Samurai Shodown 3

1995 and 1996 were years of transition for some of SNK's biggest series like Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and King of Fighters. In order to keep things fresh, SNK would often make sweeping changes in each of their big IP's around their third numbered release. As per usual in the 1990's, though, critical reviews of Samurai Shodown 3 were inconsistent at best, with many US publications citing that the game is not much different than the second and lambasting the graphics as not being as good as the second game. This is untrue from a completely objective lens - Samurai Shodown 3 is a wildly different game than what came before it both in graphics and mechanics. 

As any fighting game player worth their salt knows, game journalists know next to nothing about fighting games and often don't have enough experience to notice the nuance in gameplay differences between two games in the same series. Funnily enough, the actual problems that plague Samurai Shodown 3 (like disappearing hit boxes, for example) were never touched on by journalists of the day which further invalidates their relevance.

Still, despite these silly and uninformed editorial reviews, Samurai Shodown 3 sold very well in its home territory gaining the top spot in arcade game popularity in Japan's Game Machine publication for all of 1995. It also sold a very respectable 48k copies on the Neo-Geo AES home console in its first week on sale. Despite harsh critic opinion, gamers knew what was up and this third iteration of SNK's weapons-based fighting game brought many new concepts and conventions to the genre. 

Samurai Shodown 3 is not only an excellent fighting game in its own right, but also an important game for genre innovation. It's not without its warts, which we'll cover below, but it is overall my favorite game in the series because there really isn't anything else like it. The high-stakes battles, fast action, focus on counters and fundamentals/footsies, and gorgeous sprite work combine to make one hell of a satisfying package. A follower of mine on Instagram said that, "Samurai Shodown 3 feels like if you mashed up King of Fighters 98 with the Playstation 1 classic title Bushido Blade," and I cannot think of a more apt description. Let's dig in.

The Samurai Shodown series cannon is all over the place, and this third game slots in after the events of the first game but before the events of the second. As part one of a two part series following the events of the Zankuro arch, Haohmaru is replaced by Shizumaru as the main character and/or character of interest. Shizumaru, a protégé of Haohmaru, has lost his memory so his journey is one of self-discovery as he works out how he is connected to Zankuro and what that means for him and the other warriors involved in the game's plot. This two part story is tied up with the events that transpire in 1996's Samurai Shodown 4.  

For this edition, SNK changed up the roster a bit from the prior game and removed Jubei, Charlotte, Cham Cham, Gen-An, Caffeine-Nicotine, and Earthquake. In their place SNK added a few new fighters to the roster: 

• Bassara: An undead spirit set on seeking revenge for his and his betrothed's murder. 

• Shizumaru: Amnesiac, teenage swordsman who has an anger streak a mile wide despite a calm demeanor. Somehow connected to Zankuro.

• Rimururu: Nakoruru's little sister who controls water/ice.

• Amakusa Siro: Villain of the first game, now reworked and in playable form.

• Caffeine Gaira: The younger nephew of Caffeine Nicotine from the second game. 

I wouldn't say this game has the best cast in the Samurai Shodown series, but the Bust/Slash modes (explained below) help to pad out the dearth of characters compared to later games. That said, the small roster of 12 fighters allowed for more memory to be dedicated to the amazing animation sets. 

To give the game more character options, this is the first fighting game ever to introduce the concept of "isms." Isms are basically different modes of play for your character. Each character has a Chivalry (Slash) and Treachery (Bust) version that is supposed to represent a light and dark side for each fighter. The isms provide the characters with entirely different special move sets, or change the special moves' mechanics in such a way that you have to approach each mode like a unique character. Character color pallets are also changed depending on the mode you select: Slash has lighter colors and Bust has darker colors. Characters with pets in Slash mode either lose their pet or their pet changes to something more aggressive in Bust mode as well. Because the two modes drastically change the way you approach each character, the game effectively has 24 characters to choose from. 

For example: 

• Slash Galford is all about zoning - creating space by using his dog Poppy to keep the opponent out of his zone. 

• Bust Galford is all in-your-face rush-down with few zoning options and no longer has his dog Poppy as a companion in battle. 

SNK completely retooled the core mechanics of Samurai Shodown 3 from the ground up. One of the biggest changes is the switch from a 6 button game in a 4 button dressing (like the first two games) to a true 4 button game - and I've always felt the series is all the better for this change. 

• A, B, and C are weak, medium, and strong slash respectively, and D is kick. 

• Every character has a universal mid-attack that overheads by pressing B+C. 

• Most characters have command normals you can perform with kick to add some variety to melee attacks. Like in prior games, kicks will often snuff a more powerful weapon slash. 

