OSAKA -- The Samurai Shodown series was one of SNK's biggest successes back in the 1990s, adding medieval weapons to the crowded 2-D fighting genre with a cast of characters rooted in Japanese history and mythology.
The newest game is called Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny (Samurai Spirits Sen in Japan) and it's coming to the Xbox 360 in Japan following a year in the arcades. Instead of using 2-D sprites, this new game makes the leap to 3D. Again. I got to try it at Games Japan Festa 2009.
Yes, the series has tried this before with unimpressive results, but that was ten years ago. Edge of Destiny has much more realistic player models, though I'm pleased to report that the characters still largely retain their personalities: Haohmaru spits sake on his blade before the match and Ukyo looks like he's ready to drop dead at any minute, for example.
The game plays as radically different from the 2-D originals as it looks. The old button layout has been scrapped in favor of a new one, with two buttons for horizontal or vertical sword strikes, one kick button and one "special" button. Combat is now much closer and much faster paced. Giant, soaring leaps into the air are out, and none of the characters I saw had their usual arrays of projectiles or other special moves. Combos and juggling are key. The series' traditional "rage meter" is still in place, though what super moves (if any) it enables were not made clear to me.
The character roster is quite varied, with a number of familiar faces and a few characters veering into ridiculous territory. The presence of an afro-topped samurai named "J." and what looked like a Viking made me question exactly what year this was supposed to take place, but then I remembered that past installments have featured demons and monsters fighting with humans, so what's an anachronism or two?
Fighting game demos are hard to judge, because it takes a very long time to learn the complex techniques. As a player used to the old 2-D games, the new game did not come easily to me. I didn't win against the computer but I wasn't completely ineffective either, thanks to some button mashing and a few elementary moves I discovered. I was surprised by how little blood I saw (the game is rated for ages 12 and up in Japan).
I can't say I'm very enthusiastic about another 2-D fighting series attempting to make the big switchover to 3-D, but at least Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny seems to be in touch with what made the original games unique and interesting. The portraits on the character select screen and the map of Japan that precedes each match have a painted look to them, like something out of Okami. An entire game that beautiful might not be feasible, but it's a nice acknowledgment to the series' cultural roots.
There is no official word on an international release but the Japanese edition comes out on December 10.
Image courtesy SNK Playmore
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