Samurai Shodown II

Synopsis

by Joe Ottoson

Samurai Shodown was one of the first fully realized weapons-based 2D one-on-one fighters released. Due to its success, SNK followed up with the sequel, Samurai Shodown II.

This time around, 15 fierce warriors join the battle against an even bigger foe than Amakusa. The warriors will travel to hell and back before their missions are complete. SNK added in new "Waza" moves based on the rage meter from the first game. They become available when your fighter has taken enough hits, and the resulting attack will cause some damage. The primary focus of the attack is to shatter your opponent's weapon. That will leave them extra vulnerable to your attacks until the referee tosses them a replacement a few seconds later.

SNK added in other new features like the ability to do short hops, duck, and some things that are more for novelty than value, like special moves that will turn your fighter into a doll!

Extra Credits

by Joe Ottoson

The fighting game craze was largely spurred by Street Fighter II's success. SNK jumped on this genre full bore to boost their Neo Geo arcade system. After several other 2d fighters like Fatal Fury gained the platform attention, Samurai Shodown emerged adding the twist of weapons based fighting and animal companions to the usual one on one fighter formula.

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