Resharpen your blade…
SNK’s 2019 release Samurai Shodown is a sharp-ass game — in both literal and metaphorical ways. The cult fighter successfully managed to reinvent itself for modern platforms, while retaining the very deliberate, intense, and high-damage combat style of the Neo Geo classics. Packed with interesting characters and powered by an easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master play style, Samurai Shodown is a unique fighter that deserves to sit within the current zeitgeist.
And it looks like the cult title is getting the opportunity to take a second swing for the gold, as developer SNK has announced that it has teamed with studio Code Mystics for a new update that will implement brand new rollback netcode for the PlayStation, Xbox and PC editions of the period piece scrapper. While SamSho is a fine title from an aesthetic and gameplay standpoint, unfortunately, the online element leaves a lot to be desired. While, in 2022, you can still find people fighting the good fight, lag-free action is harder to come by — which is a no go in such a precise, high-damage fighter.
And so, for the dedicated Samurai Shodown community — and fighting game fans in general — the rollback netcode update will be a very welcome addition, along with a sign that SNK has not abandoned the title in favor of some of its more modern releases. In fact, it is believed that the new update should bring online fluidity in alignment with The King of Fighters XV, which has very solid online stability once its fights are underway.
No specific release date was announced for the new update outside of the general window of spring 2023. Samurai Shodown is available now on PS4, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. Once again, the netcode update is only coming to PlayStation, PC, and Xbox editions of the game.
Evo 2023 is currently underway. You can check out the full schedule right here.
