SAMURAI SHODOWN Review for Xbox Series X

Samurai Shodown by SNK has been around since the early 90s bringing the Japanese Samurai experience to arcade goers all around the world. Set in the late 1700s in the TenmeiEra of Japan, Samurai Shodown offers a whole new fighting-style game that leans away from button smashing and hand-to-hand combat. Samurai Shodown focuses on what being a disciplined samurai is all about; timing and positioning. While the game’s vision has not varied much since the original Samurai Shodown, the game has evolved into multiple playable platforms ranging from Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, and home consoles such as Playstation and Xbox. Diving into the world of samurai fighting and a true Japanese feel, we find ourselves at the latest edition of Samurai Shodown. 

Meet the Samurais 

Samurai Shodown character selection is a deep catalog with a variety of styles to choose from. Each Samurai in the game is cosmetically and mechanically unique, but all share the same Japanese fighter theme. As with any fighting game you have your spectrum of quick attack fighters to your heavy-hitting slow fighters. Samurai Shodown is almost anti-hand to hand combat with each fighter having their own unique weapon to craft their attacks with. The game emphasizes the use of weapons because if disarmed, your character is rather helpless. It is easy enough to pick your weapon back up if knocked out due to a special attack; but it highlights the urgency to grab your weapon due to your only attack being a jab if unarmed. Some of the characters even have pets which can be used as a team-member during the fight, bringing a companion to the 1v1 fighting game world.  

Flow-combat  

Although there are only four attack buttons, the game focuses on precise timing and character placement compared to button smashing and chaining combos. The style of fighting in Samurai Shodown rewards good timed attacks or blocks and punishes blunders by dealing massive damage if countered. 

The game offers light, medium, and heavy attacks, as well as a kick for your offensive array. Light attacks are the quickest and do the least damage, so on and so forth for medium and heavy attacks. Positioning for an attack is just as important as timing due to your opponent’s ability to counter. When setting up for an attack, medium and heavy attacks have a further range, but have a longer animation time. If too close to your opponent while trying to execute a medium-heavy attack, they can quickly counter with a kick or light attack to gain the advantage and throw your character off-balance. Counter attacks often result in a large amount of damage rewarding the player who executed the counter.

Experience with multiplayer 

While playing the game, I was astounded to never be able to find an online opponent to fight against, despite trying multiple times during gameplay. I was never able to get into an online lobby and compete with other players making my Samurai Shodown experience all against AI. Because of that, I managed to play through most of the campaign but never to be able to play against another real player. With that being said If you are looking for an online fighting experience I would focus your purchasing options towards a more mainstream title with a consistent player base.

Conclusion: 

Samurai Shodown is a competitive fighting game that rewards the patient player who plans their attack while the button-masher gets punished for their untimely attacks and careless positioning. The game really encapsulates the Japanese theme they were going for through the artwork of the characters and the settings the player fights in. Even the menu and some of the smaller features like audio tracks let you know exactly the feel SNK was going for. The game has solid mechanics and is a slower-paced fighting game compared to others such as Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. For the players that are looking for a more skilled fighting game that does not rely on memorizing combinations and combos; this is your game. I rate Samurai Shodown a 7/10. 

Check Out the Samurai Shodown Next-Gen Trailer here: https://youtu.be/Lp8ywMc8Ajs

SAMURAI SHODOWN Special Edition on Xbox Series X|S is priced at $59.99.