Embrace Death on a Whole New Platform
Samurai Shodown 2019 is about to hit next-gen consoles in cooperation with Koch Media. Expect to see both a digital edition and a physical edition released worldwide this year, because the people love samurai just as much as they love ninja. This latest installment in the series takes place three years before the original game and showcases the return–er, the first appearance? maybe?–of thirteen beloved fan favorites, including Ainu priestess Nakururu, ruthless killer-for-hire Genjuro, and tragically ill swordsman Ukyo. The game also features three brand new characters: Darli Dagger, a shipwright from Madagascar who wields a giant saw in battle; Wu Ruixiang, a Chinese Imperial fengshui practitioner; and Yashamaru Kurama, the edgy white-haired pretty boy wearing a bird mask. Why yes, we do love how hard Yashamaru is trying to be spooky even though he’s wearing a beak. It’s the perfect balance of over-the-top badass, genuinely meaningful, and hilarious, which sums up this series pretty well.
As you might guess by the title, Samurai Shodown takes place during Japan’s Edo period and is mostly about samurai and their contemporaries fighting to the death. Individual games may have more specific plots, but as a whole, the series focuses less on battles between good and evil–or evil and other evils–and more on clashes between specific characters and their worldviews. It’s also one of the only fighting games which presents the main character’s rivals as being genuinely better than him, held back only by poor health (Ukyo) and poor life decisions (Genjuro).
If you’re already a fan, then check this game for the return of “Classic Samurai Shodown concepts like the Rage Gauge, Lightning Blade, and Super Special Moves,” which, according to the press release, will let players turn the tables on their enemies upon getting close to defeat. No wonder the promotional hashtag for Samurai Shodown 2019 was #EmbraceDeath! As if that weren’t already awesome, here’s a special video message from the devs talking about how the Xbox Series S|X version will allow 120 FPS gameplay and offer a free upgrade to anyone who has the Xbox One version. Purchased DLCs will transfer over, as well.
Samurai Shodown will be available for Xbox Series X|S on March 16th, 2021, at $59.99/€54.99/£49.99.
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