Bushido Blade

Bushido Blade is shocking in its utter denial of the status quo. Not ever content to rest on its laurels, Square has stepped up to deliver a combat game which will make players actually stop and think about the morality, and the mortality, of fighting itself. If for nothing else, Bushido Blade is an extremely important step for the maturation of the medium of videogames, because it teaches its participants that weapons do indeed draw blood and end lives.

Square has already proven their utter mastery of the fighting game genre with both Tobal No. 1 and 2 but with the weapons based Samurai fighter, Square creates a new paradigm. Fighting games with a conscience.

Sharpen Your History

With a bow towards the societal mores of ancient Japan, the gameplay of Bushido Blade is entrenched in the confines of fighting honourably. Oh, you can hack and slash your way through this game, no question, but the real Kage (pronounced, "Kah-Gay"), strikes only when struck at. If your intention is to sink into the richness of this game, you have to pay attention to a few basic guidelines...

Don't strike your opponent when they are down.
Don't hit your opponent in the back when you're running away.
Don't try to climb away from the battle.

If you fight honourably, you will be granted the privilege of advancing through Bushido Blade's incredible Story Mode. It is in here that you will learn the "Bushido Code". You play as one of the six characters in the game. For your own reasons, described in the game's individual CG movies, you have chosen to leave the Meikyokan dojo and the teachings of the Nakrukagami Shinto. Five of your fellow Kage are enlisted by your master and ordered to stop you. And to kill you if they have to. No Kage from the Meikyokan dojo is allowed to leave. It's your job in the Story Mode, to break that rule.

Of course, there are other modes of play in this deep disc. A straight Vs. game allows you and a friend to battle it out against each other. Slash Mode asks you to meet, greet and defeat 100 enemies, without giving you time to take a sip of Gatorade. Training Mode will let you hone the complicated new skills at your disposal. And the very cool P.O.V. Mode lets you battle the computer, or a friend (via the link cable), from the first person perspective, so you can look into your enemy's eyes before you attempt to gouge them out.

There are six immediately accessible fighters to choose from. Admittedly, this is a small offering compared to other, seemingly more generous, fighting games on the shelves. But when you consider that each fighter has the opportunity to battle with eight individual weapons, each with their own required moves and traits, the question of gameplay value is immediately cleared up.

There are some familiar archetypes within the six fighters found in the game. There is Utsusemi, the grizzled, veteran swordsman; Red Shadow, the sexy Russian ninja; Tatsumi, the young, inexperienced Kage-in-training; Mikado, the demure and deadly "shrine maiden"; Black Lotus, a dashing, arrogant Irishman, who likes to dress up like Zorro; and, of course, Kannuki, the Ryu/Haomaru character of the game - big attitude, big hair.

The weapons in Bushido Blade range from the relatively civil Sabres and Rapiers to the gruesomely brutal Sledgehammers and Broadswords. Fighting with the different weapons completely alters the way that the characters move within the arenas. It is this unique fighting interface that helps Bushido Blade stand out in the crowd.

Watch Where You Swing That Thing!

You should know that you can win matches in Bushido Blade by striking your opponent only once. Forget those damned health bars, one well timed head strike and it's all over, baby. This ever-present impending doom heightens the tension unbelievably. You just never know when your fighter is going to go to a better place. Which is another thing that Bushido Blade doesn't shy away from. When your character dies, he dies. There's no sense that a final strike is just the precursor to a blood soaked knock down, or some kind of flowery respite before the next battle. If you get it in the face, it's curtains and that's it.

Of course, adhering to realism opens up all kinds of other avenues in Bushido Blade's gameplay. Not only can you cut your fellow Kage's career short, you can also inflict various sorts of wounds that will have a direct impact on they way they will battle in successive rounds.

Strike at your opponent's legs repeatedly, and you'll discover that they no longer have the ability to stand. Rather, they will crawl towards the confrontation on their knees, ever ready to extend out and go for one last stab at your heart.

Likewise, if you hit your enemy in either arm one too many times, they will lose the use of that appendage. This can make things very tricky for them if they've decided to enter into battle with the two-handed Katana, Nodachi, Sledgehammer, Broadsword or Naginta.

The control in Bushido Blade is precise but it is quite difficult to learn. Square has implemented some techniques from previous fighting games, like Tekken and Virtua Fighter's multiple button tappers, but the difference here is that you are required to understand how the physical properties of your weapons will interfere with your timing.

It is possible to pull off successful multi-hit combination attacks, but you have to factor in the momentum of your blade's fore and back swings. Practice, as they say, is the key.

At first, playing Bushido Blade will be a series of quick and bloody deaths but after you've spent some time adapting to this brave new world, you'll become addicted to fighting with honour. Defensive breaks that counter your enemy's attack, and roll back moves that will pull you out of a delicate position, will become even more rewarding than simply striking down your foes. Bushido Blade is a game of unending depth and complexity. Make sure you read the instruction book and give yourself plenty of time to unravel this one.

Beauty Squared

The visuals for Bushido Blade, although less glamorous than Soul Blade, are still remarkable in their own right. The character designs are fantastic. The costume textures on the fighters are gorgeous, with ornate stitching complimenting the folds and wrinkles of the cloth.

As nice as the characters are to look at, to see these fearsome scrappers pick up their swords and battle it out is a revelation. The motion capture is superb, making the movements in Bushido Blade easily among the best animation the videogame world has ever seen. Just watch the warm up animation in the demo screens and you'll quickly see what I'm talking about. The beauty of Bushido Blade's animation is that it never once enters the realm of implausibility. Compared to other martial arts games out there, Bushido Blade looks more like an instructional video than a comic book.

The environments in the game also help in the suspension of disbelief. Although there is some polygon instability in both the geography and the characters moving atop it, Bushido Blade never loses its visual integrity. Flourishes like falling snow and choppable bamboo shoots add even more zest to the presentation.

Bushido Blade is not the finest looking example of a fighting game for the PlayStation. It is, however, the most realistic interpretation of fighting the genre has ever seen. You may not like the occasional polygon hiccup or jagged edge that you see. But I can guarantee that once you wince through a severe slice to the face, any petty grumbles that you may still have about this game not looking as sharp as Soul Blade, will be wiped from your mind.

What Does Pain Sound Like?

Never mind the blood spray, the swipes, swishes and splurches of razor sharp blades cutting through flesh are going to make you squirm in your seat. If you've ever wanted to hear what it sounds to kill a person with a sword, just turn the volume up on Bushido Blade. The authenticity and attention to detail, while extremely commendable, might just be enough to make you feel a little ill. Jacking into this one in first person mode with a pair of headphones on is likely to make you either a quivering bowl of Jell-O or a swashbuckling daredevil. Frankly, I don't want to find out either way. Just pass me my Katana.

On the music beat, Bushido Blade does little to impress. There are odd unearthly flutters of Japanese pipes and drums throughout the action, but there's nothing in the game to really grasp onto. Bushido Blade's music, what there is of it, exists merely as an afterthought. Like most fighters, however, the music is the last thing you pay your money for.

Bring Band Aids

Bushido Blade is a classic. The sequel for this fighter is already creating waves in Japan, so it shouldn't be too long before we're embroiled in an even more sophisticated adaptation of the most horrific of activities. It's hard to imagine how terrifying it would be to face and be skewered by a master swordsman. Now with Bushido Blade you won't have to imagine.

While other weapon based fighters take the lighter approach to this kind of combat (favouring instead to accentuate heroic athleticism with a kind of "Robin Hood meets Enter The Dragon"-like innocuousness), Bushido Blade heads right into the dark territory and makes you question your motives for fighting. Be prepared to be shocked.

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