Beat ’em ups are popular now, there is no denying that and Samurai Riot is an interesting take on the genre. This is a brawler with a good theme and setting where samurai clans have re-emerged in a post-apocalyptic world, and yet the premise just feels unfulfilled by the final game. The reason for this is that the game is sadly held back by a number of technical problems that ruin the fun.
Samurai Riot sees you take control of either Sukane or Tsurumaru, two samurai with a style of combat unique to each, with Sukane using modern-style martial arts strikes while Tsurumaru uses his sword to attack enemies. Both have their high points and low points, but the combat does feel satisfying, which makes the flaws more notable.
These flaws include game crashes repeatedly happening when attempting to use continues, enemies becoming stuck on the screen and becoming invulnerable. These enemies end up blocking any attempt to progress through the level and that isn’t even getting into the enemies stuck off-screen that necessitate restarting. In fact, these are not the only issues with enemies as sometimes enemies will get defeated only to get stuck and then come back immediately and create an endless cycle.
These issues hold back what could have been a very decent brawler, but that being said the gameplay did need a bit of refinement in its own right, as the hitboxes seem off and enemy movement feels awkward. Tsurumaru felt like an easier character to get the hang of, but as mentioned both characters have high and low points.
One interesting touch that could have made things interesting was the branching paths you can take. These paths take the form of different choices that can affect the ending and may result in your character choosing to switch their allegiance from their master to another. It is a great idea but held back by the fact that if you do switch sides, you still fight the same enemies over and over.
Samurai Riot Definitive Edition could have been amazing. It had so much potential with its combat and gameplay ideas but is held back by so many technical issues that it just is not fun to play. As it stands, the game needs major fixes and once that happens, it may become worthy of getting a recommendation. As it stands now, there are plenty of other choices for great beat ’em ups to enjoy.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided