Between Zen and Sin- Samurai Shodown Sen Review

Although 1993’s Samurai Shodown wasn’t the first weapons-based fighter in a post-Street Fighter II landscape, it was one of the more successful entries in the genre. Many appreciated the game’s variable cadence which skillfully emulated the tempo of an actual swordfight, shifting pace from methodical to expeditious. Others marveled at the game’s ability to frame the on-screen action with a variable zoom- a mechanic cultivated and enriched since its inception in 1993’s Art of Fighting.

The commercial and critical success of the game was strong enough to support a franchise of six main sequels and a variety of spin-off properties. Each succession in the main series presented an increasingly complex and graphical detailed variant of the original title. In 1997, SNK released Samurai Showdown 64– a three dimensional iteration of the game, in an effort to allow the SamSho series to compete with other polygon-based fighters. Sadly, the title (and its sequel, subtitled Warrior’s Rage) was met with tepid reception and was never ported to home systems.

Samurai Shodown Sen represents SNK’s latest attempt to revitalize the classic game, offering a 3D reunion for thirteen returning characters, as well as adding eleven new combatants to the carnage. Sadly, Sen’s mechanics aren’t as robust as its roster, delivering an interesting, but ultimately noncompulsory fighting game hampered by a handful of shortcomings.

Players seeking a quick warm-up in Sen’s Practice Mode will immediate notice one glaring omission: the lack of any indication for stick movement or button presses, so players can hone their combo skills. Additionally, tutelage is impeded by the lack of any on-screen move list, forcing players to pause the title, as they scroll through a list of each character’s moves. While neither exclusion is a deal-breaker, they do signify Sen’s occasional ambivalence toward players.

Once competitors step into Shodown’s core modes, they’ll quickly discern the title remains true to the pace of the series- each round of combat can be remarkably short, as heavy strikes can finish a match in seconds. As such, SamSho Sen lends itself to completions between similarity-skilled gamers. Those familiar with the game can decimate a novice in three or four strikes, adding insult by concluding a round with one of the game’s gory finishers. Fortunately, fighters who find they are nearing defeat can employ the ‘Fatal Flash’, a move that can quickly reverse the momentum of a botched failed round.

Even those familiar with the emblematic difficulty of Samurai Shodown’s final battle, may still be surprised by the aggressiveness shown by Drago, Sen’s mini-boss. The shotgun-toting antagonist is one of the most frustrating rivals in recent memory. His ballistic-based attacks come swiftly, likely inspiring a string of expletives in the most patient gamer. The tolerance of fortitudinous players may also be tested by Sen’s lengthy load times before each battle; while the durations can be shortened with a few presses of the start button (to bypass pre-match intros), developers should assume that gamers will favor brevity over pageantry.

Luckily, Sen does have a few refined components to offer players. Most noticeable is the game’s lag-free online matches where the responsiveness of each bout rivaled that of a local competition. Franchise’s occasionally stumble when a significant roster change occurs, yet Sen’s mix of Skill, Power, Speed or Tricky-oriented competitors display a well-crafted sense of balance, with a combatant for any play style. Graphically, the title can look a bit flat at times, as clothing doesn’t show the rich textures common to most contemporary fighting games, and hand-drawn portraits can appear pixilated at times.

With nostalgic series fans may want to add Samurai Shodown Sen to the fighting game collections, casual enthusiasts of pugilistic pastimes may want to wait for the imminent release of Super Street Fighter IV to satisfy their aggressive ambitions. While Sen doesn’t suffer from any debilitating ailments, the fighter has some rough edges that warrant some critical training before the series hopes to dethrone the current champion.