As we’ve discussed before, I love me some Samurai Shodown. (Even the original Game Boy port.) So when SNK revived their famous sword fighting franchise in 2019, I was one of those ravenous fans chomping at the bit to get back into it. And I was especially interested to see how this new game would play on Switch, usually my game console of choice. Well I must say, it is rather excellent.

The overall aesthetic of Samurai Shodown is amazing, immersing the player into its Ukiyo-e world of feudal Japan. The woodblock print style used to realize its colorful characters and stages in 3D is executed near flawlessly. Part of me wished SNK would have stuck to 2D sprites, as nothing really beats the timeless pixelated aesthetic of the old classics. Also since Street Fighter IV, it feels like most 2D fighting game series have adopted a similar 3D-but-kinda-almost-hand-drawn-looking visual style. That said, if they were going to go the 3D visual route, this is some pretty damn good execution!

And the music—as has always been the case with this series—is simply outstanding. The use of traditional Japanese instruments creates the perfect atmosphere. The SamSho team always managed to capture that Musashi-esque wandering samurai vibe with airy, ambient melodies and then chambara action with driving taiko drums. And this game carries on that time-honored tradition spectacularly.

The gameplay is also just as satisfying as it's ever been. SamSho is not a very combo-heavy fighting game, it’s more about big devastating strikes. So matches tend to play out a bit more cautious, attacks more deliberate, which feels appropriate for a sword fight. You don’t want to coming in swinging too wildly, lest your opponent seize on an opportunity and punish you for it.

The Rage Gauge from previous games returns, it fills up as your character takes damage. Once full, you activate it and go into a Rage Mode, which lets you do more damage and potentially disarm your opponent. There’s also a “Super Special Move” that has a unique cinematic for each character. These are similar to Ultra Combos in SFIV in presentation, though they are far bloodier. Super Specials do some HUGE damage (like over 50% of your opponent’s life bar), but can only be performed once per match.

And after performing a Super Special Move, your character might be covered in blood.

The character roster is well chosen; there’s basically everyone here from the previous games that I wanted to play. Badass ninja Hanzo? Check. Galford and Poppy, the cheerful ninja boy/wolf pal duo? Check. Wandering swordsman Haomaru? Of course. Best girl Nakoruru who must reluctantly spill blood in the name of protecting Mother Nature? Hell yeah! And I’m not familiar with this Shiki character, but she gives off strong Psylocke vibes. There are even some fresh faces that look compelling enough to try out.

Then, of course, there are almost as many DLC characters added since launch. You would need to pay extra for those fighters, should you want to play as them. I do appreciate that the character selection actually separates the base game and DLC fighters into separate screens. At least they don’t beat you over the head with the characters you can’t currently select.

My biggest complaint about this game on Switch is that load times feel especially long. I have a digital copy installed and it still takes a little too long for my liking for a match to start up. Granted, it’s a pretty minor quibble, certainly not a major annoyance.

All in all, the new Samurai Shodown is real winner. After many years in obscurity, SNK’s original hit has come back to show the world it still has the magic. And it’s a delight that SamSho was able to make such a successful comeback. If you enjoy samurai and ninja and swords aplenty, then I recommend giving it a try.