Video Game Review: Samurai Shodown - Xbox Series X

Rob Lake reviews Samurai Shodown on Xbox Series X...

I have a massive soft spot for old arcade beat'em up's. Games like Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat and King of Fighters are games that I grew up with. Me and my friends I still to this day meet up and go toe-to-toe on a selection of retro titles that we own between us and often reminisce over past glories or the end of particular friends winning streak (you know who you are). To go that extra mile one of my friends even owns his own arcade cabinet (or three) that he is collecting official boards for! 

I jumped at the chance to review Samurai Shodown as the series has been a favourite of mine for quite a few years.

Samurai Shodown is the newest instalment in the Samurai Shodown (Samurai Spirits) series and has been developed by SNK. Sancho is the nineteenth game released in the franchise and has taken the series back to its roots in the form of a soft reboot. The overall setting of the game takes place between the events of the original game and Samurai Shodown V. The main storyline happens in 1787 during Japan's Tenmei era of history and terrible evil has beset the country. Fire, ruin and famine are wreaking havoc all across Japan, warriors from across the country have come together, driven by their agendas to vanquish the evil that threatens the land or control it for their greed. Fan favourites such as Haohmaru, Charlotte, Nakoruru and Genjuro make their comebacks as well as fighters new to the series.

Gameplay-wise Samurai Shodown keeps in line with its older brethren, whilst intending to be a franchise reboot. Combat can feel a little slow at times and every decision comes with its own risk vs reward element, where every character can be defeated with a couple of well-timed moves. Whilst this style is not uncommon within the fighting game genre, Samurai Shodown takes it’s to a higher level. 

A single heavy attack can easily squash away a fair chunk of the health bar and most attacks can leave you wide open for follow up moves; if they are not blocked. With this in mind, a lot of tactical thinking comes into play with trying to read your opponents thoughts whilst deciding how to strike. Each character has a handful of special moves so there is a fairly low learning curve in terms of move sets. The true path to victory is knowing when to strike rather than learning excessive combos. The argument is there to say that Samurai Shodown is not intended for the casual player. Whilst this is somewhat true SamSho will teach you fighting game fundamentals that you can take into other games such as Street Fighter V or Mortal Kombat.

You can also enter a training mode with any character and learn the basics against a dummy character, who can also be customised to your skill level. The only real flaws to SamSho are the same ones that prevalent throughout SNK's fighting games. “SNK Final Boss Syndrome" also makes its unwelcome presence known, the last fight in the games story mode is a real sword sponge and can dish out some hefty damage, even at lower difficulties. Whilst Shizuka is hard she is nowhere near the level of Shin Rugal’s cheapness but the “Boss Syndrome” is still there.

When it comes to graphics, SamSho looks incredible due to the Xbox Series X upgrades. It runs incredibly smooth, sounds amazing, and does a grand job I'm highlighting the strengths of the console. Every thrust, swing and swipe is captured brilliantly as our Samurai characters do battle. 

For fans of fighting games; SamSho is worth buying. Whilst gameplay is not as fast-paced as Street Fighter V or the Marvel Vs. Capcom series, SamSho has its style of mind over brawn. You can go out and button bash but this will more than likely get you chopped up very quickly. There is a high learning curve that can put off the casual player, however, if you take the time to learn the fundamentals there is a fighting game worthy of mastering.

Rating 9/10

A review code was kindly provided for this review.

Samurai Shodown is available now and can be purchased on the Microsoft store by clicking here.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev