Sword of the Samurai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the computer game. For the Fighting Fantasy gamebook, see Sword of the Samurai (book).

Sword of the Samurai
Developer(s)	MicroProse
Publisher(s)	MicroProse
Release date(s)	1989
Genre(s)	Action / Strategy / RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	MS-DOS

Sword of the Samurai is an action/simulator computer game developed and published by MicroProse in 1989 for the DOS platform. It featured a combination of role-playing and strategy elements, with arcade mini-games set in Feudal Japan.

The goal of Sword of the Samurai was to rise to become the shogun of Japan. In the first two levels of the game, the player sought to become a daimyo by currying favor with the current daimyo. The player competed with three computer-controlled samurai who also sought to become the daimyo's favorite. Each samurai had several properties, such as land holdings, army size, and sword-fighting ability. However, in keeping with the Bushido theme of the game, honor had the greatest influence on how the samurai were ranked.

Despite the emphasis on the Bushido code, a wide array of sneaky actions were possible. The player (and AI controlled characters) could kidnap and rescue family members, frame other samurai, and even assassinate the daimyo! Naturally, such sneaky behavior carried serious riskd. If caught, a samurai could be forced to commit seppuku, leaving the estate in the hands of his heir.

After becoming a daimyo, the game shifts to a wargame format, with the goal of conquering enough provinces to claim the title of Shogun. Whereas in the first and second levels, the player could gain honor by contribuing in the daimyo's battles, in the third level the emphasis is on choosing which opponents to battle. The size of the player's army became more important to success than honor or swordsmanship.

After winning the game, the player is given a final summary of the future of their dynasty. Depending on the relative power of the Shogun's forces at the end of the game and the age of the Shogun and his heirs, the length of the dynasty could range from hundreds of years (such as China's Han Dynasty) to a quick dissolution after the Shogun's death (such as China's Qin Dynasty.)