Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown | |
---|---|
First release | Samurai Shodown July 7, 1993 |
Latest release | Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection June 11, 2020 |
Samurai Shodown, known in Japan as Samurai Spirits,[a] is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat.
Plot
The stories in the series take place in 18th-century Japan, during the Sakoku or seclusion period of Japan (the first four games run across 1788 and 1789) with great artistic license so that foreign-born characters (including some from places that did not exist as such in 1788) and fictional monsters can also be part of the story. The plot of each game is quite different, but they circle a central group of characters and a region in Japan.
Samurai Shodown consequently portrays snippets of the
. Several characters are loosely based on real figures from Japanese history.Development
There are two main artists responsible for the character designs and illustrations. For the early games (Part 1 to 4), the characters are created and illustrated by Eiji Shiroi. His illustrations featured a distinctive, traditional Japanese calligraphy style. While he continues to design for a few of the later games, they are illustrated by another artist named Senri Kita until the fifth title.
The Samurai Shodown games are most famous for their "Rage" (怒) gauge, a meter that only increases as a player receives damage, and which when fully activated has numerous effects depending on game. Earlier games also have a referee in the background, officiating the match.
Characters
Over the course of years since the first game, the Samurai Shodown games (excluding spin-offs) have come to feature over 80 playable warriors. The most famous among them include Haohmaru and Nakoruru, who are both considered the series' flagship characters.[1] Characters directly inspired from historical figures and keeping their names, like Hattori Hanzō and Yagyū Jūbei, are present as well.
Games
Main series games in bold.
English title | Japanese title | Platforms | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|
Samurai Shodown | Samurai Spirits (サムライスピリッツ) |
07-07-1993 | |
Samurai Shodown II | Shin Samurai Spirits Haōmaru Jigokuhen (真サムライスピリッツ 覇王丸地獄変) |
Arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, Neo Geo X, iOS, Android, PlayStation Network | 10-28-1994 |
Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood | Samurai Spirits Zankurō Musōken (サムライスピリッツ 斬紅郎無双剣) |
Arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation Network, Virtual Console, Neo Geo X | 11-15-1995 |
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge | Samurai Spirits Amakusa Kōrin (サムライスピリッツ 天草降臨) |
Arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation Network, Virtual Console | 10-25-1996 |
Samurai Shodown RPG | Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden (真説サムライスピリッツ 武士道列伝) |
Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn | 06-27-1997 |
Samurai Shodown 64 | Samurai Spirits (侍魂 ~SAMURAI SPIRITS~) |
Arcade | 12-19-1997 |
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage | Samurai Spirits 2 Asura Zanmaden (SAMURAI SPIRITS 2 アスラ斬魔伝) |
Arcade | 10-16-1998 |
Samurai Shodown! | Samurai Spirits! (サムライスピリッツ!) |
Neo Geo Pocket | 12-25-1998 |
Samurai Shodown! 2 | Samurai Spirits! 2 (サムライスピリッツ! 2) |
Neo Geo Pocket Color | 04-30-1999 |
Samurai Shodown: Warriors Rage | Kenkaku Ibunroku Yomigaerishi Sōkō no Yaiba Samurai Spirits Shinshō (剣客異聞録 甦りし蒼紅の刃 サムライスピリッツ新章) |
PlayStation, PlayStation Network | 12-22-1999 |
— | Nakoruru ~Ano Hito kara no Okurimono~ (ナコルル~あのひとからのおくりもの~) |
Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast | 07-06-2001 |
Samurai Shodown V | Samurai Spirits Zero (サムライスピリッツ零) |
Arcade, Neo Geo, PlayStation 2, Xbox | 10-10-2003 |
Samurai Shodown V Special | Samurai Spirits Zero Special (サムライスピリッツ零SPECIAL) |
Arcade, Neo Geo, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One | 04-22-2004 |
Samurai Shodown Mobile | Samurai Spirits -Makai Rinne Ki- (サムライスピリッツ-魔界輪廻記-) |
iMode Mobile
|
07-04-2005 |
Samurai Shodown VI | Samurai Spirits Tenkaichi Kenkakuden (サムライスピリッツ 天下一剣客伝) |
Arcade, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Network | 09-14-2005 |
Samurai Shodown Mobile II | Samurai Spirits ~Shimensoka~ (侍魂~四面楚歌~) |
iMode Mobile
|
11-21-2005 |
Samurai Shodown Mobile III | Samurai Spirits Tenka Musō Typing ~Makai Tenshō no Shō~ (侍魂天下無双タイピング~魔界転生の章~) |
EZweb Mobile
|
01-12-2006 |
Samurai Shodown Sen |
Samurai Spirits Sen (サムライスピリッツ閃) |
Arcade, Xbox 360 | 04-17-2008 |
Samurai Shodown Anthology | Samurai Spirits Rokuban Shōbu (サムライスピリッツ 六番勝負) |
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii | 07-24-2008 |
Samurai Shodown Slash | — | iOS, Android | 10-14-2014 |
Samurai Shodown: The Legend of Samurai | Samurai Spirits: Oborozuki Densetsu (サムライスピリッツ:朧月伝説) |
iOS, Android | 12-03-2018 |
Samurai Shodown | Samurai Spirits (サムライスピリッツ) |
Xbox Series X/S
|
06-25-2019 |
Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection | Samurai Spirits Neo Geo Collection (サムライスピリッツ ネオジオコレクション) |
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows | 06-11-2020 |
Adaptations
A television special loosely based on the first game, internationally titled
Several manga adaptations of Samurai Spirits were produced in Japan. One of them, titled Makai Bukei Jō Samurai Spirits (魔界武芸帖 サムライスピリッツ, Samurai Spirits: Scrolls of the Demonic Arts), written by Kyoichi Nanatsuki and illustrated by Yuki Miyoshi, was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Sunday in 1994. It was later adapted into English under the simplified titled Samurai Shodown by Viz Media in 1996, where it was serialized in the short-lived Game On! USA magazine and concluded in Animerica. The story is meant to be a prequel to Samurai Shodown II, establishing an original character, Yui Minbunosuke Shosetsu, as the main antagonist. Game characters Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Hanzo, Charlotte, and Genan remain the focal characters to the plot. They often interacted with several original characters in the story; the most prominent perhaps is the Koga kunoichi, Nagiri, who believed Haohmaru had killed her father during his travels and sought to avenge him.
The first
The second 30-minute OVA,
In 2006,
See also
Notes
References
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2013) |
- ^ "The Mini SNK Companion". Retro Gamer. 187.
- "Samurai Shodown Iroha PVC Figure". Newtype USA. 5 (11): 126. November 2006. ISSN 1541-4817.
External links
- Samurai Shodown official website
- An archive of the Samurai Shodown old official website
- Samurai Spirits 1-4 at NBC Museum of SNK Playmore