  • Learning how to use your kicks defensively is a key component of gaining a competitive edge. 

Along with changes to the button layout, SNK also added many more defensive options. 

• A+B is a standing dodge that will side-step attacks.

• Forward + AB when close to your opponent will cause your character to quickly jump to the opposite side of them.

• QCF (quarter circle forward) without any button press will deflect a slash attack. 

  • For the deflect to work the input has to be on the exact frame the opponent's move connects with your hit box. 

• Air-Blocking is also a thing, and fits in well with the fast tempo of battles. A successful air-block will often afford you a quick but damaging counter if you clash with your opponent while you are both airborne.

All defensive options carry a heavy risk-reward balance that will allow you an amazing counter opportunity if successful, or open you up to BIG damage if unsuccessful. 

Another notable defensive mechanic that was added is the ability to create distance between your character and the opponent during the round announcement. Characters cannot attack, jump or duck during this time, but they can move forward or backward to create ambiguous situations at the start of the match. While not the first fighting game to include this mechanic, this is the only Samurai Shodown game to include it.

Throws also work differently than in the prior two games. Rather than cause a hard knockdown, grapples now only stagger the opponent which leaves you with multiple options. The stun from the throw lasts long enough to start a short combo or even land one heavy strike (which is always a safe bet in a pinch). While there is no chance for counter multipliers after a throw, you can still land some decent damage. Throws can also be reversed and have a generous reversal window, so be warned. 

Along with the bevy of new defensive options, SNK also sped up the gameplay tempo considerably and added more mobility mechanics that capitalize on the speed of the game. While the series always had backward and forward dash-hops, these are now full on run cycles like in the King of Fighters series. SNK also added dash attacks that all have different properties depending on the button pressed. 

• A while dashing does a high hitting light strike. 

• B while dashing will do a medium low hit.

• C while dashing will stop your character and cause a short charge-up animation to trigger before unleashing an unblockable slash that will stagger the opponent on hit. 

• D or B+C while dashing to perform a running sweep that is a guaranteed hard-knockdown if successful.

The Rage Gauge makes a return here, and you can either fill the bar manually by holding ABC, or it will fill automatically the more damage you take. Once you have a full meter you can do your desperation move that now disarms your opponent. The opponent's weapon will fly to a far side of the screen, but then your opponent has to choose whether or not it's a good idea to try to pick it up. As with every other mechanic in this game, picking up your weapon leaves you vulnerable for attack. The Rage Gauge, like in prior games, also acts as a temporary damage buff and lasts about 15 or so seconds once full.

Samurai Shodown 3 is all about counters, so SNK created damage buffs depending on the accuracy of counter strikes. If you land a successful counter a message will fly on screen to tell you the percentage of counter damage done to the opponent. Non-counter hits are still high-damage, but just ONE well placed heavy-slash counter can do up to 70% damage in the right scenario. In essence, it is possible to win a round in just two hits.  If you're a budding fighting game fan looking to up your game by focusing more on counter hits, you can think of Samurai Shodown 3 as "Counter-Training 101" as you won't survive unless you get this concept down to a science. The gameplay tempo and high damage aren't for everyone, but if you like a lot of risk to create greater reward in your video games, Samurai Shodown 3 will be an absolute treat to your senses.

The development team also made more cancelable frames on light and medium slashes that allow for short, but effective combo opportunities. These 2-3 hit two-in-one style combos help give some options when in close, and have a generous frame buffer that allows the player to easily confirm the hit and follow-up. Some characters also have special moves that can be canceled out of a dash, like Bust Galford's Izuna Drop. This is my favorite moves in the game - if the attack is successful, Galford will grab the opponent and yell, "OH YEAH!" while he launches them in the air at a high arch that will fling them all the way across the screen and score a hard knockdown in the corner. It's super satisfying. :) 

If that wasn't enough, SNK also added handicap levels that can even be used in single player mode. There is a beginner, normal, and advanced mode, and each mode has different boons or redactions of gameplay mechanics to help or hinder your approach. This setting does not affect the overall game difficulty level, but can provide more nuanced handicaps if people of different skill levels are playing competitive matches.

While I love these high-stakes encounters, even gamers today are put off at the level of damage mostly because matches can be over in as little as 10 seconds. That said, if you know your way around the mechanics the matches often end in a time out because you and your opponent are taking careful account of every frame of animation. You're constantly looking for that perfect opportunity to counter while keeping the pressure on with clever footsies - just like a real sword fight! The tension of each match and power balance tug-of-war is immensely satisfying once you wrap your head around the gameplay systems. That said, it will take some time to get used to this play style coming from any other 2D fighter from yesterday or today. Even the modern Samurai Shodown is less high-stakes than this, and it's renown for its risky gameplay in the modern era. That said, I feel the 2019 release is the closest to Samurai Shodown 3 than any other game in the series.

