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]