There are several things that separate Samurai Shodown from virtually every other fighting game of the same era. Firstly every character is armed with a weapon to the point that it’s as if this was something of a precursor to the Soul Calibur franchise. Looking at the weapons, there are many unique choices across each of the games presented in the collection. Even characters wielding similar weapons play extremely different. Just because you see 4 or 5 Katana-type swords doesn’t mean you can look at those individuals as duplicates. This is very important because it speaks to the depth of the Samurai Shodown games.

As an anthology, this is exactly what you want to see. Samurai Shodown grew more and more with each installment and having the six core games all wrapped up together lets you appreciate that. There are all sorts of things like the Rage Gauge, Stun Thrusts, Barehanded Sword Snags, Sword Locks, Counters, Rolls and on and on. It’s really fun to take a small handful of characters and play through each of the first five games (there’s a reason I say first five) and see how that evolution added to their styles and the way that you approach each game with them.

Unfortunately that same depth and evolution is something that may very well work against most gamers. Looking at some of the later games like Samurai Shodown IV or V, it’s likely that people are going to want to jump into them first. The character rosters are a little bigger and the sprites and backgrounds look better. However there’s so much that is built into the series with each game that it’s almost an impossible task. The general design of Samurai Shodown isn’t exactly pickup and play either. As a fighting game, it’s slower paced when compared to most other titles and realistically the focus is more on using a handful of precision strikes to win matches rather than running in with a relentless barrage of attacks.

However everything to this point, both good and bad, still doesn’t do more than scratch the surface when it comes to the sixth entry of the series. Where Samurai Shodown I –V are featured as part of a drop down menu on the main menu screen, Samurai Shodown VI is under a separate icon and rightfully so. This game is massive. As with the first five titles, IV features an arcade mode as well as practice arena. Beyond that there is a survival mode that pits you against a wave of computer controlled fighters. Also there is a customization mode that allows you to edit Sword Spirits. Even as I write this I’m still learning a lot about the Sword Spirits. Still near as I can tell, Sword Spirits are a combination of button layouts and attributes that change based on your selection. Each focuses on a different attribute and play style like constant attacks, strong defensive play and so forth. There are so many customizable options that you can come up with just about anything.

At $19.99 it’s hard to not recommend Samurai Shodown Anthology to anyone, especially if you’re a fan of 2D fighting games. It has just about the truest sense of what it means to produce a compilation. Collecting Samurai Shodown I through VI in one simple disc is perfect because you get everything you need to really enjoy the series. The fighting engines are incredibly deep and they only grow with each instalment. Of course depth and complexity can sometimes be a hindrance. It’s going to take some serious hours to really get a grip on these games, but if you’re willing to put in the time you’re going to get a great experience out of it. Outside of being a little more accessible, the only thing I wish was that there were a few more extras. There are color palettes for each character that you can change and customize and Samurai Shodown VI includes a small illustrations gallery. I still wish there was more though. I would have liked to have seen more artwork, maybe some character bios, things like that but this is still a solid purchase.