‘Samurai Shodown III ACA NEOGEO’ Assessment – The Final, However Is It The Least? – TouchArcade

When SNK and Hamster began bringing the Arcade Archives line of NEOGEO ports to cellular platforms, it wasn’t notably stunning to see the Samurai Shodown sequence represented among the many opening salvo of titles. Traditionally, it’s been one in every of SNK’s hottest IPs, solely coming in behind The King of Fighters and Steel Slug. With Samurai Shodown II ported by Dotemu a stable decade in the past, SNK opted to open with Samurai Shodown IV. Little by little, it has been filling in the remainder of the sequence. Samurai Shodown III ($3.99) is the final NEOGEO mainline entry within the franchise to make the hop. Does it stay as much as its siblings? Is there any compelling motive to select it up if you happen to’ve grabbed one of many others? Is Shaun actually doing that factor the place the opening paragraph of the overview ends with a query?

Form of, sure, and completely. I don’t like leaving questions unsettled for too lengthy. Once I wrote my overview of Samurai Shodown IV ACA NEOGEO, I discussed that it’s uncommon to search out anybody that loves each entry within the Samurai Shodown sequence as a consequence of how inconsistent the video games are of their mechanics and aesthetics. I believe if you happen to polled the plenty, you’d see lots of people citing Samurai Shodown II as their favourite, adopted by a near-equal variety of votes for IV and V Particular. So far as the NEOGEO entries go, you’ll in all probability see the least variety of folks pulling for the unique recreation and Samurai Shodown III.

But I believe if you happen to requested those self same folks what their second-favorite recreation within the sequence is, you’d see much more help for Samurai Shodown III. It’s a bizarre recreation by the requirements of the sequence, one which its sequels largely got down to stroll again from. That weirdness, nonetheless, is exactly what makes it stand out amongst its friends. Samurai Shodown III has plenty of concepts. A few of them are good, a few of them are unhealthy, and a few of them are good however badly carried out. However there’s one thing to it. An enthralling taste that calls to thoughts the likes of Bushido Blade, slicing all the way down to the essence of pop samurai media. Samurai Shodown has all the time been characterised by how swift and brutal rounds will be, however Samurai Shodown III is probably the epitome of that ethos. It’s completely doable for matches to be over in two or three strikes.

The character line-up is without doubt one of the the reason why plenty of followers are inclined to shrink back from Samurai Shodown III. The roster is smaller than the earlier recreation, with simply twelve characters to select from. It introduces a couple of new characters however cuts tons of fan favorites like Charlotte, Cham Cham, and Earthquake. A few of these new characters are plenty of enjoyable to make use of, and so they match the sport’s grittier, extra real looking aesthetic higher in some methods. It’s a bit laborious to hash every thing with the higher timeline of the sequence, and the sport doesn’t appear notably desirous about storytelling relative to the opposite entries. Certainly, one of many issues I don’t take care of in Samurai Shodown III is in how few possibilities the characters get to point out off their personalities in comparison with the opposite video games. Story isn’t the largest factor in preventing video games, however in these ACA NEOGEO releases we’re largely relegated to single participant so it does tackle a barely higher significance.

There are plenty of gameplay adjustments right here from Samurai Shodown II, and a few of them ended up sticking round within the sequence. There are extra buttons devoted to your weapon assaults, with only one serving because the kick. Throws are out in favor of shoves that depart the enemy open to a great slash or two. After choosing your character, you may select a grade that determines, roughly talking, how balanced your offense and protection are. Choose the superior grade and also you gained’t even be capable to guard, with a completely full Rage Gauge as a comfort prize. Notably, this recreation brings within the Bust and Slash system that provides you mild and darkish variations of every character, with slight variations within the movesets between them.

As I discussed earlier than, matches in Samurai Shodown III will be fast and nasty. You may sidestep assaults, counter-attack, and whip out unblockable slashes. Your Rage Gauge fills up like a shot glass underneath a Slurpee spout. You may block within the air now, which gives extra incentive to take to the skies with out concern. A few of these parts didn’t return for the subsequent go-around, and it’s not laborious to see why. Even a pair of evenly-matched professional gamers can really feel cheated by how briskly issues end, and if you happen to’re up in opposition to the CPU your quarters can disappear so quick you’d assume your pockets was the dimensional area from which all of the uncles of the world pull the cash they pluck from behind kids’s ears. And in true SNK trend, the final boss is a whole and utter… holy smokes, is that Dick Van Dyke?! Sorry, I assumed I noticed one thing there.

That being mentioned, we don’t have to fret about blowing all our quarters, can we? By the magic of the Arcade Archives line, we solely want to fret in regards to the sixteen quarters wanted to purchase the app itself. After that, we may help ourselves to an limitless provide of credit. Higher nonetheless, we now have entry to these coveted issue choices. Flip all of it the way in which down and the CPU is barely mildly impolite. It’s okay, Shaun mentioned you may do it. Go be taught the ropes that method after which flip it up once more as wanted. ACA NEOGEO choices are beautiful issues, and also you’ve obtained the complete suite of them right here as normal. Not simply issue, but in addition all kinds of different issues. Tweak as you want.

Additionally just like different ACA NEOGEO video games, you may play the sport with an exterior controller if you want. I extremely advise it because the motions you should pull off on this recreation generally is a actual bear with the contact controls. You may nonetheless have some enjoyable with digital button bashing and not using a controller, however there are in all probability higher video games to play if that’s all you’ve obtained. Exterior controllers are additionally the one strategy to play multiplayer on this model, and that’s an actual disgrace as a result of I believe the actual charms of Samurai Shodown III are greatest introduced out with limitless credit and one other human. I do know I preserve banging this drum, however I want another possibility might be found out for multiplayer in these releases. Most gamers should get by with the CPU opponent, and I simply don’t know that I’d name that very pleasant on this recreation.

Samurai Shodown III in all probability shouldn’t be anybody’s first Samurai Shodown recreation, particularly within the ACA NEOGEO cellular line with its restricted multiplayer choices. However its quirky qualities do make it an attention-grabbing selection for a second Samurai Shodown recreation. Due to how a lot it divided the fandom, Samurai Shodown III noticed plenty of its tough edges sanded down or fully minimize away in successive entries within the sequence. That makes it reasonably distinctive, and I believe there’s one thing to be mentioned for that. Ensure you pack an exterior controller of some kind and plenty of persistence if you happen to resolve to select this one up, although.