SNK fighting series Samurai Shodown is coming back

SNK has released a trailer announcing a brand new entry in the Samurai Shodown (Samurai Spirits in Japan) fighting game series.

The last game in the series was Samurai Shodown: Sen in 2008, which was a poor attempt at crafting the franchise into a 3D fighter like Soulcalibur. Samurai Showdown 2019 appears to be a reboot of the series, taking it back to its roots with a coat of fresh paint. The gameplay looks set in the 2.5D style that has become popular in games like Street Fighter V and recent Marvel vs Capcom. The trailer gives us a look at what appears to be a cel-shaded 2D style of combat, featuring the stylish swordplay and bloody combat that made early Samurai Shodown games famous.

Samurai Shodown was a series that dominated arcades with its presence in SNK’s Neo Geo cabinets.

The new trailer showcases many of the series’ popular characters, such as Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Galford and the hook-wielding Earthquake, as they fight it out in what appears to be 2.5D action, not unlike SNK’s recent King of Fighters XIV. We get to see the SamSho guys ‘n’ gals engaging in brutal, blood-spewing one-on-one combat.

SNK’s next title, The King of Fighters 14 will be released on PlayStation 4 this August. Atlus will publish the title in North America.

Check out the Trailer:

The new Samurai Shodown game is not the only thing this highly missed franchise is getting. One of our sources has informed us that the plan is for the game release to coincide with a new anime adaptation of the series as well.

The first Samurai Shodown (known as Samurai Spirits in Japan) was the first fighting game to use swords in its gameplay when it was released in 1993. The franchise spawned many sequels on both arcade and home consoles, as well as two animated movies. The latest Samurai Shodown Game, Samurai Shodown Sen (2008), was a huge departure from the game’s familiar mechanics and failed miserably to bring back the huge number of the series fans.

Full Press Release – Source