Samurai Riot Definitive Edition – Review

Our Score: 7/10

Samurai Riot Definitive Edition is a 2D beat ’em up featuring a unique co-op feature. Make moral decisions that have a lot of replay value throughout the branching tale.

Samurai Riot is a stylish and tough game for those of us who enjoy slashing and beating up on nasty dudes. Oh, and acquiring a weapon is standard in games like this. So once you have one, you may go for broke. Samurai Riot Definitive Edition was released in 2017, so Nintendo Switch users had to wait a long time for it. But it was well worth the wait. Beautiful new animations at 60 frames per second, new dialogues, enhanced combinations to make it easier for average players. And freshly updated backgrounds round up a fantastic gaming package in this Definitive Edition.

The story forces the player to consider their actions in the game and the consequences of their decisions. With an arsenal of devastating strikes at your disposal, the fight to survive each encounter will require guile, skill, and strategy.

Cutting Edge

Samurai Riot’s animations are beautifully fluid. With character models flowing across the 2D surface with the elegance of a wicked, savage gazelle. Attack animations, powerful recoil reactions, and dynamic effects all look clean and beautiful. Which adds to the attraction of the game’s Japanese setting. When everything works so nicely, seeing a mischievous rat escape with my reward cash or health pick-up is all the more lovely.

This is mostly due to the enhanced framerate. Which, to its credit, performs well throughout your missions as a Samurai warrior. It delivers on the promise of a clean and snappy technical performance.

Way of the Samurai

Before beginning your journey, you must choose between two protagonists. Sukane or Tsuruamaru, each with their unique combat style and special abilities. Sukane is a cyclone of hand-to-hand fighting, whereas Tsurumaru is a master of the sword. For example, Sukane dodge-flips instead of blocking attacks, or uses her trusty companion Azu (an awesome fox) to blast forward in place of Tsurumaru’s grenade throws. Both have their own flurry of close-quarters attacks as well as a crowd-decimating explosive special.

Each of the eight stages you’ll travel through will hurl more and more adversaries at you, with different kinds and challenges to conquer. The initial spearmen are easily dispatched, while subsequent varieties charge at varying distances. Big sumo warriors tank your blows and can hit you with unblockable charge smashes or shield-spinning whirls of pain. Fighters at close quarters will uppercut you with the joy of a vicious burst of agony. Each poses its own set of challenges, and it’s your duty to figure them out instinctively and devise a plan to pass through them unscathed.

Samurai Riot announces the chance for player choices at specific forks in the road along your quest, with 8 different endings. Sukane and Tsurumaru go out on their journey to put down a difficult revolt for their grandmaster, only to be confronted with the stark reality of hardship beyond their own clans. Your first option is to join the revolt and give up your honour, or to maintain your master’s wishes and serve your clan faithfully. Regardless of your choice, you’ll be presented with another 2-3 options, with each level branching based on which path you’ve taken.

Final Verdict

Samurai Riot Definitive Edition is a fun beat’em up that has lot of variety in both story and gameplay. It’s easy to pick up but mastering the game will take you a bit. And with the release of this definitive edition, it’s the best time to play this game.