Samurai Shodown (2019 video game)

Lore & Background

Samurai Shodown takes place in 1787 during the Tenmei Era of Japanese history, a time of fire, ruin, and famine. A sinister cloud envelops the land as Shizuka Gozen, the deceased spirit of a young woman possessed and trapped in Yomi, threatens to destroy Japan. Warriors from across Japan and beyond the ocean converge to investigate and vanquish these evil forces. The game features a base roster of 16 playable characters, with additional characters available as paid and free downloadable content, including guest characters from Ubisoft and Arc System Works.

Reader's Guide

Samurai Shodown (2019) is significant as the first mainline entry in the series since 2008's Samurai Shodown Sen and the first SNK game to use Unreal Engine 4, following criticism of the graphics in The King of Fighters XIV and SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. The development team, consisting of members who worked on those titles, aimed to capture the essence of the original series while updating visuals and gameplay. The game received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its core fighting mechanics and tense style, though noting a lack of single-player content. It was nominated for Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2019 and for Fighting Game of the Year at the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, winning the award for Game, Franchise Fighting at the NAVGTR Awards. The game also introduced a trainable AI ghost system and rollback netcode via GGPO in a late summer 2023 update.

Did You Know?

• The game uses a trainable artificial intelligence that creates a 'ghost' of the player's fighting style.
• Bloody finishing moves, present in earlier series titles like Samurai Shodown II, III, IV, and V, return in this game.
• The enhanced version for Xbox Series X/S supports a higher frame rate of 120fps.
• Guest characters from Ubisoft and Arc System Works-produced games appear in the roster.