Samurai Riot: Definitive Edition (Switch) Review
Release Date: June 1, 2022
Publisher/Developer: Wako Factory/Houndpicked Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PC
Price: $9.90
Beat ‘em ups are my bread and butter. Walking from the left side of the screen to the right and mowing down random colored enemies is my idea of a good time. Adding in multiplayer shenanigans is a staple of the genre, but doing something unique with it can change up the formula in new and exciting ways. Unfortunately, it can also help to point out the flaws of a game if you go it solo. Samurai Riot is a wonderful game with a lot going for it, but the valley between solo and multiplayer can be a wide one.
Samurai Riot officially released in 2017, with it’s Definitive Edition coming out just this month. Playing as Sukane or Tsuruamaru, you proceed to do what’s best in games like this, walking left to right and beating up tons of cloned baddies. Choice is the meat of the game here: you can choose the school your character excels at, which adjusts your stat points and changes the way the character plays. As you proceed in the game, you will come across major plot points that can turn the plot on its head. As a warrior for the leading clan in the area, the game starts with you quashing a rebellion. At the end of the level, you are informed of the atrocities committed by the ruling party, and you can choose to continue to dominate the rebels, or defect and join their cause. All of these choices can lead to one of eight endings, meaning plenty of replay value awaits. If playing multiplayer, you can even disagree with your partner for a chance to battle them for the right to choose your path.
Multiplayer is the best way to play Samurai Riot. There is a cooperative system that rewards you based on how well you are working together, and a Co-Op Special Move gauge for extremely powerful attacks. I can tell Samurai Riot was made with the multiplayer in mind, as these special add-ons are very fun and work well, but leave you empty in solo. Storyline still involves both characters, but once plot is over they run forward to attack prior to your getting there. I would have loved to see additional enemies and a computer AI instead of imagining the other character, just off screen, taking out about half the enemies before I get there.
Choice adds another wrinkle to the system that I couldn’t get over in the early levels. In Level One, I fought particular enemies, members of the rebellion I was trying to quash. I chose to side with the rebellion at the end of the level, and the random enemies I fought in Level Two….were the same. Felt a little immersion breaking to me. I know we are in a world where 1000 people are cloned pallete swaps of each other, but it’s strange to me that the rebels in their dirty ripped trousers were the same as the troops fighting for the most powerful clan of the region.
Samurai Riot is a beautiful game to behold, with wonderfully drawn characters and vistas. Animation reminds me of some earlier internet videos, check the trailer to understand what I mean. I enjoyed the design choices for enemies and allies alike, though at times enemies would hold on a bit too long. Most of the levels are straightforward, flat planes. After the same enemy showed up over and over with a rather beefy health bar for a grunt, I was excited to find that the man we were chasing had called in his “Big Brother”, a large, intimidating man with a shield. After a harrowing battle, this man became yet another regular grunt with a smaller damage bar. Again, it just made me wish a few more sprites were created to make each battle unique and flow with the branching story.
As a get-together-and-kick-butt kind of game, though, Samurai Riot prevails. The simplicity of the levels does make for a great power fantasy with a bud for couch co-op, and the speed to complete means you can try multiple paths and see new things. For those that are into it, there are unobtrusive counters and such for speedrunners. Make sure you check the menu for a moves list, as some basic things like how to do a super combo or throw weaponry aren’t exactly explained to you, though part of me feels like those are cool secrets like old arcade cabinets, where you’d come up to play and see someone else using a move you’ve never even seen before. Samurai Riot is a slick, affordable piece of action that is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.
Pros:
-Branching storyline makes for easy replayability
-Amazing fun for two-player co-op, additional moves and bonuses
-Beautiful animation and engrossing level backgrounds
Cons:
-You can tell the game was made for multiplayer; certain moves are gone and the story can suffer at times
-Enemies are the same palette-swapped sprites even if you defect to the other side
-Some important moves aren’t taught, you have to find them in a moves list
-Some enemy health bars are a bit too long, turning into a war of attrition
Special thanks to Wako Factory/Houndpicked Games for providing a code for review!