Samurai Shodown III
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| Samurai Shodown III | |
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| Developer(s) | SNK |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Designer(s) | Galapagos Team |
| Release date(s) | November 15, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn |
| Input | 8-way Joystick, 4 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Neo-Geo (282 Mbit cartridge) |
| Arcade display | Raster, 304 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Samurai Shodown III (サムライスピリッツ 斬紅郎無双剣 Samurai Spirits Zankurō Musōken?) is the third game in SNK's popular Samurai Shodown series of fighting games for the Neo*Geo. It is occasionally subtitled as Blades of Blood, though that never appears in any version of the game itself.
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[edit] General information
In keeping with their curious habit of using the third game in a series as a place to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, SS3 was to be the start of a bold new direction for the franchise.
The most obvious difference between this game and the others in the series is the notably darker aesthetic. The "sillier" characters from the previous games have been excised, and even the kabuki master, Kyoshiro Senryo, received a bold redesign, transforming him from a flamboyant stage performer into a grim-faced, muscular man. All of the characters have been completely redrawn, and impressively so. The animation is surprisingly smooth for all characters.
Perhaps most significant, Haohmaru's role in the story was diminished, in favor of the new main character, and the overall story was smaller in scope. The new additions included the following:
- Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, while not a new character to the series, was now playable, and not a boss.
- Shizumaru Hisame, the semi-amnesiac, umbrella-wielding young boy, who was the focus of the game's story.
- Kafuin Gaira, the large, brash and overbearing monk... who happens to be the nephew of Nicotine Caffeine.
- Basara, an undead spirit, seeking revenge for his own murder, and that of his lover.
- Zankuro Minazuki, the new final boss of the game. He is a giant of a man, and a swordsman driven insane by his quest to perfect his skills. His murderous rampage sets the stage for everything else that occurs.
- Rimururu, Nakoruru's younger sister, who wielded the power of ice.
[edit] Gameplay Changes
Along with the aesthetic overhaul came significant changes in the gameplay. The most obvious was the addition of two selectable versions of each character.
- Slash: Known to the Japanese as Shura (修羅), which means "fighting" or a "scene of carnage, and occasionally mistranslated as "Chivalry," and implies a regular fighter (compare a face in professional wrestling). This version tended to be the closest in style and moves to the Samurai Shodown II version of the character.
- Bust: Known to the Japanese as Rasetsu (羅刹), which is a derivation of the Sanskrit word, "rakshasa," in reference to a type of demon. It is occasionally mistranslated as "Treachery," implying a rulebreaking heel version of the character. This version typically differed considerably from its Slash counterpart in gameplay, though it visually did not look different beyond its color palette. The fighter Nakoruru is the only notable exception to this. The "Slash" version of her character is accompanied by her pet hawk, Mamahaha, as in the two previous SS games. Her "Bust" version, however, is accompanied by her pet wolf, Shikuruu. (Like with Mamahaha, she is able to hop onto Shikuruu's back and perform modified attacks.)
Also, the button layout was changed, mapping the first three of the four available buttons to weak, medium and strong slash attacks, respectively. The fourth button was used for kick attacks, presumably to de-emphasize kicks in favor of the sword strikes. Though controversial at first, this change was gradually accepted by the fanbase.
The pace of the game had shifted somewhat, as many basic attacks could now be cancelled into special moves, something which was extremely rare in the first two installments. Most of SS2's movement options had been removed, in favor of the ability to dodge attacks by pressing the A and B buttons simultaneously. When close, performing this command would result in a quick switch-around to the opponent's back, which could then be followed up by other attacks. It was also possible to block attacks in mid-air.
[edit] Reaction
Unfortunately, for all of its positive aspects, the game was marred by a number of bugs, including spotty collision detection in places, and poor game balance, with some characters being much, much more powerful than the rest of the cast. Damages were very high, which resulted in matches ending very quickly (sometimes in only a few seconds). This, combined with the unexpected aesthetic shift and the removal of taunts and most win quotes, led to considerable backlash from the series' fans.
Over time, it has become better-appreciated in spite of its flaws (primarily outside of arcades, where the individual matches didn't cost players money), and is usually seen as a broken-but-fun gaming experience. Most SNK faithful see it as a missed opportunity: a game that had a vision, but was rushed to meet a deadline, and was thus less than what it set out to be. It was ported to both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, and the former of the two became colloquially known as "Samurai Slowdown", due to extremely poor performance.
[edit] Story
The official story, as given by SNK, is as follows:
They called him "The Demon." His real name, Zankuro Minazuki. From time immemorial he had indiscriminately attacked villages, slaughtering all who stood in his way.
Those who faced him shrieked their final gasps and sank into eternity, enveloped by a sea of blood.
No one alive could stop his evil deeds.
And then one day, it happened...
In a certain village, Zankuro failed to kill a single infant.
Some insist the evil one was unable to kill him-but why?
The truth remains a mystery.
But from then on, Zankuro marked all those who carried a sword for slaughter.
Several years later....
Twelve samurai and swordsmen are spurred to action by their own hopes and aspirations.
But all have a single objective: the head of the dreaded "Demon." The head of Zankuro Minazuki.
[edit] Trivia
- By setting the game's language to Korean, Kafuin Gaira's name changes to "Kim Ung Che", which is spoken by a different announcer.
