Samurai Showdown (Xbox Series X/S) Review

A staple of the SNK franchise, Samurai Shodown has delighted fans with its mix of great character design and tactical gameplay for years. Mostly though, it has remained unknown to the masses and, as time progressed, developed a small but loyal fanbase. Originally released a few years back, this latest entry was praised for its unique gameplay mechanics and graphical finesse.
For the uninitiated, the road to victory isn't littered with over-the-top moves and fancy juggling combos (though they are all present if that tickles the pickle). Instead, players must practice patience at all times, judging for their moment to strike or punish a mistake. More of a balletic dance than an all-out brawl, any experiences with that other big 2D fighting franchise are rendered redundant pretty quickly. Going in hard increases the likelihood of ending very quickly in a loss punctuated by, well, the puncture in the shogun's chest. All attacks can be parried with careful timing and one quick tap on the heavy attack button is likely to take the majority of the opponent's health, if not all. A risk and reward system is very much the order of the day here, going for the first move and a quick finish, potentially leaving a gap wide enough to plunge a katana through, or holding off and waiting for the first and fatal mistake.

If this kind of system is intriguing, then Samurai Shodown is a title to go and grab as soon as possible, even more so if able to experience it at home on Series X/S. Not only do the visuals look bright and bold, really showcasing some of the excellent character designs SNK have produced, but this title is capable of running at a slick 120 fps. With sharper (pun intended) visuals and a faster game all round, it seems to be a lot truer to the style of duel it is trying to emulate. Loading times are also decreased to get back to kicking butt online that much quicker.
Mode wise, all the basics are here. However, that is all the bang for the buck: the basics. Arcade, story, online, versus, everything that should be there is present, without really giving any icing on the cake. All these modes perform their functions well however, and there is one mode allowing battles between AI controlled 'ghosts' of other players that is certainly worth a look. Even with the additional Series X/S updates however, for the price that is being charged the whole package seems lacking in comparison with other versions available. The first iteration of this title has been available for such a long time that it's hard to justify the price point of a new release, especially considering that the PC version comes complete with all available character DLC. Although the original cast of characters is large and diverse, as seems to be the way with all games in the genre, characters are added quickly and it feels a shame to be paying so much and missing out on so many new designs and fighting styles.