Samurai Shodown Announced For Nintendo Switch

SNK and Athlon Games today announced that Samurai Shodown is coming to Nintendo Switch in Q4 2019.

Powered by Unreal Engine 4, the new Samurai Shodown reboots the classic 2D fighting game with beautiful new 3D graphics that retain the classic fantasy Samurai manga look of the series, while also bringing the series up-to-date with the latest cutting edge graphical standards.

About the game

Once again set in the late 18th century, after the events of Samurai Shodown V and prior to the events of the original game, Samurai Shodown will see the return of thirteen classic characters, including Haohmaru, Earthquake and Galford, who will be joined by three brand new characters to the series. Additional characters will also be available via post-launch DLC.

Developed in-house at SNK by the same team that brought us King of Fighters XIV, Samurai Shodown features a host of modes, such as Story, Practice, Online Battle and multiple offline battle modes. The new game will also debut an innovative new asynchronous online mode called “Dojo” that uses deep machine learning to create a CPU-avatar that learns from players’ actions during offline modes and creates a Ghost AI character. Players will be able to upload their Ghost to the leaderboards and also download Ghost data from other players. Players can take on Ghosts in 1v1 battle, or take on the Ironman Challenge and attempt to take down up to 100 ghosts in one go.

The public will be able to play Samurai Shodown for the first time on the show floor at PAX East in Boston, March 28 – March 31. PAX East attendees can also attend the Samurai Shodown – Resurrecting a Legend panel, Saturday, March 30 from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EDT. The panel will be moderated by Team Spooky’s Giby and feature SNK’s Yasuyuki Oda (Producer), Nobuyuki Kuroki (Game Director) and the Director of the original Samurai Shodown, Yasushi Adachi, as well as several others from SNK.

Features

• Exhilarating Weapons-Based Combat
  Samurai Shodown carries on the legacy of the tense battles the series is known for, where players are always one strike away from death, and one powerful attack away from victory.
• Evolving the Presentation
  Using the power of Unreal Engine 4, SNK is able to modernize the unique atmosphere and setting of past titles in a gorgeously artistic package that achieves a detail and graphical quality like never before.
• Unique Cast of Returning and New Warriors
  Samurai Shodown welcomes back iconic characters from past iterations, including the swordsman Haohmaru, his rivals Ukyo and Genjuro, the shrine maiden Nakoruru, and fan-favorite Galford. The starting roster will include a total of 16 characters – 13 veterans and three newcomers to the franchise.
• All New Gameplay
  Carrying on some of the key fighting mechanics that made the series popular, such as the Rage Gauge, Rage Explosion, Sword Clash and more, Samurai Shodown will also include several new techniques, including a powerful, one-time use attack from each character called the Super Special Move.
• Revolutionary New AI System
  Titled Dojo Mode, SNK has developed a proprietary AI system that learns from player patterns and creates a specific Ghost clone from that data. With this system, players can fight against their own Ghost or take on the Ghosts of top players in mock battles.

Check out the Samurai Shodown Trailer: