Publisher SNK and developer Digital Eclipse have just announced that they will soon be releasing a bundle of the classic hit weapon-based fighting game series Samurai Shodown. Dubbed as the Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection, it includes seven titles and will launch for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.
Originally released for the NEO-GEO system in 1993, the Samurai Shodown series went against the tide of the usual fighting games of its era. Instead of sticking to kicks and punches, Samurai Shodown introduced characters with weapons. Originally boasting a roster of 12 characters, it soon became 15 with the arrival of Samurai Shodown II in 1994. The next game in the series saw a change in the game’s mechanics, introducing different fighting styles for the player, as well as the ability to choose from three grades that personalize the gameplay experience depending on the player’s skill level. The fourth game came in 1996 with Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge, now boasting a 17-character roster. It took years for a follow-up for Samurai Shodown IV to appear, but it eventually did in Samurai Shodown V which came out in 2003. The fifth title now includes 24 characters and new mechanics such as Sword Gauge and Concentration One.
A year after came the final title in Samurai Shodown V Special, which added four more characters and the addition of an Overkill attack. Finally, the seventh title in the NeoGeo Collection is the previously unreleased revamped Samurai Shodown V version dubbed Samurai Shodown V Perfect, which will feature a brand-new story and ending for the game.
Samurai Shodown's refreshing take on the genre definitely inspired a number of other fighting games that came after it. Aside from the seven games, those who buy the NeoGeo Collection will also have access to multiplayer through online battles, archives of illustrations, sound tracks, and much more.
Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection will be launching on June 11 for the PC via the Epic Games Store and will be free-to-play during its first week from June 11 to June 18. It will then be made available on Steam on June 18. As for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, a July 28 launch date has been confirmed.
