Summary
Fans ofAssassin’s Creedhave been waiting for a ninja game for a long time. They probably never thought it would come bundled with a samurai game. After a certain point, players can switch freely between Naoe, a ninja on a quest for revenge, and Yasuke, a samurai in a foreign land. Yasuke is unique in that he was freed from slavery and joined the ranks of Lord Nobunaga, one of the most infamous rulers in Japan of all time.
While large and imposing, Yasuke is a threat only to his enemies, as he has a soft heart inAssassin’s Creed: Shadows. These other samurai in their accompanying games may not be as kind as Yasuke, but they certainly are just as brutal. This selection runs the gamut from straight-up samurai experiences to ones that think outside the box, but they are all solid.
Yasuke isn’t the only black samurai in popular culture. Before Yasuke’s rise in the popular zeitgeist,Afro Samuraitore up the airwaves with a short anime seriesthat was later turned into a game sharing the same name. The strongest samurai in the world holds the Number One headband, and only Number Two can challenge him with that being Afro.
The trouble is, anyone can challenge the Number Two, leading to Afro having to defend his title on his way to the top. The game features cel-shading and stylish action, matching the aesthetic of the anime with a mix of classic samurai-era music blended with hip-hop. It’s a forgotten PS3-era game, but one that still rules even with its flaws.
Bushido Blade 2isa fighting game for the PS1from Squaresoft, but not in the traditional sense. In this warring time of ninja and samurai warriors, combat is displayed realistically. Players can die with a single hit, making each match sweat-inducing from the second one.
For those who want to polish their samurai or ninja swordplay, this is a great game to play alone through its several stories or with a friend. It’s unfortunately trapped on the PS1, but there are always workarounds.
Fate/Samurai Remnantis the latest in theFatevisual novel/anime series. This one takes place in Japan, but modern technology is slowly seeping its way into the country. Not only that, but the game has a bit of time distillation that theAssassin’s Creedseries is known for.
As a samurai, Iori, players will go through districts, freeing them from tyranny, all while trying to solve a central plot involving mysticism. It’s one of the more forgotten Omega Force games, the Koei Tecmo developer that works on your Musou titles, but it needs a second shot at life.
Ghost of Tsushimais the game getting compared to most toAssassin’s Creed Shadows, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an open-world game taking place on an island in Japan, Tsushima, during a troubled part of its history. Mongolians are invading, and while the samurai are being beaten down by them, one must rise to face them all: Jin.
Players can go through the game as a noble samurai or cut down enemies from the shadows by embracing the ways of the ninja, which does play into the story. It’s like the dichotomy between playing as Yasuke or Naoe inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Ghost of Tsushima truly is the gold standard ofsamurai and ninja gamesin an open-world setting.
Katana Zerois an indie game starring a samurai, but one out of his era. Zero is an assassin, and every stage finds him hunting a new target set in a cyberpunk future. Enemies die in one hit, and players can go into missions either stealthily or brazenly.
Zero has the innate ability toslow down timebefore executing enemies, too, almost like he has the ability to see the future. What makes this assassinating samurai intriguing is that after every mission, he has a session with a psychiatrist. What’s really going on? That’s the real hook of the game.
Pokemon Conquestmay seem like a wild pick, but there are reasons to highlight this forgotten DS game. As a female or male samurai, players are partnered with a Pokemon, but instead of taking place in the modern era, the game centers around the warring states of Japan. Battles are tactical, with samurai operating as Pokemon Trainers who can command them in grid-based battles.
Familiar faces from Japanese history will appear, including Lord Nobunaga, Hanzo, Oichi, Nene, and Mitsuhide, all of whom appear inAssassin’s Creed Shadows.Pokemon Conquestis worthwhile because, likeAssassin’s Creed Shadows, it puts a bizarre twist on history, albeit in a more extreme case.
Samurai Warriors 5is the latest entry in the series, which tried a few new things out. Firstly, it de-aged a lot of characters to give the game a more youthful aesthetic, along with brightening up the colors. It stands out from other entries in the series, falling more in line with some of the anime spinoffs likeOne Piece: Pirate Warriors.
Players can live out their feudal fantasies with characters who appear inAssassin’s Creed Shadows,including Yasuke, Mitsuhide, Oichi, and Lord Nobunaga. The combat is less realistic, but that’s kind of the point ofa Musou game.
Trek to Yomiis a tale of revenge, and it sets itself apart from other samurai fiction because it’sfully rendered in black and white. It’s a clear homage to classic samurai films likeSeven Samurai, and the grittiness of the screen quality can be immersive.
Players will begin witnessing the death of their family before training to become a lone ronin out for blood. Combat is simple and yet sophisticated, allowing players to dive as much or as little into it as they want, depending on their difficulty level. It’s a short trek with some surprising twists as more players get into it.
