Samurai Shodown

 PlayStation 4
Samurai Shodown Image
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 80 Ratings

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  • Summary: 11 years have passed since the last series installment, and it is now time for SAMURAI SHODOWN to return in a brand-new game featuring high-end visuals and gameplay. Faithfully reproducing the game mechanics and atmosphere that contributed to the success of the series, SAMURAI SHODOWN11 years have passed since the last series installment, and it is now time for SAMURAI SHODOWN to return in a brand-new game featuring high-end visuals and gameplay. Faithfully reproducing the game mechanics and atmosphere that contributed to the success of the series, SAMURAI SHODOWN includes a feature that learns from players game actions and patterns in order to create CPU-controlled “ghost” characters. With a story set one year before the very first installment, a diverse cast of returning and new characters cross paths in order to fulfill their destinies. [SNK]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. DualShockers
    Jun 24, 2019
    90
    Samurai Shodown is one of the best and most unique fighting games this generation, hands down.
  2. Gamers' Temple
    Jul 29, 2019
    86
    If you're a fan of Samurai Shodown, you definitely need to check out this game. Even if you've never played a SamSho before, check out this game. It's easily the most unique fighter out on the market at the moment thanks to the emphasis on precision attacks and punishing the opponent for high damage rather than trying for long combos and guesses with mixups. Samurai Shodown is honestly the best game that SNK has given us in recent years. It's very polished and it looks and sounds fantastic!
  3. EGM
    Jun 30, 2019
    85
    Bucking the trend of “bigger, badder, louder, faster,” Samurai Shodown is a return to the glory days of SNK’s beloved sword-slashing fighting franchise. The slower, more thoughtful combat style the franchise is known for is on full display here, challenging players not just to be better at fighting games, but also smarter. Wrapped in a beautiful overall package and given some interesting new roster additions, Samurai Shodown is probably the best new chapter we could have ever hoped for.
  4. Digital Chumps
    Jun 26, 2019
    81
    Overall, Samurai Shodown is a fun release that brings back memories of a simpler time in the fighting genre where focus laid squarely on technique and gamer ease-of-use. The inclusion of a variety of modes helps to beef up the fighting content and offer up good challenges for those seeking them. All of this makes the experience more engaging and entertaining.
  5. GameSpot
    Jun 28, 2019
    80
    Samurai Shodown is a great reboot. It captures what made the original fun and unique, but also at a time when high-damage, high-stakes fighters like this are a rarity, making its combat feel both fresh and familiar. Its accessibility and easy-to-grasp gameplay belie a lot of strategic depth that makes for very intense, bloody struggles. While the single-player experience is a bit lacking, it doesn’t drag down the whole significantly--Samurai Shodown is a fighting experience well worth taking up the sword for.
  6. GameSpew
    Jun 24, 2019
    80
    If you’re a serious fighting game fan, you’ll get a lot out of Samurai Shodown. Those expecting the single player offerings of titles like Mortal Kombat 11 will be left disappointed though. Samurai Shodown just isn’t that type of fighting game.
  7. Shacknews
    Jun 26, 2019
    60
    Samurai Shodown manages to present a superb alternative to quicker, more bombastic fighters. This comes across as more of the thinking man's fighter, testing a player's reaction time and rewarding those who are able to read their opponents over those who try and go for meaningless combos. Samurai Shodown doesn't need to stand atop a crowded fighting game mountain, because it's done a nice job staking a claim over on a nearby hill.

See all 54 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. Trigunner4110
    Jun 25, 2019
    10
    Amazing old school fighting game with depth and an incredible art style. Netcode is legit!
  2. SNKBrasil
    Jun 27, 2020
    10
    The amazing return of the franchise, Samurai Shodown brought again the return of nostalgic warriors, and the newcomers are also well acepted.The amazing return of the franchise, Samurai Shodown brought again the return of nostalgic warriors, and the newcomers are also well acepted. The news graphics is very amazing and the gameplay is the better of Samurai Shodown games. SNK finally nailed it this time.… Expand
  4. 00wolf
    Jun 26, 2019
    10
    SNK successfully breathes life back into one of their most beloved fighting game series. The game looks gorgeous, plays just like the classicSNK successfully breathes life back into one of their most beloved fighting game series. The game looks gorgeous, plays just like the classic SamShow you know and love, and serves as a perfect entry point for those looking to get into fighters with its focus on neutral play, lack of complex combos, and easy to use reversal mechanics.… Expand
  5. KainM
    Jun 25, 2019
    10
    This game is a lot of fun I enjoy it alot. One of the best fighting games I played all year
  6. Yuber
    Jun 28, 2019
    9
    A nice game, is not graphically perfect like namco game series , but is better than kof, i llike old style black ink like street fighter 4.A nice game, is not graphically perfect like namco game series , but is better than kof, i llike old style black ink like street fighter 4. also i love the blood in the game, anyway missing some characters , and old movements like bust or burst like ss4 .

