In early Japan, a man named Shiro Tokisida Amakusa preaches a heretic religion. Little does anyone know that Amakusa is really a servant of the evil Ambrosia, who took over Amakusas body. Ambrosia wishes to shroud the world in darkness.

In Samurai Shodown, 12 warriors from around the globe compete to determine who is the ultimate champion. Each warrior has a unique weapon and fighting style. Some warriors also have helper animals which can attack enemies during battle. Players choose a warrior who then must trek to each opponent's country where he or she will face a fight to the death. In matches where one warrior wins very easily, his or her opponent will spray blood or be cut in half. Although warriors typically depend on their weapons, opponents can knock them loose, rendering them weaponless. Weaponless opponents are not totally weakened, however. They can choose to finish a match with hands-only combat, or they can make a grab for their missing weapon and reclaim it.

Each warrior has a repertoire of special moves, including at least one long distance attack. When players lose a match, Samurai Shodown reveals a joystick and button combo for one of the losing character's signature moves. During battle, a “POW” meter increases each time a character takes a hit. When the POW meter is full, the character turns red, moves more swiftly, and attacks with more power. This rage stage is temporary and lasts only a few seconds. The object of Samurai Shodown is to defeat all enemies and reign as the ultimate champion. Continues are unlimited as long as you insert coins, and players can change characters if they choose to continue.

Samurai Shodown features:

• The game includes 12 different fighters
• Best-of-three competitions
• Samurai-style combat
• High AI
• And two-player action

The world is in chaos. Society has been turned upside down. In this law-less world, samurai, ninja masters, knights and soldiers fight using all the skills and secret techniques at their command. It's a cruel and brutal world – if you lose hold of your sword, fight with your bare hands! Use your anger to defeat your enemies! In a world without order, the samurai stands alone against the forces of chaos… Violent, heart-pounding sword fighting! Carefully judge your timing for each character. Get in close and flip away your opponent's weapon. Discover the true spirit of the samurai! Check out the new Rage Gauge! You store up extra energy each time you are injured, and rage forth with extra attack power when the gauge hits maximum. Use the bombs dropped into the screen to corner and destroy your enemy. Pick up old gold coins to increase your point score, and food items to restore life. Lots of attack methods! Fight with swords, punch and kick, and use the many and varied special attacks and special sword attacks. Some characters even use deadly attack animals to defeat opponents! Control the boss character Shiro Tokisada Amakusa in the VS game, making a total of 12 selectable characters for sizzling game play!