Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden
Gameplay. The basic setup of the game is very similar to most console RPGs, such as "Final Fantasy". The characters roam an overworld, enter towns and dungeons, and get into battles, which occur on a separate screen. The menu options enable equipping of armor and accessories, as well as use of items. At the outset, the player is given the option to choose from six characters to be the "main" character of the story. The basic outline of the plot does not diverge greatly for any of them, but each had different dialogue ingame, and  each also had unique special scenes which would go into greater detail of the character. In addition, to better adjust to character continuity, certain stories were modified slightly based on the selected chapter. Over the course of the game, two other characters can also join the party (unless the hero is Genjuro, who only gains a partner in his second story). In addition, the second chapter also introduces a new character, Shippuu no Reon (疾風の鈴音), whose name translates roughly to "The Ringing of the Gale Winds." All characters from the first two "Samurai Shodown" games make an appearance, either as  a temporary helper, plot device, or enemy. Combat includes an option to input the joystick motions for the various special moves manually, as in the arcade games, rather than simply selecting the moves from a list. While armor and accessories can be bought and equipped, each character has the same weapon throughout the game. Characters can visit blacksmiths to temper and strengthen their weapons. These smiths can also infuse the weapons with one of the game's various elements, which make the weapon's normal strikes and select special moves more effective against certain enemies. Development. The development history of  the game is fairly storied. It was announced for development in 1995, and underwent many delays in the process, finally being released a few years later. For some time, rumors abounded that it was never going to come out. A U.S. release was planned for the third quarter of 1997 (just a few months after the Japanese release), but it never materialized. As originally envisioned, the game was to be split into three episodes: one for each of the three games in the series. For a while, it was to be a Neo Geo CD exclusive, but developmental and financial  pressures caused SNK to also release it for the other two current systems. SNK decided that each version was to contain only two of the three episodes, thereby necessitating a player to buy two copies of the game in order to get the whole story. This plan resulted in a significant backlash from fans, and was discarded. Eventually, as development ground on, the executive decision was made to scrap the third chapter entirely, and focus solely on the first two, so as to allow the game to be released sooner. Release. While the core gameplay is largely similar between the  versions, there are aesthetic and gameplay differences between the Neo Geo CD and PlayStation/Saturn versions. The most obvious differences between the three versions are the bonus modes which are unlocked after beating the game. Reception. According to "Famitsu", "Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden" on Neo Geo CD sold over 20,256 copies in its first week on the market. "Famitsu" also reported that both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions sold over 37,353 and 28,122 copies respectively in their first week on the market as well.