Bushido Blade is a weird game. Made by Squaresoft (of the final fantasy fame), Bushido Blade is a fighting game with a catch: there’s no power bar. One hit can kill.
The story isn’t important (oddly, given Square’s usual strengths). You can select from a number of samurai, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and then you choose a weapon. Each weapon has a weight and a length which affects your strike speed and power. A rapier won’t necessarily one hit kill, but you can certainly gouge your opponent into submission.
One hit kills are isolated to the head or the heart. You can strike your opponent in the arm, for instance, and their arm will go limp. Strike them in the leg and they’ll drop to one knee, effectively changing their power and ability. Strike both legs and they’ll fall to the ground, fighting and defending from the prone position.
Bushido Blade has a code of honor. You can’t strike an opponent while they are talking. You most definitely cannot strike a player when they are laying on the ground face down. You can’t strike an opponent while they are facing away from you. Even if you win the match, by doing any of these things will end your game (and you’ll be called a coward in the process).
It’s easily the most stressful fighting game I’ve ever played. It’s like Samurai Shodown on steroids, but at least there you have a power bar. Miss blocking a strike and you’re dead. Or worse, crippled (though I did win a match on one knee). Don’t anticipate the opponent’s defense and you’re setting yourself up for an easy death.
I had this game for a long, long time, but I didn’t have the patience to play it until tonight. I certainly missed out. It was only because I was frustrated with Syphon Filter’s controls did I play this.
– –
Syphon Filter may have been amazing when it released ten years ago, but the controls do not withstand the test of time. I’m comparing it to MGS, whose control scheme was perfect.
Related posts:
2 Comments
I don’t really have anything to say about this post, but I read it!
I’m glad you had fun playing it…
You’re not required to comment, you know.