Samurai Shodown is nothing short of an incredible return for one of the fighting game genre’s most revered franchises. It’s technical, deep, and challenging to fully grasp– and it’s fantastic. Those who aren’t experienced in the genre may find Samurai Shodown difficult to get into at first, but the payoff is more than worth it.
Samurai Shodown
Developer: SNK
Price: $60
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One currently, and PC and Nintendo Switch this Winter
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review
I didn’t expect the Samurai Shodown series to get a new game in 2019, but I’m incredibly glad it did– especially when it’s as high quality as Samurai Shodown. I can’t recall the last fighting game that made me think and act on my toes as much as Samurai Shodown has in the last couple of weeks, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
My favorite thing about Samurai Shodown is how thoughtful it is. Its slower pacing and heavier hits go a long way in making every single hit truly count, as one slip-up could let your opponent deal an immense amount of damage. For example, most blocked attacks result in recoil for the attacker, which leaves them completely open for some brutal punishment. You can’t just swing away or button-mash your way to victory in Samurai Shodown, and I’d argue that you won’t really start finding your playstyle in the game until you’ve played for a good few hours at the bare minimum.
This may be a problem for newcomers to the series or the fighting game genre in general. That’s not to say the game isn’t accessible; the tutorial mode in Samurai Shodown is relatively quick and quite comprehensive. It’s just that Samurai Shodown is such a different type of fighting game when compared to recent releases like Mortal Kombat 11 or the less recent Dragon Ball FighterZ. Combat is slow but rounds are fast, which can be intimidating but incredibly fun after a bit of practice.
“I found local matches were even more fun though, as I felt an exhilarating sense of hyped and tension throughout the entirety of each match, right up until that final strike.“
Balancing your Rage meter adds some extra depth to Samurai Shodown. You can choose to use your Rage Explosion to do a ridiculous amount of damage to your foe, but using your meter like this means you can’t use any Rage-related super attacks for the remainder of the fight, even if you use it on Round 1. You can choose to save your meter and use it on super attacks (which don’t disable your meter), though they require more inputs and do less damage. Depending on the match I would go back and forth between playing it smart and preserving my Rage meter, and using a Rage Explosion in a last-ditch effort to reclaim a round. It’s as thrilling as it is decisive, and adds a lot to Samurai Shodown’s combat.
As far as content goes, there isn’t a ton for singleplayer enthusiasts to sink their teeth into, outside of local versus. Each character has their own ending in “Arcade Mode”, there are challenging but enjoyable Gauntlet and Survival modes, Ghost battles, and your standard Practice/Tutorial modes. Multiplayer is really the main appeal, and with good reason. I had no issues playing online, and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out my opponents as I dueled with them. I found local matches were even more fun though, as I felt an exhilarating sense of hyped and tension throughout the entirety of each match, right up until that final strike.
The visuals of Samurai Shodown are sharp and distinct, with a suitably Japanese style emanating out of everything, from the characters to the background. The (optional) blood adds a lot to combat, as it adds some striking and gory color to combat with each slash. The character designs in Samurai Shodown are worth mentioning as well, as they’re so visually diverse and well-designed that I found myself extensively trying out characters that I would typically only use once or twice. The music is wonderful as well, giving off an almost whimsical or romantic Japanese vibe.
The Final Word
Samurai Shodown is one of the most methodical and thoroughly thrilling fighting games I’ve ever played. It’s not easy to get into, but the tense fights, intricate systems, and excellent visuals make Samurai Shodown worth grabbing for any fighting game enthusiast or open-minded newcomer
MonsterVine Review Score: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
