Samurai Shodown

Back during PAX East 2019, I said I was more excited for Samurai Shodown than any other fighting game this year. I am happy SNK brought their A-game with the newest iteration in this long-running series. Samurai Shodown is one of the best and most unique fighting games this generation, hands down. It may not be brimming with varied content, but the gameplay alone will keep you wanting more.

Despite some shortcomings, Samurai Shodown doesn't disappoint. Its slow pace belies a depth that rivals any fighting game, while still providing an experience unlike almost any other. If the stunning visuals don’t leave you breathless, then the unrelenting tension felt during combat certainly will.

And that’s what it all comes back to with Samurai Shodown. You should own this game in some format – there’s no doubt about that. It’s a classic fighting design that’s just as venerable as the original Street Fighter 2, and it hasn’t lost any of its fun factor in the past 15 years. The question is just one of personal preference for you, then. If you’re not much of an old-school Neo Geo fan, then you could justifiably get away with only owning this and maybe the original Metal Slug in VC form, and not bothering with any of the physical disc compilations. But if you do have fond memories of tha...

Death yields new life.

Despite inconsistent visual presentation and some barebones modes, Samurai Showdown shines as both a unique fighter and a resurrection of a classic series.

With Fatal Fury, SNK proved it could compete with Capcom, but with Samurai Showdown it showed it had the talent to surpass its rival. Fans still argue over which game is better – this or Street Fighter 2 – but one thing is for sure, any self-respecting Wii owner should really own both.

The fighting game scene is probably the hardest video game genre to break into. It’s crowded for one- Street Fighter is forever a mainstay, and Mortal Kombat (and the similar Injustice series) came out of nowhere to become the premier series. Then you’ve got Super Smash Bros, not to mention Soul Calibur, Killer Instinct, and Tekken. Unless you’ve got a great new gimmick, it’s an uphill battle to establish yourself as a worthy series. It’s hard to succeed with style alone. But damn if Samurai Shodown doesn’t just have that much style.

Two masters of the sword stand face to face in a field, blades unsheathed and eyes unblinking. A blood red moon hangs in the air, and the silence is deadly. The tension is palpable, and as you feel that bead of sweat slowly trickle down the side of your head, you decide to make your move. With one quick step, you go for the killing blow, only for your sword to hit nothing but air. Your opponent reads you like a book, backing away with a single, precisely timed hop, and now you're wide open. One press of the circle button is all it takes -- the last 45 per cent of your health bar disappears and...

Samurai Shodown’s signature deliberate pace is perfectly captured in this entry, though the small roster and lack of options somewhat hinder its replayability.

SNK has revived its sword-swinging fighting series, Samurai Shodown. Does it live up to its predecessors? Here's our review...

Samurai Shodown is a throwback to arcade fighters and the series' first entry in a decade. It is solid without a lot of frills.

Samurai Shodown is a good fighting game. It really is. But with the Switch version’s framerate issues, long loading times, and blurry visuals stacking on top of the existing lack of content and modes, however, its cost is a large pill to swallow. If you’ve got money to burn you’ll certainly get some joy out of it, but with fighters like Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[cl-r] now available on Switch, it could be better spent elsewhere.