Samurai Shodown RPG is like Final Fantasy with fighting game inputs
Over two decades after its debut, a unique, turn-based RPG based on the Samurai Shodown fighting game series (known as Samurai Spirits in Japan) is finally playable in English thanks to a group of dedicated translators and hackers.
The late 1990s were truly a magical time for fighting games. Not only were some of the most historically beloved genre entries being released, but they were also so popular at the time that developers started to experiment with established franchises outside the head-to-head competitive format. Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden, initially released by SNK for the Neo Geo CD in 1997, was one such exercise, and now even fans who don’t speak Japanese can play the game in full.
“My white whale has finally been slain,” said project lead and self-styled SNK historian Jeff “MoriyaMug” Nussbaum on classic game mod repository ROMhacking.net.
Nussbaum’s journey to this moment, at least according to the README bundled with the translation, began all the way back in 2007 when an unnamed benefactor provided him with the tools to dump the Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits script.
“In essence, I was told, ‘Have fun figuring the rest out,’” Nussbaum said. “And since I’m more than a little Samurai Shodown-obsessed, I immediately set to work.”
After several setbacks and negative experiences — including, Nussbaum said, “being accosted online by people who felt like the mere existence of my work meant that they were personally entitled to it” — Nussbaum paused development on the project before being inspired to pick it up again in 2022.
Samurai Shodown: Tales of the Bushido, as the translation renames the game for English-speaking audiences, adheres to RPG tropes of the era while also introducing several
Read more on polygon.com
