Bushido Blade is a fighting video game developed by Lightweight and published by Square for the PlayStation. Its name refers to the Japanese warrior code of honor, bushidō.

The Story Behind Bushido Blade

However, Nakata stated that hit detection was implemented for the torso, head, and limbs to make the game more of a "swordsmanship simulator" rather than a fighting game. Much of the audio utilizes the flute and violin, as well as a traditional Japanese instrument, the shamisen. The North American release of Bushido Blade had one minor graphical change: blood was added, replacing the yellow flash that appears during a fatal blow.

The director explained that the bushidō code of honor present in the game was not strictly the warrior's "way of dying" like that found in the Edo period's famous Hagakure guide but emphasized the concept of one's own survival as found in teachings of earlier Japanese time periods. The musical score for Bushido Blade was created by Namco and Arika composer Shinji Hosoe with contributions by Ayako Saso and Takayuki Aihara. Originally slated for a February 1997 release in Japan, Bushido Blade was pushed back to March to make room for the debut of Square's Aques line of sports games in February.

How Bushido Blade Plays

A variety of attack combinations can be executed by the player using button sequences with the game's "Motion Shift System," where one swing of a weapon is followed through with another. Some areas, such as the bamboo thicket, allow some interaction. In addition to the game's single player story mode, Bushido Blade contains a two-player versus mode and a link mode that supports the PlayStation Link Cable.

Because battles are not limited to small arenas, the player is encouraged to freely explore during battle. Characters in Bushido Blade also have the ability to run, jump, and climb within the 3D environments. Acting dishonorably will abruptly end the player's playthrough after a certain point in the story, displaying a message berating them on their behavior.

Why Players Still Load It Up

In 1999, Bushido Blade received a nomination for "Console Fighting Game of the Year" during the AIAS' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards. The game was also added to the PSone Classics roster on the Japanese PlayStation Store in 2008. IGN said it was "extremely innovative, yet still not so ambitious as to have lost the point." GameSpot similarly opined, "Bushido Blade is a bold undertaking, but a remarkably successful one." Next Generation stated that "Given that Square has chosen to take a much more realistic approach to blade combat than most fighters, it could be argued that Bushido Blade is the kind of game you either love or hate.

However, while it may not offer the same arcade-style button mashing or twenty hit combos of other 3D brawlers, it does offer the closest you can get to the real thing without actually getting cut." Other subjects of praise for the game were the detailed graphics, continuous arenas, ability to disable opponents' limbs, and the way the amount of honor the player shows in combat affects the ending. In 2006, the game was ranked number 190 on 1UP.coms list of The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time. In November 2000, Bushido Blade was voted by the readers of Weekly Famitsu magazine as number 85 in its top 100 PlayStation games of all time.

Bushido Blade — Frequently Asked Questions