    Anyway a good game    … Expand
  7. ShadowPeter
    Jul 9, 2019
    9
    That's right, K. O. in two blows. Maybe it was for lack of attention or pure ignorance on my part, but even though I've been playingThat's right, K. O. in two blows. Maybe it was for lack of attention or pure ignorance on my part, but even though I've been playing videogames since the 90s, I've never heard of Samurai Shodown. I heard about the Tekken, Street Fighter, The King of Fighters and Guilty Gear, but i never heard about Samurai Shodown. I know I know. I should be executed in every way, I deserve that. The fans of this SNK series have had a long wait of more than a decade in front of them, but behold now Samurai Shodown makes his return, and it can be said that it is a great return.

    For those who do not know Samurai Shodown, this is a fighting game in which the fighting style focuses more on the opponent's mistakes than on making elaborate combos. It's the exact opposite of what other fighting games usually do. In other words, don't expect to crush the buttons like there's no tomorrow and try to be patient and wait for your opponents' mistakes, because a wrong move can be fatal, as most Samurai Shodown hits are very powerful. Let's say it's a unique fighting style.

    Most Samurai Shodown techniques are very simple to perform, except the super special moves. But don't think that it is only to beat the opponent; make parry, perfect parry and disarm our enemy is also important. When it is disarmed, the blows aren't very powerful compared when we have the weapons. Simple and smooth are the words in Samurai Shodown's, because the gameplay is very good. You can wait for huge amounts of blood and cuts in half, but the game has a more cartoony style and not as gore as what is commonly seen in Mortal Kombat. And this isn't a criticism.

    The base game features a range of 16 characters, including veterans Haohmaru, Ukyo Tachibana, Nakoruru and Jubei Yagyu, and some newcomers such as Darli Dagger and Wu-Ruixiang. They all have their own movements and their own history. And speaking of history, it should be noted that the events of this Samurai Shodown take place between the events of Samurai Shodown 5 and those of the original title, and function as a reboot of the series. Although the story mode is reasonable, the truth is that it's nothing special either. The same is just a mere arcade mode.

    No big surprises, modes like Training and Tutorial are present and are always super essential in fighting games. Of course, it's a good idea to invest some time in these modes before you go into serious battles, whether offline or online. In the tutorial, basic mechanics like Just Defense, Dodge, Counter, Sword Clash or Blade Catch, among others, are some of the things that we will learn and train. And being a fighting game, training is essential.

    At offline modes, you can count on Time Trial, Survival, Gautlet (a mode that sets us against all characters in the game) and the traditional Versus mode. In online mode we have modes like Ranked Match and Casual Match. In the latter, we can choose the type of battle: Single VS or Team VS. In Team VS, it can be 2on2, 3on3 or 5on5 battles, just like we can choose the rules: Point Match or Elimination Match. On the connections of the game, I have no great reasons for complaint. Just be aware of the connections of our opponents.

    Samurai Shodown also features an interesting asynchronous online mode, called Dojo. Put simply, the game studies and learns the behavior and tactics of players in offline modes, and with this information, creates a Ghost opponent that mimics a human opponent. This Ghost opponent can later be unloaded by other players for an experience versus asynchronous. In addition, we also have a rewarding challenge, called the Ironman Challenge, that impels us to face 10, 50 or 100 CPU Ghosts.

    Visually, Samurai Shodown is super colorful and cartoons, and the quality of the artwork and the models of the characters is very good. The typically Japanese soundtrack and Japanese voices are equally of great quality. At first it may be strange for those who are accustomed to other fighting games more focused on combos, but after a short period of habituation, Samurai Shodown is really very addictive. Overall, it was a job well done by SNK.    … Expand
  8. scrampus
    Jul 28, 2020
    4
    Not my type of fighting game. Its reminiscent of old school fighting games so i can see why some people would like it, but again it wasn't my jam.

See all 21 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best PS4 Game of 2019
97
#97 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
27
#27 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019