Samurai Shodown

It may have taken a long hiatus, but the return of Samurai Shodown was every bit as good as fans remembered the series to be when it released last year. Even without any new content or the inclusion of the season one characters in this latest port, this release of Samurai Shodown is still worth your attention thanks to the superb gameplay and the added portability that comes with the Nintendo Switch.

Samurai Shodown, the reboot, for the Nintendo Switch carries on the traditions from the game's original introduction. With plenty of battle mode options and a plethora of unique characters to choose from boredom shouldn't happen anytime soon. The game's mechanics focus more on timely execution of a move versus stringing together a complex set of combos. This mechanic alone opens up the doors for more players, even those who are "fighting game challenged"!

Archaic story mode and load times aside, Samurai Shodown succeeds as a fundamentals driven 2D fighting game.

It's not the best fighter on Switch, but it's definitely the most brutal. [Issue #46 – May/June 2020, p. 28]

Samurai Shodown has managed to make the trip to the Switch without sacrificing more than a little bit of graphical fidelity. If you pick it up, you’ll end up with a game that feels strangely foundational for 2D fighting as a whole, where every round is a tense game of rocket tag even if you have what you think is an insurmountable lead. If you’re looking for something flashy and crazy to play on the couch, it really doesn’t fill that particular bill, but as a fighting game, it’s got a lot of what keeps the genre relevant.

Samurai Shodown is very much true to its gaming lineage and works a lot better on the Switch than you would expect. So if you like quick paced fighting games with lots of vicious bladed weaponry and a surprising amount of tactics, then this is definitely worth a look.

For those who game on the go, Samurai Shodown on Nintendo Switch is a weighty and undeniably fun-to-play fighter well deserving of your time.

Quotation forthcoming.

Samurai Shodown is a fighter made for the old crowd, but it offers a unique experience to modern gamers. SNK has done an incredible job adapting the series to the Nintendo Switch. It’s not perfect, but it does what it does incredibly well. If you think you would enjoy a fighting game that rewards patience, strategy, and timing, give this one a chance. You’ll be rewarded with one of the most well-designed fighting games there is.

Samurai Shodown is a great fighting game. It is a title that can be played by anyone, although fans more dedicated to fighting games will know how to make the most of it.

A highly successful reboot of one of SNK’s most unfairly forgotten franchise, that takes its rightful place as one of the generation’s best fighters.

Samurai Shodown’s fighting system of reading your opponents moves and responding to turn the tide of a match, no matter your skill level, allows it to stand out in the genre. Matches are a bit slower-paced than other fighters, but it still manages to pack a punch. On Switch, the game runs well at the cost of a visual downgrade. All-in-all, the only thing I could have hoped for was a proper story tieing together this unique roster instead of a glorified Arcade Mode. If you’re wondering, Shiki is best girl.

While Samurai Shodown has taken a very slight visual hit as part of its protracted journey to Switch, the most important thing is that the core 60FPS gameplay remains intact. The downgrade is most noticeable when playing in handheld mode, but it's still incredibly enjoyable and compelling, especially if you appreciate fighting games that exercise your mind as well as your fingers. The single-player portion of the game is perhaps a little too lacking by 2020 standards and some of the ideas don't work as well as they should (Dojo mode, we're looking at you) but with its appealing cast of fighters, decent multiplayer options and a host of new gameplay ideas to keep things feeling fresh, Samurai Shodown is nonetheless a confident and assured update of a classic fighting game series – and bodes well for SNK's future attempts to resurrect its enviable stable of titles for the modern era.

Samurai Shodown on Nintendo Switch suffers some of the common problems to this kind of ports, like longer loading times or an fps rate more unstable. Even with that, you can play almost perfectly and enjoy its fun and defying combat system, although some newer and fresher modes would be appreciated.

Samurai Showdown for the Switch is a brilliant reboot of a terrific classic fighter. Its unique fighting mechanics persist, backed by a beautiful presentation upgrade. Still, its online community is lacking, and its uniqueness may be off-putting to many.

An old school fighting game with a really compelling combat system. The Switch port is rather an artistic than technological feat, sporting loads of bugs and other shortcomings, though. [05/2020, p.80]

Samurai Showdown works great on Switch, but not as well as the other versions. If you just want a casual way of enjoy it, then it’s more than enough, but if you want to get competitive, you might be better off on other platforms.

Samurai Shodown is a fun game for the Nintendo Switch, but also seems to be a game that gets old quickly. In particular, the storylines of the various characters who run the same at certain moments can be a drawback. If you are looking for a fun, fast and at the same time slow fighting game that really gets you excited, this is a must buy for you.

Despite the DLC gripes and the heavy downgrade in visuals for this Switch port, Samurai Shodown really stands out from the crowd, and it's great to see the revival of a popular series return in such a good way on the gameplay front. It takes weapons-based combat and creates a smart system out of it, putting players on edge, and provides moments of pure bliss when bare knuckle comebacks are made. The strong Japanese style only adds to the appeal. It really could have done with a more fleshed out story mode, though.

Samurai Shodown for the Nintendo Switch is a solid fighting title for returning players and newcomers alike. While it does suffer visually, particularly in handheld mode, the gameplay remains stellar throughout.

If you have access to other consoles, or if you aren’t interested in playing Samurai Shodown on the go, the Switch version of the game might not be the best way to experience the game. However, it’s still fundamentally the same great combat, so if you’re willing to make some visual and performance compromises, you’ll find a solid fighter here.

With its distinct art and unique fighting style, Samurai Shodown has a lot of potential. An underpopulated online community and disappointing visuals in handheld mode stop this from becoming the go-to blade-wielding fighter it should have been.

An excellent one vs one in a not so excellent port. Switch version proves to be quite underwhelming technically, compared to the original versions.

Samurai Shodown is a good fighting game. It really is. But 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.

All of Samurai Shodown's iconic characters are present here, with their traditional (and some non-traditional) feudal Japanese stylings. The graphics aren't particularly next-gen, but the art style more than makes up for it. But when there are better (and more popular) alternatives out there, it's hard to make a case for why Samurai Shodown is worth the 50 dollar price tag.