Samurai Shodown Review

Learning to embrace death

You may not know it just yet, but you’re missing something in your life right now. Sure, Super Mario Maker 2 just came out and you’re probably trying to make the most insane level ever. Sure, there are plenty of other amazing games out there to play. I know this.

But let me assure you, none of those games are quite like Samurai Shodown, one of the best fighting games out right now.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Well, I don’t even play fighting games and I’ve seen a lot of complicated looking combos.” Let me assure you, though, that this game is truly unique in its simplicity and low barrier to entry. You won’t be seeing any high-flying, flashy 50-hit combos in Samurai Shodown. No, this game is all about deliberate attacks and outshining your opponent in the neutral.

For the uninitiated, “neutral” in fighting games (sometimes also referred to as footsies) is the period in between attacks when both players are trying to land hits on each other. In games like Dragonball FighterZ or Mortal Kombat11, one hit can mean you’re put in a long combo taking away the vast majority of your health. While the neutral game is certainly present in these titles, it’s much easier to get around that phase of the game with 50/50 mixups (moves that could hit high or low and force your opponent to guess…