Forget life meters, combos, and all that three-round rot. Here comes Bushido Blade, a straightforward fighting game that totally redefines the genre. Bushido Blade is a bold undertaking, but a remarkably successful one - it's fresh, unique, and could never have happened without today's technology.

Bushido Blade opens with a stunning sword demonstration, and the game's visual integrity becomes obvious within seconds. The game's graphics, while not the sharpest or fastest, are the most detailed ever seen in a polygonal fighter, and, at a consistent 30 frames per second, rank among the smoothest in existence. The soundtrack, which combines traditional Japanese instrumentation with a fast-paced, modern rhythm section, is also striking. While the in-game speech is somewhat limited, the sounds of each battle are dazzling in their variety. The game's most remarkable feature, however, is each stage's continuous fighting environment. For instance, you can race through the snow (leaving tracks in your wake) past a garden and over a wooden bridge to the village beyond, then leap into a mud hole and race your way to the train station, where you can escape into an underground river and clean yourself off. Did I mention you're battling all this time? A brief load time separates the different areas of town, but it hardly detracts from the experience.

Of course, running around isn't what Bushido Blade's all about. You choose from six honorable samurai warriors and select from the following eight classical weapons: katana, rapier, naginata (Japanese polearm), broadsword, war hammer, short sword, nodachi (Japanese long sword), and saber. Each battle-hardened fighter is proficient with at least one weapon, though you can use any. Once armed, you can switch among high, middle, and low combat stances at will and attack in at least three different fashions. Different weapons demand different strategies; the lightweight katana is ideal for midlevel slashes, while the hammer is best for crushing overhead blows. You can parry the opponent's attack, attempt to counter it, or swing right through it, but defending will only take you so far; the moment a clean hit connects, it's all over. This is Bushido Blade's most exciting and preposterous feature, destined to earn it just as many fans as detractors - each match consists of one round, and if you survive an enemy's attack, consider yourself lucky.

Of course, you needn't go straight for the kill every time - consider laming your opponent (the legs make easy targets) or slashing his arm (he will continue fighting one-handed). The story mode reflects damage from match to match, with bloody bandages on your character and more. But as good as Bushido Blade is, there's still some room for improvement. For instance, the fighter will never drop his weapon. Likewise, though the swordsman's arm or leg may be injured, it is impossible to damage both. Not to mention that grappling of any kind is conspicuously absent.

Bushido Blade also features a number of very cool gameplay options. These include a terrifyingly well-done first-person battle mode (complete with two-player linkup) and the option to toggle between winter and spring settings for various backdrops. Each fight also has a number of dramatic outcomes, namely the different death throes that change with each killing blow, which are nothing short of awesome. Combined with the selection of stylish fighters and weapons, the replay value in this title is vast. Hard-core fighting-game fans should consider Bushido Blade a welcome breath of fresh air; it's a vastly different combat experience that makes for one of the classiest, most serious fighting games ever. --Greg Kasavin
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Average Customer Review: ( 15 customer reviews )
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Although there's been a sequel and newer/faster/smoother fighters have been released, this still stands apart as a classic 'must-have' that will get pulled out of the jewel case long after its purchase.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Classic.Aug 16, 2005
By Daniel Dotson
I've been playing Bushido Blade off and on since like the seventh grade and it still keeps me entertained. It's one of those few games out there that have such a great replay value you can literally play it all night and not get bored (I know from experience).

Square decided to eliminate the traditional fighting game life meter and try to make the most realistic sword-fighting game they could. This is what makes it so unique: You get hit in the arm, you lose usage of that arm. You get hit in the leg, you hobble around for the rest of the match. And if you get hit just right in the neck or torso, you're dead. In addition to this appealing realistic fighting system, there are three stances to choose from, adding strategic depth to the game: Knowing when to wield your weapon high, medium, or low can greatly effect the outcome of a fight.

Though this game is best if played with another person, the 100-man challenge in Slash mode makes it infinitely fun even if you're by yourself. This thing kept me occupied for five hours one night, until I was finally able to get through it without dying.

The one problem that I had with this game, which takes its overall quality down to four stars, is simply that they forgot to add a cancel button to take you back to the main menu. So basically, if you're in Arcade mode and want to quit and give Slash mode a try, you have to reset the whole thing. This little annoyance is really the game's only drawback.

Though Bushido Blade has been out for a while and has far been outdated in graphics and all that(I really wish Square would remake it or something), I haven't played many fighting games that equal it in the fun department.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

An interesting idea, not what I was expectingMar 29, 2012
By Richard Baker "Gaming Guru"
The Good: The one hit kill theme is like no other fighter, good amount of modes, two player is awesome, awesome first person mode

The Bad: Blocky characters, lame story mode, enemy AI is too predictable

I remember hearing about Bushido Blade back in the day but wasn't old enough to understand the game. Now that I've played it I can see what the hoopla was all about. Of course now-a-days BB feels really old and somewhat crippled. The game has tons of modes and an awesome first person mode. The story is really lame and there aren't enough characters. The graphics are alright but the characters are really blocky.

The whole hype thing was you can die in one hit. It was like the ultimate fighting simulator. You hit their legs they go on their knee. You hit their arm they fight with one hand. You can choose your weapon of choice before combat as well. Also, the best thing here is the multiplayer of course. The computer AI is really predictable and is either too easy or way too hard...never in between.

The game a huge blast with two players though since you never know what the other person will do. While the control scheme is awkward if you're used to today's fighters it's doable. Play BB if you really want to play a classic gem and want some good old school two player.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Old, but good.Jul 11, 2003

I recently got this game at a very cheap price,not expecting much.When I finally played it, I thought this game was pretty good.Old, but good.The graphics aren't the best for the PS1,but the fighting is incredible.You can do special character move,and weapon move.For example,a Katana could always do a certain move [one is leftrighttriangle {or vice versa}].It's also realistic.You can block [for the most part],change stance [vital], do other intresting extra moves. Like climbing, blinding, sub-weapon [omly when your leg is damaged], and a more cool stuff I won't ruin for you. Another good part of this game is a plot you can follow, no matter which character you use. If you play with Utsusemi, you discover something unexpected. Although its almost the same for each character, its still a different movie at the end. On all of the modes you get the many options of weapons and attacks. If you don't want to do story mode, you can do other modes like training, 2P, POV, and Slash mode. Another good thing is that if you stink, you can put it on easy. This is just my opinion, but it isn't ever fun on easy for any game, including this one.

Overall, this is a good game which I recommend to anyone who likes a good fighting game. I gave it a four out of five.

[Also, if you get this game, play slash mode when you get really good, not when you just start. If you beat Slash mode you get something awesome.

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