Samurai Shodown IV

Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge
Screenshot from Samurai Shodown IV
Developer:	SNK
Publisher:	SNK
Designer:	Galapagos Team
Release date:	October 25, 1996
Genre:	Fighting game
Game modes:	Up to 2 players
ESRB rating:	not rated
Platform:	Neo-Geo, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Media:	378 megabit Neo*Geo cartridge

Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge (Japanese title: Samurai Spirits: Amakusa Kourin / サムライスピリッツ天草降臨) is the fourth in SNK's flagship Samurai Shodown series of fighting games.

General Information

After Samurai Shodown III was received more or less poorly by the fighting game community, SNK again went back to address the complaints, and tried to deliver a followup that would hopefully regain some of the magic that had made SS2 such a hit.

The most obvious change is visual, with dramatically adjusted color palettes for the individual characters, generally brightening them up and reducing contrast, in the attempt to make the game more cartoonish. Aerial blocking was removed entirely, and the switcharound move, which enabled a player to shift quickly behind the other's back, as well as the dodge, were slowed down (arguably to the point of being useless).

Following the same philosophy, some of the older characters were restored, such as Charlotte, Tam Tam and Yagyu Jubei. Joining the cast were the two ninja brothers, Kazama Kazuki and Kazama Sogetsu. The entire cast of the previous game also returns, though some have been retouched to further enhance the cartoonish look.

Overall, the game plays not terribly unlike SS3, but the feel is considerably different. Control has been loosened, controller motions have been simplified, overall damage has been reduced, and one can no longer charge his/her own POW gauge. The biggest addition is probably the "CD Combo," wherein a player can press the C and D buttons together, triggering a strike that can be followed up by a sequence of button taps. The single-player mode now has a timer, as well. Only by reaching the final boss within a specified time limit can one see a character's ending.

Critical and Fan Reception

By and large, the game was regarded as an improvement from the obviously-rushed SS3, though it has its share of detractors. Though the game is better balanced, the flow of it is still often regarded as lopsided.

Common complaints include:

• Quick, weak attacks tend to beating out most of the other moves in the game.
• There are animation cuts from the previous game.
• The lack of individual music themes for each character (a first for the series)
• Many moves from SS3 were inexplicably removed.
• For the first time in the series, the sprites were not redrawn from one game to the next.

In spite of this, it is still well-regarded, and debate over its quality continues in fan circles to this day.

Story

The year, 1789.

As frost, floods, fires, and famine play havoc with the world, a sinister castle appears in the land of Shimabara. The lord of that castle-Shiro Tokisada Amakusa.

Having previously been resurrected from the realm of the dead, Amakusa was supposed to have been slain in the midst of his evil designs, but now he returns to subjugate the world of the living.

Having already engulfed the Shimabara peninsula, this castle of evil grows larger day by day.

People soon call it "Amakusa Castle" and in their terror begin to revere it, hoping this will save them.

But little did they know that this act of desperation would only summon further misfortune....

Amakusa has returned for more trouble, this time taking over a castle in a jagged wasteland and kidnapping Kazuki and Sogetsu's sister in order to use her as a power source. The power spreading from Amakusa's work catches the attention of various warriors who head in for a variety of purposes. Zankuro also has a hand in the story.

Cast

• Amakusa Shiro Tokisada (天草四郎時貞)
• Charlotte (シャルロット)
• Galford (ガルフォード)
• Haohmaru (覇王丸)
• Hattori Hanzō (服部 半蔵)
• Hisame Shizumaru (緋雨閑丸)
• Kafuin Gaira (花諷院骸羅)
• Kazama Kazuki (風間火月)
• Kazama Sogetsu (風間蒼月)
• Kibagami Genjuro (牙神幻十郎)
• Kubikiri Basara (首切り破沙羅)
• Minazuki Zankuro (壬無月斬紅郎)
• Nakoruru (ナコルル)
• Rimururu (リムルル)
• Senryo Kyoshiro (千両狂死郎)
• Tachibana Ukyo (橘右京)
• Tam Tam (タムタム)
• Yagyu Jubei (柳生十兵衛)

Trivia

• By completing the entire game (including the final boss fights) within the time limit, one can see a quick cameo of Sieger or Wan-Fu after the ending credits.
• Nicotine, Earthquake and Gen-an all have cameo appearances in various endings.

External links

[Official]

• Heavenly Spirits, SSIV & All Series & RPG Development (USA) & (Canada)
• SamuraiShodown Forever, Forum (UK)
• SIHON 侍魂NET, 사무라이 스피리츠 종합 커뮤니티 (Seoul, Korea)
• POPORU 포포루, SSIV Official Online System (Seoul, Korea)
• Samurai Spirits, Official Website (Tokyo, Japan)
• Samurai Spirits Zero, Official Website (Tokyo, Japan)
• 明鏡止水, SSVI & All Series & Tournament (Tokyo, Japan)
• Lastsky, SSVSP & SSVI & All Series (Shanghai, China)
• Lastsky, Forum (Shanghai, China)
• S-DAK, Forum (China)

[Media]

• Samurai-Shodown Media at FileFront, Video Clips; Tournaments, Combos, & Tutorials,... etc.

[Archives]

• SSIV at The Killer List of VideoGames
• SIHON 侍魂WebRing, SS Fan Sites Search Engine (Tokyo, Japan)
• Samurai Web, News & Archives (Tokyo, Japan)