Samurai Shodown

***Samurai Shodown***, known as ***Samurai Spirits*** (侍魂?) in Japan, is a weapon-based fighting game by SNK released in June 2019. It's the 12th "mainline" installment of the *Samurai Shodown* series and the first "mainline" game since 2008's *Samurai Shodown Sen*, marking an 11-year gap between the releases themselves. Also it's a prequel for the first *Samurai Shodown*[1] and the second of the official chronology, succeeding *Samurai Shodown V*.

This is also the first SNK game that utilizes Unreal Engine graphics (in this case, Unreal Engine 4).

The illustrations, in-game artwork and background were mostly done by Yumi Saji while covers were done by Eisuke Ogura.

The game was first released in June 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and later ported to the Nintendo Switch and Stadia. An arcade version (running on Taito Type X3 hardware with the NESICAxLive2 digital distribution platform) was playable in August at EVO 2019 in Las Vegas[2] and was released in October 2019 in Japan. A PC version has been released on June 11, 2020 via the Epic Games Store. The game receives regular updates, primarily DLC characters with the Season Pass.

## Story

It is 1787, the 7th year of the Tenmei era. A newly appointed counsel to the Shogun, Matsudaira Sadanobu, has been chosen to usher in a new age of reform with the Kansei era. However, the land remains beset by fire, ruin, and famine, all while a sinister cloud darkens the air with a foreboding sense of dread.

## Characters

The starting roster features a total of 16 characters, with 13 returning veterans from the past *Samurai Shodown* games, along with three newcomers and a new final boss to the series. Additional characters are slated to appear as DLC. The new characters added to the cast are:

* **Yashamaru Kurama**, a young man of Tengu lineage, who lost his father at the hands of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and seeks revenge for his death;
* **Darli Dagger**, a shipwright, who travels the world in search of a masked man who destroyed one of her ships;
* **Wu-Ruixiang**, a wanderer and descendant of an ancient and honorable Feng Shui clan, she travels the world in the service of the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

There are many returning characters for the games, including but not limited to Haohmaru, Nakoruru and Charlotte.

## DLC Characters

During the live service of the game, DLC characters have been featured in Season Passes. These characters have to be purchased to be in a player's game. As noted below, Warden was added as the fourth DLC character of the 2nd Season Pass and is the game's first guest character.

### Season 1

* Rimururu
* Shizumaru Hisame
* Basara
* Kazuki Kazama
* Wan-Fu

### Season 2

* Mina Majikina
* Sogetsu Kazama
* Iroha
* Warden (Ubisoft's *For Honor* series)

### Warden

A lone swordsman from a faraway land sworn to protect both land and people. Many of their kind set out to become the embodiment of high honor and nobility, though few have accomplished such a feat. This warrior in particular embarked on a journey to find an opponent truly worthy of their loyalty. Their sworn allegiance to the people burns like a brand as they set out onto the battlefield.

## External Links

The following links lead to sites related to Samurai Shodown.

* Samurai Shodown's official website
* Warden at the SNK wiki