what it takes to make a comeback with their latest title. With amazing style, gameplay that invokes a passion for fighting games of old, and charm coming from every crack, Samurai Shodown breathes new life into the series. From the very second you start clashing swords, Samurai Shodown doesn’t shy away from showing you just how good the old-school fighters used to be. The warrior has returned, with his blade sharpened, and polished to perfection.