Fighting games usually relay on quick strikes or a multiple combos. Very rarely do fighting games relay on weapons. In 1993, SNK decided to bring this type of fighting game to the masses. The result was a game which relayed on speed in order to defeat your opponent. Samurai Shodown mixed history and fighting games and the result was something that had never been seen before.
In the year 1788, Amakusa Shirō walks the earth bringing destruction and darkness wherever he goes. The fact that he was killed over a hundred years before is just part of the problem. Risen by a dark spirit, he will destroy the world if he is not stopped. His prescene brings togther the greatest warriors of the time. Some like Haohmaru have come to end his reign of destruction. Others such as Gen-an Shiranui have come for more dark reasons. These warriors will test their strengh against each other with the hope of reaching Amakusa Shirō.
For casual fans of Samurai Shodown, it might come as a surprise that some of the characters were real people. Amakusa Shirō was real, and his death is pretty accurate to his execution. Not everything in the game is true, as there are some countries and people who would have not been around. Surfing was not a big sport at the time, and Galford would not have become a sort of superhero. The characters are bright and colorful and all wield a different weapon.
You would think that weapons would slow down a fighting game, but the opposite is true. Things are fast and you have to change strategy based on who you are facing. Some weapons are quicker but have a shorter range. Some have a very long reach. You also have to pay attention to a man who runs in the background. He can throw chicken that can restore health or a bomb. Matches can turn on a dime and it is always exciting to watch.
Samurai Shodown is a perfect example of how a new idea can change a genre. Weapon based fighting games are common, but no one does it better then the original. The series has 12 games now with the newest release out in June of this year. Pay repect to the game that started it all.