As with all Samurai Shodown games, blood and fatalities are censored in the western AES releases - which can be switched off with a Unibios mod on your console. For the Western consoles, the blood is changed from red to white and the fatalities are removed entirely. If playing on a Japanese console, just switch the language to English in the options menu as there is no censorship when playing on a Japanese machine.  

Samurai Shodown 3 is a beautiful work of art. SNK redesigned the entire look and feel of the sprite work and presentation to be more in line with the Japanese Sumi movement. The striking black ink outlines and more subdued color pallet provide a gritty tone that is a definite shift away from the brighter and cleaner sprites of the first two games. All the sprites were redrawn from the ground up and are now ~25% larger. To accompany the larger, high-detail sprite work, every character animates with a fluidity that was almost unmatched at the time. The basic sprite work here is so strong that all subsequent 2D Samurai Shodown games used most of these assets for over a decade before the classic series finally fizzled out in 2006.

As an aside: Samurai Shodown 3 has more animation per character than later 2D entries in the series. Even as memory sizes grew per game, SNK continued to cram in more and more characters and cuts here and there had to be made. This meant that many sub-frames (un-important) of animation were nipped and tucked to create additional cartridge space. SNK wasn't the only developer to do this. Capcom also cut non-essential animation from many characters in their later Vs. series and Darkstalkers releases for this same reason. Comparing Haohmaru's standing hard-slash animation in this game to the fourth or fifth entries is a good test. While the later releases are still very fluid, the extra few frames in this game are noticeable. 

Additionally, each character has their own individual background, so there's plenty of variety. Some of the backgrounds are carried over from Samurai Shodown 2 and were tweaked to match the new art direction. Rimururu's stage, for example, is Nakoruru's stage from the second game, only in this game it has been reworked to be in the middle of winter rather than late spring. There are a few new stages that impress the pixel art aficionado with interesting details: like the way the lighting changes in Bassara's stage as you strike down the candles placed around the arena during a match. While the backgrounds aren't quite as impressive overall as the sprite work, they fit the game and characters very well.

Music is what you expect from the Samurai Shodown series by this point, and is not much different than prior entries in quality and composition. That is to say, it still has all the mashups of electric guitar and traditional Japanese instruments you'd come to expect. It's not the strongest soundtrack in the series, but Galford's, Genjuro's, and Nakoruru's themes really stand out. 

Admittedly, Samurai Shodown 3 is not quite as polished as one would hope despite my high praise and generous updates SNK made to the meta. There are plenty of instances of disappearing hit boxes when you are 100% certian a move should have connected with the opponent's sprite, and there are glitches here and there that aren't pervasive but do crop up from time to time. Still, while I admit that both Samurai Shodown 2 and 4 are "tighter" games, I whole-heartedly believe 3 to be the most fun with its unique, incredibly fast-paced and high-stakes battles. It could have used another couple months of polish, sure, but it still plays great!

The best part about this overlooked gem is its price in the modern market. Samurai Shodown 3 is a great bang for your buck title on AES, and a complete Japanese copy can be had for as little as $140 in 2023. The US release is, like all other US versions of AES games, obscenely expensive and well over $2000 in 2023. The game can also be had on either Neo CD or MVS with prices ranging around $25 for either copy. 

Samurai Shodown 3 was also ported to the Playstation 1 and Saturn in the mid 90's, and each version has its strengths and weaknesses. These ports are cheap curios and should only be sought after if you collect for those consoles or don't plan on getting a Neo release. That said, the Saturn port retains a good amount of animation while there were numerous cuts to the Playstation release along with very long load times. The game can also be picked up on a variety of digital storefronts with the modern Arcade Archives release for $8, or compilations released over the years with the most recent being the 2020 Anthology set. It's also included in most of SNK's mini-console experiences like the Neo-Geo Mini and MVSX modern arcade cabinets.

So, should you buy it? I say yes, I LOVE this game. It's easily my favorite in the series, but I will caution that it isn't to everyone's tastes. At such a low price, though, it's a quick win if you're just starting your AES collection. Of course, Samurai Shodown 2 is an essential purchase and I'd still recommend getting that game first if you're new to the Neo and/or the Samurai Shodown series. Samurai Shodown 4 is a fair bit more expensive (see that review), so I'd recommend waiting to pick that up on AES until you at least have the second and third games in your collection.