One-on-one fighting games have long dominated the arcades with titles like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.
Two characters stand on opposing sides of the screen, they're told to fight and then punch, kick and otherwise pummel their opponent until their health bar is depleted. After the fight, the next round begins.
In 1997, Squaresoft (now SquareEnix) released their own entry into the fighting genre with Bushido Blade for the PlayStation.
However, much like everything released by Squaresoft at the time, there's a twist.
Bushido Honour Code
According to the Wikipedia entry, Bushido translates to "Way of the Warrior," and stems from the samurai moral code.
When playing through the story mode in Bushido Blade, players are expected to fight honourable or they will be unable to continue. After a certain number of fights, a black screen will pop up with the text: "Cowards Will Go No Further," and the game must be start over.
Essentially, no cheap moves are allowed.
- No killing an enemy while they are down
- Do not attack your enemy until they are ready
- And no attacking an enemy while they are running away
However, not being able to take any cheap shots during combat is only one of the things that makes Bushido Blade such a unique fighting game.
More Squaresoft Twists
Another different between Bushido Blade and traditional fighting games is the damage system. The game has no health bar and takes a shot at realism. Immediately stabbing an opponent in chest will bring instant death to them, but they can do the same to the player.
Limbs can also be broken. A broken arm makes it difficult to handle a sword while a broken leg will slow the player down severely.
Bushido Blade's Story
The game gives players a plot at beginning of the story mode: it takes place in an ancient dojo where a secret society of assassins known as Kage has been operating. One of these assassins escapes and to preserve the society, the others are dispatched to kill them.
The player controls the escaped assassin and must fight their way through. The game allows the player to choose from several different characters, all with their own back-stories and their own endings upon completing the game.
Conclusion
In a genre that seemed to only advance by adding more gore (for example, the Fatality moves in Mortal Combat) Squaresoft succeeded in breaking away from the pack. While Bushido Blade has plenty of pixelated blood, it focused more on story and providing very unique game play.
