Ipponme!
Many people will actually recognize this as the iconic phrase shouted before the fights in SNK’s classic fighting series, Samurai Shodown. What we’re about to review is the latest chapter, coming out after 2008’s Samurai Shodown Sen. Thing is, Sen was so lukewarmly received that it managed to put the whole franchise in hibernation, to the point where this new chapter acts a reboot of the franchise. And what a reboot, if you ask us! Let’s unsheathe our katana, and prepare to slice up the game in detail!
Ikuzo!

Samurai Shodown (SS or SamSho from now on) has always been a very different kind of fighting game since its very conception. Instead of using various martial fighting styles, based on kicks and punches, SamSho’s fighters use weapons. Katanas, Naginatas, Wakizashis… quite possibly every single weapon featured in the late 1700 has been portrayed in-game. One thing that also has been a trademark of the saga is the overall pacing of those fights. Whereas the majority of SamSho’s contenders went for faster and faster gameplay speeds, SS also kept the slow, methodical combat as one of his mainstays. SS2019 makes no exception.

Samurai Shodown is sometimes a waiting game. The two fighters face each other, waiting for the opponent’s move. It’s a thing we absolutely adore about it, and the gameplay revolves entirely around that. The thing is, since the fighters use weapons, said weapons deal insane amounts of damage. A well placed Heavy Slash can very easily slice away almost a third of a player’s life bar. It’s a high risk, high reward kind of gameplay, and we absolutely adore it. Matches can start and end way faster than any of the other fighting games. It’s a very distinct gameplay “trademark” that the franchise has kept going since the first chapter, and we’re absolutely delighted that this new chapter/reboot carries the torch. Continuing with the gameplay, SS2019 features the usual Light, Medium, and aforementioned Heavy Slash, along with a Kick button, very handy in case you have to break up the rhythm of your assaults and catch your opponent off-guard. Cancels, Disarms, and of course cinematic Supers are also present, and the latter are a sight to behold, with blood spurting and amazing visual effects.

Let’s now talk a little about the roster, which is a mixture of old and new, in this reboot. Let’s start with the returning faces: We have poster-boy Haohmaru, the fan-favorite Nakoruru, the two ninjas Hattori Hanzo and Galford (along with the iconic good boy Poppy), Genjuro, Charlotte, Eartquake, Jubei Yagyu, Kyoshiro, Shiki, Tam Tam, Ukyo and Yoshitora. The new characters introduced in this version are: Darli Dagger, a pirate/engineer weilding a massive sawblade, Wu-Ruxiang, a chinese (Qing dynasty) priestess wielding some sort of a magical shield/mirror. She’s extremely powerful, and almost as clumsy. Lastly, we have Yashmaru Kurama, Samurai Shodown 2019’s new protagonist, which fights using a naginata. With the presentations out of the way, we can safely say that, as with all SNK games, every single character drips with charisma and personality, and it won’t be long until you find your new gaming persona.

We will now be talking about what doesn’t work in the game. First of all, even as charismatic as it is, the base roster isn’t the most expansive one, with only 16 characters. At the time of this review though, if you’re wanting to expand the number of selectable characters, know that there’s not one, but TWO season passes, the first one adding 5 new characters, and the second season still going. One thing that rubbed us the wrong way is the somewhat lack of content: ok, there’s a story mode that can be tackled with every guy, with a specific intro and ending, but aside from that, and aside from the usual run-of-the-mill modes such as time attack and survival, we would’ve liked something more: since this is a reboot…why not Team battles? Tag, even? In any way what matters most is perfectly tuned, the gameplay mechanics work, and give you all the tools to succeed in a fight. What doesn’t work, sadly, is the Switch’s default controller, the Joycon. We tried and tried, both using the “d-pad” (in huge quotes) and the analog stick (slightly better), but there’s no way, the only way to properly enjoy SNK’s latest fighter is to invest in a proper gamepad. For this review, we tested the game using Hori’s HoriPad for the Switch, and it managed to improve the overall experience by leaps and bounds over the standard control, simply by having a proper d-pad, allowing us to perform the most precise imputs while fighting.

With everything said and done, then, is Samurai Shodown worth picking up? The answer is a resounding YES. The fighting mechanics, the pacing, the soundtrack, the moves, the classic fighters, the new additions to the roster, everything in this game just clicks, each single component a piece that when put together to his brethrens, forms the picture of a sakura tree, with a lone ronin samurai drinking sake from his trusty flask.
Welcome back, SamSho.

POWER-RATING:
9/10
“Solid, Fun, Technical, SamSho is back for vengeance”

PROS:
-Deep, technical fighting mechanics
-The art style has a lot of personality
-Great roster of fighters
-Faithful soundtrack

CONS:
-Lack of extra modes
-Virtually unplayable using the stock Joycons

*Review copy provided by the Publisher
*Tested using the Hori Horipad for Nintendo Switch