When I think back to my favorite games on the original Game Boy, there are the obvious classics (like Tetris, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Land 2, even Game Boy Camera) and then there’s random stuff that I just happened to have access to. One of the randos I sincerely loved—presumably out of blind nostalgia and nothing else—was Samurai Shodown. Surely an arcade fighter squeezed into a tiny Game Boy cartridge would be not the ideal way to experience the furious sword fighting action. And yet, this humble handheld port is the version of SamSho that I have played the most, by far!

Returning to the game two decades or so later, I’m happy say that I was pleasantly surprised! Samurai Shodown on Game Boy holds up surprisingly well, thanks in large part to flexibly playful approach to developing for the handheld.

The first thing that jumps out at your is that is its cute, chibi-style sprites. Yes, the arcade game known for its big, detailed, colorful sprites is now in black-and-white and sporting little, chubby, cherub fighters. And despite the deadly seriousness of bloody sword duels, this game has a very playful and lighthearted sense of humor.

Stellar chibi character art. For more shots of the Japanese game’s manual, check out this Retro Video Gaming post.

Despite the adorable transformation, this is unmistakably SamSho. A few big hits is really all it takes to die. Nakoruru has her bird, and Galford has his dog. (Whose name is “Poppy”, by the way; not “Puppy” like I had always heard it.) Items like food and bombs fall from the sky, affecting the flow of the action. There’s no delivery man running through the background of this version though.

Being on the Game Boy, SamSho uses two button controls. The B button does a light slash with your sword, while the A button performs a kick. Pressing both buttons together does strong slash, which actually feels authentic to the game’s roots.

Always bring your pets to a sword fight.

You can even end up locking swords in this version, requiring you to then furiously mash buttons and hopefully not lose your weapon out of the clinch. That said, every time I’ve seen this happen on Game Boy, both fighters have lost their weapons.

The judge Kuroko is still here, but instead of moving along the background, he appears in the UI at the top of the screen, dead center between the fighter’s life bars. Hey, the voice of my childhood calls out to me, wasn’t there a code or something you can use to play as Kuroko? Ah yes… On the third screen of the opening, press Select three times; you will hear a chime indicating it was entered correctly. Using this code will not only let you play as Kuroko, but also Amakusa, the end boss, and Hikyaku, the deliver guy (who otherwise doesn’t appear in the game at all).

The character portraits and stage backgrounds look particularly good here. Even though working in only four shades of gray, the artists really managed to paint some impressive pictures. Snowy winter scene in Hokkaido? Check! Lush bamboo forest? Check! Peaceful shore with a majestic view of Mt. Fuji? Check! All the sights you’re expecting are realized—though in a massively scaled-down form.

Looking at fighter sprites, it’s clear that the developers used clever tricks to save space and fit everything in. If you examine each character’s idle and run animations closely, they only animate half of the sprite, but it’s more than enough movement to work. If you play a mirror match (both Player 1 and Player 2 using the same character), the second sprite will be darkened—meaning that the artists intentionally didn’t use all the available shades in the default sprites! The artistic skill on display—by which I mean completely hidden in the details—is kind of amazing.

When you win the first round it says, “Ippon!” It’s written in roman characters, but it’s untranslated Japanese. This makes me wonder whether it was intentional or not. Like, could the developers have realized how cool a touch that actually is? I don’t know…

Bonus games will appear between certain bouts in the single-player mode. These involve cutting down a certain number strawman targets in a given amount of time. These games are extremely simple, but actually quite fun. And it has its own unique stage background.

But SamSho’s greatest strength is its music; this soundtrack is absolutely sick! All the tunes manage to truly impress coming out of the Game Boy’s 8-bit sound chip. It is a bit jarring how the track always restarts whenever a new screen is loaded—or maybe it’s just momentary glitch and the track continues—but that’s a forgivable flaw considering the circumstances. This is one game that you’ll want headphone for. Crank up the volume and play it loud!

For working within the limitations of the original Game Boy hardware, Samurai Shodown does an incredible job of capturing the original arcade game’s atmosphere and overall feel. Sure, this is stripped down mini-SamSho, but the distinct feudal Japan flavor has been transposed into the smaller form factor with expert precision.