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While I am by no means an aficionado, even I can appreciate the beautiful simplicity of the traditional fighting game. No other genre uses the core principles of gameplay — graphics, physics, and control interface — more efficiently (or more unabashedly) to engage and entertain, to keep the gaming audience coming back for more.
Despite its diminutive size and quirky Joy-Con controllers, the Nintendo Switch continues to prove itself as a competent platform for head-to-head fighters. From its own Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to the anime-infused Dragon Ball FighterZ to the massive Mortal Kombat 11, the Switch provides full-size console fighting fun on the go. This week a new *ahem* challenger has appeared, and while it may lack some of the bells and whistles of its distinguished competition, SNK’s Samurai Shodown arrives with all its quasi-historical swordplay intact.
Simply titled Samurai Shodown — the same name as the 1993 original — the first new franchise entry in 11 years arrived on the Switch on February 25. Same as it ever was, this new Samurai Shodown, despite its hi-def visuals and crystal-clear traditional soundtrack, remains a wonderfully stripped-down affair.
While button-mashing can get you pretty far in Smash (or even some more refined systems like Street Fighter), Samurai Shodown is all…
