Bushido Blade

Developer: Light Weight	Graphics:
Publisher: Squaresoft	Sounds:
Year: 1997	Difficulty:
Genre: Fighting	Replay value:
Number of players: 2 simultaneously	My overall rating:	8/10

"Wooyaaaa?" It begins like this. A pretty polygonal blonde performs an impressive kata in the courtyard of a medieval castle in Japan. The scenery is planted. 3D does not age well by the way.

No super-powers here, no psychedelic light effects, not even life bars. One single blow, well placed, can be enough to kill (or seriously lame) the best opponent.
As you can see, fighters bear weapons. And whereas the number of characters is low (6, plus two hidden if I'm not mistaken), their moves differ depending on the weapon chosen (6 as well, from the katana sword to the sledgehammer). The stance system is well thought and movements combinations get done easily. The combos are limited to 3 or 4 keys, making the game affordable to beginner players.

In story mode, you must defeat your opponents one by one without breaking the bushido honor code (for example, you mustn't strike a foe in the back). Some spoken dialogue in Japanese with subtitles punctuate the fights, you can flee and wander in the vast area surrounding the castle, roll in the mud, cut bamboo, etc.

There is also a training mode (with wooden weapons), a "slash mode" where you must kill 100 enemies in a row, and a very original mode with a "first person" view (you see through the eyes of your guy), alas, to use that in 2-player, you need two consoles connected by a cable and two game CDs.

The difficulty is not too high. You can die and retry as many times as you want, each time you get a new bandage as a souvenir. However, in order to watch the second endings and unlock the two hidden characters, you will have to pull up your sleeves!

In terms of criticisms, one might regret the fact that you cannot disarm your opponent. You can cripple him and see him crawling for the rest of the fight, you can hurt his left arm but he always keeps his weapon. They must have coated them with glue. . . .

Then, I have to say, except for you my sweet "Red Shadow" (the blonde with big polygons), where did they get these outfits? Are there samurais or power rangers?

Lastly, the third criticism, and here I'm angry, the long awaited sequel, Bushido Blade 2 has never been released in Europe. Outrageous!

Places to download:
Emuparadise

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