Samurai Shodown (Mobile)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 4.3 (2.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Steve Palley
• Reviewed on: 07/19/2004
• Released on: 08/01/2004
• Originally published on GameSpot: Samurai Shodown (Mobile) Review

There's no question that Digital Bridges took a risk in acquiring the Samurai Shodown license for use in mobile games. Fighting games rely on fast gameplay and cutting-edge control--attributes that are very difficult to execute on cell phones with any degree of success. Furthermore, SNK's 2D fighting extravaganza could never have fit on mobile in arcade-perfect condition, so Digital Bridges has taken some liberties with its version of Samurai Shodown, shrinking its scope and simplifying its control scheme to preserve the audiovisual feel of the original. Unfortunately, no matter how nice the resulting game may look, it plays like it has been through an edit too many.

This version of Samurai Shodown encompasses two gameplay modes: story mode and survival mode. In story mode, you must play through each of the four included characters from the arcade version: Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Gen-An, and Charlotte. You duel each of the other three characters in turn, before taking on your evil alter ego in a final battle and moving on to the next warrior. In survival mode, you pick your favorite of the four and wade through as many duels as you can handle on a single life--and the small amount of healing you receive between rounds for besting a foe. Samurai Shodown also includes a quick tutorial called the temple, which gives you the rundown on each character's attacks and special moves.

The ability to access several gameplay modes is appreciated, but Samurai Shodown's real strength has always been centered on its stellar fighting mechanics, which the mobile version simply doesn't deliver. The controls are laid out well for the handset, but they are very unresponsive. The lag time between pressing a button and having your character respond onscreen is sluggish and quite disruptive. In addition, Samurai Shodown's hit detection feels extremely buggy. Your attacks sometimes seem to travel right through your target to no effect, especially if you are standing close to your enemy. These problems are exacerbated by Samurai Shodown's lack of combat animation: For instance, it's difficult to tell if your enemies are successfully blocking an attack or if the lax hit detection is giving them an unwarranted assist.

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