Samurai Shodown

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
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  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 24, 2019
    74
    Hardcore fans of the series and the pro players will likely love Samurai Shodown. This game is gonna be great to watch and I suspect it will thrive in the FGC tournament scene. Unfortunately that while the fighting game part of it is great, the rest is a really barebones package that most likely won't hold the attention of others for an extended period of time.
  2. Easy Allies
    Jul 7, 2019
    70
    It's frustrating that the elements surrounding Samurai Shodown aren't better, because the fighting itself can be so tremendous. The pace of battles, the unique mechanics, and general style all contribute to a game that feels worthwhile to learn. It's just a shame that it never really goes above and beyond when it comes to anything else.
  3. Twinfinite
    Jul 1, 2019
    70
    If you fancy samurai mythology with a Japanese ink brush aesthetic and/or you’ve just been looking for a 2.5D style, weapon-based fighting game, I think Samurai Shodown is a very solid choice.
  5. USgamer
    Jun 28, 2019
    70
    Samurai Shodown captures the spirit of the older games, veering towards a mix of older and newer series entries. In terms of single-player, but it's a a far cry from Mortal Kombat 11 or even what recent games like Dead or Alive 6 have offered. On the multiplayer side, it offers a solid core, but not much else. It's nice to see SamSho back in the spotlight, but we wish it had a little more to keep us playing beyond just fighting other players.
  6. Gamers Heroes
    Jun 24, 2019
    70
    Samurai Shodown's signature deliberate pace is perfectly captured in this entry, though the small roster and lack of options somewhat hinder its replayability.
  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.
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  1. Eurogamer
    Jun 24, 2019
    SNK's iconic series makes its return in this reboot that's short on features but rich in systems. [Eurogamer Recommended]

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

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 80
  3. Negative: 14 out of 80
  1. Trigunner4110
    Jun 25, 2019
    10
    Amazing old school fighting game with depth and an incredible art style. Netcode is legit!
  2. shootingstars99
    Aug 23, 2019
    6
    It's alright, but not as great as what people are hyping it up to be. It's a simple, punishing fighter reminiscent of the 2D fighters of theIt's alright, but not as great as what people are hyping it up to be. It's a simple, punishing fighter reminiscent of the 2D fighters of the mid 90's. The exchanges are more mind games and baits than combos and pressure, and one mistake can cost you 50% life easily. While this game is fun, and the online is pretty stable (which is saying a lot for modern fighters), the overall feel lacks a sense of charm and spirit to it. The characters just all feel kind of bland, and the Street Fighter 4 art style is a bit of a turn off for me. The funnest thing about this game is punishing people online who are too aggressive and throw out reversal moves too often by taking off 50% of their life with a heavy attack. The defensive options are nice, and not many games nowadays emphasize them enough. Overall, the game can be fun, it's an alright fighter, but the art style has been done before and is not aesthetically pleasing at all, and the game just lacks any kind of lasting charm to it.

    The ghost battles could have been something great and been done similar to a style of Virtua Fighter where they are you know, actually intelligent and learn your style so you can see the holes in it, but in SS they just dodge and swing randomly, even ghosts of top 100 players on the leaderboards, what a joke. Overall the game is easy to learn and to pass a few hours with. It's for sure a game to rent and have fun with for a week, but not worth $60 IMO.    … Full Review »
  3. xenoss
    Jun 26, 2019
    8
    Honest review from a long time fan of Samurai Shodown:

    Although I am glad to see such high scores for the game, I do not believe this to be    Honest review from a long time fan of Samurai Shodown:

    Although I am glad to see such high scores for the game, I do not believe this to be a 10/10 game. And I say this as a long time fan of the franchise dating back to the first game when I encountered it in an arcade as a kid. Samsho is my #1 fav fighting franchise until it transitioned to 3D in the early 2000s and killed it.

    So why is a fan like me giving this game an 8 only? Actually I'd give it a 7 but my inner fanboy is so glad the series is back I boosted it up 1 due to my love for the franchise.

    The GOOD:

    It feels legit oldschool. After falling in love with Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, I am surprised that an oldschool game like this is actually what I am looking for now. Slow paced, sure. But deep. Not in the way GG and BB was with lots of systems and combo chains, here it's about mind games and counter moves, reading your opponent and then punishing them.

    SNK delivered a true SamSho experience.

    The BAD:

    LOAD TIMES are atrocious. Takes a good 10-15 seconds of black screen with a white rabbit to get into a match. It feels too long for a game of this nature.

    Graphics are subpar and feels like a budget title sold at full price. I am biased towards 2D sprites. But Guilty Gear Xrd, DBFZ and footage from Granblue Fantasy Versus showed me what is possible with 3D: cellshading done so well they look like high def 2D. And those games are done in the UE4 engine, the same as this game. SamSho 2019 is not on that level.

    Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it's super ugly. What we get is still very pretty and stylized. But I can't help but wonder what SamSho would look like if it was done on the tech level of DBFZ, with the WATERPAINTING look they are going for. GG and DBFZ raised the bar too high. I want to see that waterpainting look fully realized.

    Speaking of raising the bar, MK story modes did that for single player mode. SamSho is oldschool, but that turned out to be a double edged sword. The story mode here is too oldschool and feels barebones in this day and age. You fight through random opponents for no real story reasons, get the same boss tease cut scenes, get 1 single rival opening scene, and then the boss. I was expecting this to be the case so I wasn't disappointed. BUT how could I give a 9 or 10 to a fighting game in 2019 as a competitor to MK11?

    FINAL:

    SamSho 2019 is just too barebones to compete with its contemporaries. Other games have done so much more in terms of content and graphics (and load times) for the past 5 years or so. This makes SamSho 2019 feel like a budget title. They should have sold it as such. For full price there just isn't enough.

    That's a shame, since the gameplay, the systems, the soul behind it is so well done. It IS SAMSHO, you can't get that experience from the other fighting games.

    And for SamSho fans, that's probably enough. And so despite my misgivings I have to give it an 8. It is hard not to love the game, but also hard not to be annoyed by it.    … Full Review »
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